Mystery Guides: Outdoor Escape Room Adventures in UK Cities

We chat with Jack Wells, founder of Mystery Guides, about turning UK city exploring into a story-led treasure hunt using a physical book, real history and real hidden treasure. Tracy shares her own experience doing the Winchester guide - and why it's one of those travel days that genuinely sticks with you.

• What a Mystery Guide is and how it works on the day
• Why a physical book beats doing it on your phone
• Tracy's first Mystery Guide in Winchester and the shared experience of bumping into others doing it too
• Where you can do Mystery Guides across the UK and how Jack chooses new locations
• How Jack builds each guide from real events, local lore and unsolved mysteries
• Accessibility, what to bring, and how the built-in hints help if you get stuck
• Who these adventures suit best and what new guides are coming next

Exclusive discount: Use code UKTP15 for 15% off at mysteryguides.co.uk

⭐️ Guest - Jack Wells
📝 Show Notes - Episode 197

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Transcript

A Different Way To Explore Cities

SPEAKER_02 0:00

Are you looking for a unique and memorable way to explore UK cities? Stay tuned because today's guest has created something really special that you are going to love.

SPEAKER_00 0:10

Welcome to the UK Travel Planning Podcast. Your host is the founder of the UK travel planning website, Tracy Collins. Each week, Tracy shares destination guides, travel tips and itinerary ideas, as well as interviews with a variety of guests who share their knowledge and experience of UK travel to help you plan your perfect UK vacation. Join us as we explore the UK from cosmopolitan cities to quaint villages, from historic castles to beautiful islands, and from the picturesque countryside to seaside towns.

Sponsor London Tours Recommendation

SPEAKER_02 0:40

Before we get started, we'd like to thank our sponsor, Walks and Devour Tours. If you're planning a trip to London, you'll already know the challenge. There's a lot you want to do and only a limited amount of time to fit it all in. That's where the right term makes all the difference because you want experiences that are the best use of your time with more access, less waiting, and a deeper sense of the city. That's why we recommend Walks and Devour Tours. They offer walk-in tours and food tours designed to make your time count, often with early or after hours entry. You'll also be with exceptional local guides who add the stories and context so you leave with a richer understanding of what you're seeing and a trip that feels genuinely memorable. If you're visiting London as a couple with family or you simply prefer a more intimate experience, walks and devour tours also offer private tour options. To learn more, you'll find the link in the show notes. Now let's get into this week's episode.

Winchester Story And First Impressions

SPEAKER_02 1:34

Hi and welcome to this week's episode of the UK Travel Plan and Podcast. Now this week I'm chatting with someone whose idea I absolutely love and whose work I've personally experienced while travelling in the UK. Now, if you like discovering Cities 2 stories, puzzles and hands-on exploration and learning about history along the way, you're going to love this conversation. And stay listening until the end because we have an exclusive discount code for mystery guides that I'll share later in the episode. Now I first came across mystery guides a few years ago when I was visiting Winchester with my cousin. She brought one of the mystery guides along with her because she'd done one before and had received the Winchester Guide as a gift. Now I hadn't done one before and I didn't really know what to expect, but honestly, it completely transformed how we explored the city. Instead of just wandering around or ticking off sights, it felt like a proper adventure. We were solving clues, learning about the history as we went, stopping for tea and cake occasionally, chatting away and noticing things we absolutely would have walked straight past otherwise. What was also really fun was that while we were exploring Winchester, we kept bumping into other groups who were doing the mystery guide as well. So it created this lovely shared experience. You really felt part of something without it being a formal group tour. Now by the end of the day, we both said the same thing. It was such a fun way to explore. It's one of those travel days that really sticks with you. And I have to say, as an extra history teacher and someone who absolutely loves puzzles, I remember thinking, I wish I'd had this idea. It just brings the it just brings those two things together in such a clever, accessible way. And honestly, I think it's such a fabulous way for visitors to explore the UK. So today I'm really pleased to welcome Jack Wells, the creator of Mystery Guides.

