BRIGHTON TREASURE HUNT ADVENTURE STAFF REVIEW
Owen, Amilah and I got to take part in this mysterious treasure hunt adventure around Brighton, in which our aim was to find out ‘Who Smashed Brighton Rock?’ For this, we had to figure out the suspect, their birthplace, the newspaper name, and newspaper badge colour. The meeting point was at a traditional Whisky shop in the northern lanes of Brighton, which had a dark and unique look to it. We were greeted by the friendly staff, who then gave us our booklet guides, which were colourful and easy to read. After briefly flicking through the booklet, we set off to the first point!
At the beginning of our experience, we received a booklet that contained all the necessary information we needed to successfully complete our treasure hunt, as well as the reveal of the murderer at the end of the book. The book was brightly decorated with cartoon figures on the front cover that depicted the scene where the ‘crime’ would have taken place (Brighton Beach!). We were given a set of suspects and had to discover the murderer through a process of elimination. We eagerly flicked through the pages and the guide would take us to different infamous landmarks or locations in Brighton (such as the Jubilee Clock Tower, the Royal Pavilion and more) and we would have to find signs or plaques that helped us solve the puzzles and discover the clues. Alongside this, we were given the backstory behind the significance of each clue, thus making the mystery feel more real. The book contained directions on how to get from one location to another, so we never felt like we had gone off track.
One of the most impressive aspects of the tour was the way it incorporated so much of what makes Brighton great into one massive adventure! If I were a tourist and only had one day in the city, as well as being a fun puzzle in its own right, it would be the perfect guided tour of Brighton itself. We started off in the North Lanes with its buzzing atmosphere and vibrant markets. At times I was definitely tempted to go shopping but we stayed true to the mystery we had undertaken! Of course no tour of Brighton would be any good without a visit to the Pavilion, which was cleverly incorporated into the puzzles. We ventured through Old Steine where admittedly crossing the road was a bigger challenge than the mystery itself, before reaching the highlight of the Palace Pier! I don’t think any of us expected there to be a clue on the pier itself which was a lovely surprise, made even better by the sun emerging just as we arrived. The experience was definitely improved by the sunny weather though the challenging and educational aspects would’ve made it fun regardless of rain or shine!
Other stops on our journey included the beachfront, town hall, South Lanes, Jubilee Clock Tower and even a spooky graveyard - but for me the best part of the day was the pub stops! Brighton is famous for its extraordinary count of classic British pubs, and a few of these were incorporated into the mystery. This was a nice touch given the level of walking involved, our legs were certainly aching at times and provided a nice opportunity to have a sit (and maybe a beer!). Venues featured along the tour include The Lord Nelson, Post & Telegraph, Druids Head & Evening Star - so plenty of variety in location, demographic and price for a range of potential investigators. If we weren’t working I’d have definitely been up for one in each place!
Browse our range of other walking tours and sightseeing tours.