What A Mystery Guide Is

SPEAKER_02 3:23

Okay, Jack, so for anyone who hasn't come across mystery guides before, could you introduce yourself and tell us how you describe what you do and what a mystery guide actually is?

SPEAKER_01 3:33

Okay, so I'll start by saying I'm Jack and Jack Wells, founder of Mystery Guides. Um started it 2019, something like that. Um Mystery Guide, if I want to introduce what a mystery guide actually is, is a small book that takes you on an adventure around a city. So if you follow the story, you solve the clues, you've you will find some hidden, real hidden treasure at the end of it. So it's an immersive um activity book for adults.

SPEAKER_02 4:01

And yes, and they're absolutely fantastic. As I've already said in the introduction, how how enthusiastic I am about them. So once once somebody's bought a mystery guide, um what does the experience actually look like on the

How The Day Works In Practice

SPEAKER_02 4:14

day?

SPEAKER_01 4:14

Okay, so this it's you buy it online and it gets delivered to you. So it's a physical book, nothing on your phone, you don't need any technology whatsoever. Um and it comes in a nice um gift sleeve as well, so it looks all mysterious. You then take it to the starting point. So you may be doing it in your hometown, or you might be going to let's say London to do it. So you take it to the starting point, and it there's a map that tells you where to start, and that will be your first clue. Um, and you you get the start of the story. So a good example of it is my London book, which is um The Mystery of the Holy Grail, which is a famous treasure hunt story from many, many, many, many years ago. Um, on this adventure, you're actually looking for the Holy Grail somewhere in London, and it starts at the um old Templ uh Templar's Church in London. So it has a real connection with the Knights Templar and the story of the Holy Grail. So you start off with a real, you're actually in the place where the Knights Templar would have been, and you're on the search for their legendary Holy Grail. So it takes you on a the walk itself is about two miles around London. You and it and I like to take you to places that you wouldn't ordinarily go. So you go down little side streets, little alleyways, you find really old pubs tucked away that you never knew were there. Um you learn a bit of history of the grail, of London, of other things. Um you might stop for a coffee on the way or a drink on the way, and when you solve all the clues, you will find where the grail is hidden. And hopefully it you will find it there. And you will learn something. At the end, you walk away with a lesson learned. So there's there's a twist in all of these stories that I won't spoil because you might want to do it.

SPEAKER_02 5:56

Excellent. Well, hopefully they they will. If you're listening to this, I'm sure you will. I I uh did uh a mystery guide in Winchester, that was the first one I did, and that what I really loved about the I love the whole the whole aspect, everything about it. But what was really cool is we kept meeting other couples who were doing who were doing the mystery guide on and this was a random day in October, and there was at least three other couples that were doing the the mystery guide at the same time as we are, so we kept meeting them along the way as they were solving clues, so it was brilliant.

SPEAKER_01 6:25

That's one aspect actually of the business that I didn't expect that's become so uh key to it. Um on the day you meet lots of other people doing the same thing, and because it's a book and you can see definitely they're doing the same thing, it's not an app on a phone or something. It's kind of like this secret club that you're all part of. And I've had stories of people making friends along the way, having drinks at the end together, staying in contact together, you know, and and actually making yeah, new friends through it. And um, I really like the fact that it's become a kind of a community, and yeah, I really didn't anticipate that at all. And uh I so sometimes I'm around London or I'm around Portsmouth or wherever, and I always see people with the book, and and whoever I'm with, they're always like, Go and say hello, Jack, go and say hello. And sometimes I do, sometimes I'm like, no, just let them let them get on with it.

SPEAKER_02 7:09

Oh well, the next one I'm actually going to do is Portsmouth, so I'll look forward to doing that one. Um now you have mystery guides for quite a few um destinations uh across the UK. I know that you've got York, you've got Bath, you've got Winchester, you've got Portsmouth. Um, can you go through kind of the range of locations that people can choose from?

SPEAKER_01 7:27

Yeah, um, so there are actually 33 currently live, and I'm working

Meeting Others And Community Feel

SPEAKER_01 7:34

on another one at the moment. So there's 33 locations. I've got three in London at the moment. Um, I've got like places like Brighton, Canterbury, Portsmouth, Southampton all on the south coast, lots further north as well. So you've got around York, you've got like Leeds, um, Sheffield, um, I've got Manchester, Liverpool, that area. Um, I've I've got the West, you've got Plymouth and Exeter down in the west. They've got Scotland, so Glasgow, Edinburgh. Um, so yeah, I'm covering the I'm looking over there because I've got my map on the wall of where all these stickers are, where I've got but pretty much any major city you can name. There are some a couple of them that are missing, but I'd say I've got pretty much every major city in the UK.

SPEAKER_02 8:14

Which is brilliant. So wherever you go, not only you could start your trip with a mystery guide, and you can do mystery guides as you as you travel around the UK. As you say, they take a few hours, so they're a great way, they're great, actually great introduction to a city as well, to kind of learn your way around uh as you walk around, you discover things that you won't see. I mean, I've been in Winchester a few times, but I found things that I didn't had no idea about in Winchester when I did the mystery guide. Now, at the moment, they're not available. I believe they're not available to purchase outside of the UK. Is that true still?

SPEAKER_01 8:45

Yeah, so we um that but we do have so now I believe we've pretty much got them for sale in every city that they're in. So um there may be one or two missing, but in the next month we'll have them in every city. So um, if for example, you do want to arrive in in a place and pick it up on a day, then get if they want to get in touch, I can point them to where to pick it up. Um we are gonna have like a list of where all the collection points are. Um, but yeah, people often message and say, We're in York now, where can we get one? So we're working on that. Um but generally people um get them posted to them, so maybe their hotel or um where they live, but yeah, you can pick it up on the day now, so that's an option.

SPEAKER_02 9:26

That's good because we do have a a lot of listeners who are from the North America and Australia, and actually we did a uh we've done a few uh itinerary consults

Where You Can Do Them

SPEAKER_02 9:34

because it's what part of what we do. And um, I know I talked about the mystery guides, and uh and and one of the couples said that they'd contacted you and you were sending them to their hotel, so they were very excited.

SPEAKER_01 9:43

Yeah, so that's they sometimes do that, and that that does work, yeah. So I'm glad that I'm glad they did it, yeah.

SPEAKER_02 9:48

Yeah, so that's really good. Now, okay, so let's talk about because you were a history teacher, we could talked about that briefly before we went on air, but um, and and I that's what I used to do. Um, but uh now we've kind of talked a little bit about mystery guides and what they

Buying Options And UK Shipping

SPEAKER_02 10:02

involved. How did you come up with this idea, Jack? Because I'm really jealous that you did.

SPEAKER_01 10:06

Well, it it's like an evolution, right? So if you if you go right back when I was probably about seven years old, my dad was training to be a tour guide in Old Portsmouth, and he used to take me out on like to trial it. So he's I remember he said to me one day, we're gonna go on an adventure around uh um old Portsmouth. We we just showed up and I had the most amazing day going around all these old parts of the city that I had never seen

How The Idea Started

SPEAKER_01 10:32

before, and he was telling me all these amazing stories, and we would stop in little pubs along the way and chat to people in there, and and at that time there were quite a lot of veterans still drinking in the pubs. It was talk about like early 90s, there were a lot more veterans around the navy, from Air Force, and everything. Um, so we'd sit in there, listen to stories, and I just came up became obsessed with like storytelling and history. So I ended up studying it at university, and then I did my dissertation about Portsmouth. I really wanted to tell these stories, but I didn't know how to do it. I did a bit of tour guiding, but I did I did it wasn't the scale that I wanted. I really wanted lots of people to do it, and I couldn't always be there to do the tour guiding. So I wrote all the stories down and I was looking for something else to make it to give it a bit more fun, a more of a purpose. So around about that time, I did like a kiddies um scavenger hunt type thing where you had like little clues to solve and go around. And I thought, oh my god, why aren't adults doing this? This is too, this fits, it's just like the perfect combination. Um, so I made the first one for Portsmouth, and it started off as an app, actually, that you could do on your phone, and I and then someone when they were testing the app said, can you print all this out? Because I'd love to keep it and and have a copy. So now I thought, well, actually, it probably could work as a book too. Although it's old fashioned to go backwards in technology. I thought, no, I'll give it a go. And I started selling it on a market store in Portsmouth, and then I saw the demand was just massive from there, and I just thought, so I never actually planned to write more. I just did one for Portsmouth and that was it. And then people asked for more and it grew. So it's it was an evolution, you know, it's not just one day I came up with it, but I'm glad I did because I'm really it's exactly what I was born to do, I would say.

SPEAKER_02 12:10

Oh, yeah, that they're absolutely excellent. How do you decide? I know you've you say you've got 33 uh books at the minute covering quite a few destinations. I know you've got three for London. I'm gonna I have to try one of those for London, Jack. I'm actually going to London today, so I'll I'll be uh I'll be putting that on my list to to have a look and see which one. You've got one the Hole of the Grail one now. I'm gonna have to do that one. Yeah. Um how do you decide where you're gonna do? Like how how is the kind of evolution of the different cities that you've covered kind of progressed?

Choosing New Cities And Demand

SPEAKER_01 12:36

So I do have to put my kind of business hat on and be like, where is not always sometimes I do a book because I'm interested and I just want to do it anyway. But a lot of the time I have to think, well, what would sell well, what would do well, where is the most demand. So roughly the split, I don't know exactly, but it's about half of people that live in a city do it, and half of people visitors do it. So you want a big population, but also um where a lot of people visit. So um that's kind of how I do it. So like big populations I start with with a and tourist information kind of things, but there are smaller places that that um are just full of history that are so interesting that I just have to do. And uh, even though it's probably not gonna be the biggest seller, I just really wanted to do it. So that would that's my most recent book. It isn't the biggest place, but it's uh full of history, and I was just like, gotta do it. So I did.

SPEAKER_02 13:26

So where's that for?

SPEAKER_01 13:28

Uh sh I've not told anyone yet.

SPEAKER_02 13:30

Oh, okay.

SPEAKER_01 13:31

I can say, I can say it's um it's for Shrewsbury, which is a very historic place. And uh I just got back from a trip there, and uh I really, really enjoyed it there. And I'm really this mystery guy is gonna be fantastic. So yeah, I'm gonna do it. I'm gonna I know the story already, so it's just a matter of putting it together now.

SPEAKER_02 13:49

It's so it's so exciting because I guess you can w when you've decided potentially where you want to do, it I guess then you I mean, I what do you do when you kind of think about the practicalities of putting a book together? I guess

Building Stories From Real History

SPEAKER_02 14:01

you have to go visit the police. Yeah, yeah.

SPEAKER_01 14:02

I'd say that the most important thing that holds the whole mystery guide together and what makes it so special is the story. Because all the stories are inspired by real events that happened in that town, and and there's so many unsolved mysteries around the UK, or things that we just don't know about. So, like I said, the Holy Grail, that's that's more of a kind of an international one, but there's loads in this country, um, like the mystery of the missing Ninth Legion, the Roman Legion that went missing, and no one knows what happened to them. That that's a story in the UK. Um, I've got a story on the Crown Jewels that um inspired by one time the Crown Jewels were stolen from the Tower of London, and the story is that they didn't all get all come back. There's one missing, so they're all inspired by real things. So when I go to a place, I'm looking for that inspiration of what um what captures the the feel of the city, the the mood, the spirit of the city, and is there a story there that could um represent it? Um Hull was a really good one recently where I was really looking for a story that could that could really a big moment in Hull's history that could that could represent it. And it was when um King Charles Yeah, Charles the Past, during the during the um civil war, he was refused entry to the city, and

Clues Design And Getting Unstuck

SPEAKER_01 15:14

it's all inspired by the events around that, but it's there's a really good twist in it, and I'm really proud of it. So but that's when you say when you're putting it together, it really does it really hinges on the story because then everything comes out of it, the artwork and the and the the style, the theme, everything comes out of that. So and the treasure, the treasure at the end as well. It's all it has to be there, so there is actual stuff to find at the end. Um so yeah.

SPEAKER_02 15:41

That's it, like all of the clues you're putting together. So you solve all the clues, but you're learning when you're solving the clues, which is really interesting. And then at the end, then you kind of get the the the you solve the big mystery, the whole point of what you've been doing it for.

SPEAKER_01 15:53

Yes, and now uh every single mystery guide has real treasure. Because I know you mentioned earlier you did Winchester. Winchester didn't act when I started it didn't have real treasure hidden there, it just had the story conclusion, but now there's now there's actual treasure there. So every single mystery guide has treasure now, and I think that's really cool.

SPEAKER_02 16:10

So oh, that is that is I like the idea of that. Well and the books are I have to say as well, uh the books are are really lovely, they're be they're beautifully put together. Um, you've got an excellent website as well, which I will link to as well. Um, which is I just as I say, everything you do, I just think is is it's absolutely brilliant and so well put together. Um, and it's just you've got a lovely story as well, Jack, about how this all happened as well, which I think is you know, it gives it that just that authenticity, and uh, you know, it's it's not you you didn't come from like a mass-generated idea of I'm gonna, you know, like a big company. You this is a you started this from your own experience in your own life, and I and I think that that is amazing.

SPEAKER_01 16:48

Because there is there is a kind of like a temptation to just create one and then just reproduce it for every city or based upon one story and then just get loads and loads and loads. Some people do that, that like you do get some kind of pop-ups that try and do that, but you just don't get the magic

What “Lessons To Treasure” Means

SPEAKER_01 17:04

for it. And the fact that they're all bespoke to the city and it and it's actually a story inspired by that place. I'd I'd rather just have I have 33. I could have like 330 by now had I like done gone down that route. But I I like the idea that there's it's very curated and special, and and it and it shows people do say that like they felt like they were in this treasure hunt story. Believability is so important to me that like that's why a book is good because if you're following something about the civil war and you're on a phone, it's just not there's no believability to it. If you've got like an actual physical book, um there's it's kind of more like could be real.

unknown 17:42

Yeah.

SPEAKER_02 17:42

So yeah, I like that idea. And and I I also like the fact you've got the book, you can take your time as well. So it's like, you know, if you do a walk and tour, often you've you've got to kind of keep up with a group and and all that. Whereas with when you're doing this, you're discovering this yourselves, you're solving the clues yourselves. If you want to sit down and have a cup of tea and a piece of cake at a cafe along the way, you can do that as well. So that's it, so it's kind of really well paced, and you can you can kind of do the day how you want to do it around the story, uh, which works uh really, really well. I mean, to be honest, I was thinking before, um, like you could you could do this globally. I mean, there's so many. I would say could for Paris would be amazing, for Rome would be amazing. Like, because there's some and uh sorry, but it's like there's so many amazing stories everywhere, you know, we that you could that you could cover. But I'm I'm just so pleased that you're covering the UK. You've got one for Newcastle, I'm originally from Newcastle.

SPEAKER_01 18:31

Yeah, I could detect a slight accent for the Newcastle. Um yes, the Newcastle one is actually that's a really interesting story as well. Um, do you know because do you know why Newcastle United are called Newcastle United? I don't. Because there used to be two teams and and one went bankrupt and they kind of merged to become one team, and that's the origin story of that book. So, like it's a football-inspired one because I know that Newcastle are really into their football or soccer for your American audiences. Um yeah, so it's where the it's kind of inspired by Newcastle United, the origin story of them. Um, and you're on the hunt for a um missing football.

SPEAKER_02 19:09

Um, okay.

SPEAKER_01 19:11

Yeah, okay.

SPEAKER_02 19:12

Another one I'm actually excited to do, just thinking about kind of I know uh for our listeners, the the the popular

Who They Suit And What’s Next

SPEAKER_02 19:18

up very popular destinations, obviously, London, Edinburgh is very popular. You cover that, York is another one, and I know you've got uh that's another one I'm planning to do, I have to say, Jack, I'll be going to York soon. So um, and I know York really well, but as I say, like for Winchester, I I found places in Winchester that I didn't know about, and so I'll be looking forward to the same for York.

SPEAKER_01 19:36

Yeah, I mean York's got a good story as well because um in the gunpowder plot someone tipped off that there was that there was gunpowder underneath, but even to this day, no one knows who wrote the letter. There's called the Monteagle letter. Someone sent, yeah. You know, I don't you're a history teacher, I used to know. Yes, um, but um still no one knows who wrote that letter, and when you solve this um crime, it's about who wrote that letter. So you kind of expose this, you completely you um solve this centuries-old mystery. Yeah.

SPEAKER_02 20:02

Wow, so that's excellent. Now, um, I'm sure I've got loads of listeners thinking, oh yeah, we want to do some of these uh mystery guards movement in the UK. Um, are there any practical things people should check or do before setting off on their mystery guard adventure?

SPEAKER_01 20:14

So bear in mind you're gonna walk about two miles. It's not a massive walk. You can take your time, you can stop and have drinks and things like that. We I try to make them as accessible as possible. Nearly all of them are accessible. I would say Edinburgh's not because just because of the nature of the town, it's so hilly and there's lots of steps. But pretty much every other one is accessible. Um, so if if there is a problem with accessibility, we do say we do provide alternative routes to the clues. So if there's steps, you we show a different way to get there. Lincoln's a little bit, it's got one major hill called Steep Hill, which you can't avoid, and it's steep, it's called Steep Hill for a reason. Um but you have to go up it because at the top of that is where the cathedral is. So and you have to get up there and the castle. So um that other than that, of the 33, I'd say 31 of them are accessible, fully accessible. Um, comfortable shoes, um obviously just the basics, you know, sun cream, water. Yeah, yeah. And I do provide a pen with it, so maybe bring a spell on just in case it runs out or something. But yeah, it's um I like to make it so that everything you have is in the mystery guide. So all you don't need a phone, you don't need internet connection, you nothing like that. It's all physical stuff.

SPEAKER_02 21:26

So what happens if you get stuck?

SPEAKER_01 21:29

Okay, good question. There is um there's you've got two options. Some people so stuck might be there's building work up

Discount Code And Wrap Up

SPEAKER_01 21:36

for a week and it's blocking a clue. So you can scanner, this is when you can use your phone, you can scan a QR code on the back and you can see a photo of the clue, so you can still solve it. If you're struggling to actually understand the clue, there's extra help on the back page that basically leads you to the answer. So you you won't get stuck. Um, I should say a few things about the clues. When I started out, they were quite basic, but now I've been doing it for Seven years I've got really I've I've come up with some really imaginative clues now. So for example, if I show you the Winchester one, this won't be visible to everybody, but there's stuff hidden in the picture on the cover that you that are relevant to the to the mystery. There's stuff hidden in the text of the book that you sometimes have to refer to. There's I use the book in all kinds of interesting ways. So there are three stages sometimes to a clue to work things out. And um, it's not just find a plaque, find a name, move on. There is nothing like that. This is this is it's not too difficult, but you need to go through steps, and there's some quite satisfying moments when all the letters come together. I want to I want people to feel satisfied and a kind of a wow when it's done, not just okay, I've written down a name. That's not what I want to do.

SPEAKER_02 22:40

So it's not, it's really fun, and that's what I did the guide in Winchester with my um my my cousin who's a retired uh teacher, and um it was really fun because it was like we found that sometimes I would solve the clue, sometimes she would solve the clue, sometimes it was like the real kind of heads together and like oh thinking about it, and as they say, like using the book as well. It was it it was it was really honestly we absolutely uh we thoroughly enjoyed it. Now you talk about wanting to give people adventures to treasure, and I again I was kind of talking about before when I used to be a history teacher and I used to try I wanted to I wanted to give the kids lessons to treasure, you know, wanted them to remember what what the the stories and and love the history and learning about history. Um so what does that that phrase mean for you, Jack?

SPEAKER_01 23:24

So um I we briefly spoke before we we started this about when I was a kid and and well maybe we did at the beginning where my dad would take me out, right? And um I it was kind of it was just like a treasure hunt. You'd go around and and I was learning loads of history and I was I was having loads of fun. But it sounds cliche, but it's true. The real treasure in that is the time you spend with your loved ones, right? So I look back, that was the best day I spent with my dad as a kid, and I still remember it vividly now. And I think I want other kids or other people to have the same experience so that when they grow up, they have that same feeling, right? Because for me it's normal actually. I grew up kind of doing that stuff, but not everyone did, and I realized that when I was doing this, oh you didn't get to do treasure hunts with your dad. What like that's odd, isn't it? But yeah, it's not as common as I thought. So I really want people to look back on the time they did a mystery guide and go, that was such a great day, and we together we laughed, we we you know, we we just got to know each other really well, and it was a whole day of fun that I won't forget. That's important to be memorable. Like, there are a lot of activities to do that you may forget, but I want I want it to be memorable. I think when we're at school as well, we do like um Easter egg hunts and things, and you can't you still remember like but I don't want that to disappear in the age of technology. I really don't want that to go, and it's not the same on a phone. I think I think it's way better when you because a book you can share together, you can literally share it, pay, you know, hold it together and work on it together. So, and also I think the ending of an adventure is really important. They say with an experience the ending is whatever what you want to leave someone with a wow. So at the end of all these adventures, there's a kind of a moral twist that you walk away learning something nice. It's not like I never do subjects on like none of the treasure hunts are about murder or um like bad things because with a crime darker side of history because they're all about crimes, is it there's a temptation to make the the thief the bad person, right? That you catch, but without ruining any all of the treasure hunts, it's not necessarily um a bad thing. It's they it it you end up leaving with a real good feeling that it was it was for a good reason.

SPEAKER_02 25:40

Yeah, no, it's good. It's uh and it's true what you're saying. It's good because I um you know I spend a lot of time traveling around the UK for for research and for the for podcast and for my websites, and um and that day out with my my cousin Pauline, um who brought the guide with her, she said, Oh, I've got this, I've got this to show you. Um we just had we just had the best day, and and and that's what I'm saying. It's like I did a lot of stuff that trip when I was back, but that one stands out because it was different and we thoroughly enjoyed it and we had such a good time, which is why I'm going down to Portsmouth to do to do the Portsmouth with. They've done it before, and they're like, No, we'll we'll come out and do it with you again.

SPEAKER_01 26:12

Well, make sure you get in touch when you do, because I'm in Portsmouth, so yeah.

SPEAKER_02 26:16

Oh, yeah, we'll do it. I'll let you know, definitely. Now, who do you think mystery guides work best for?

SPEAKER_01 26:21

Um, so I aim them at adults primarily. I mean, people do them as a family, so like seven-year-old plus they can come along, and some clues they can do, some they might need help with, but I'd say generally adults. Um, I mentioned earlier that locals do it and tourists do it, so it's a kind of a mixture of the two. What I really like to do is surprise locals. That's my favourite thing. And so I write it um with a with a keeping in mind that locals are going to do it. So I have to surprise locals. So it can't be too obvious. It has to be real gems that they would not know about. Um, so it could be you could be from anywhere, you could be out of town, you could know nothing about the city. Um, you don't actually have to have an interest in history because the clues themselves and the kind of getting outside and just kind of working together, the gamification side of it is fun on its own. So um it when I mention what I do, people go, Oh, that's a very niche thing. It's actually not that niche, it's very widespread popular among adults. So I would just say pretty much everyone who likes a walk and likes a bit of fun and likes spending time with people. So yeah, broad.

SPEAKER_02 27:27

No, I agree. Actually, the the podcast episode before this one, Jack, I meant to say um I I chatted, I do trip reports with uh people who've been at the UK and um and I asked what were some of the favourite things that they did, and no prompting whatsoever. They did a mystery guide in Stratford and it came off. And I went, Oh, you won't believe I've talked to Jack next week. So yeah, so that was really interesting. So uh uh again, so I Stratford, I live near Stratford, I should actually go and do that one. Um now tell me what's coming next. You did mention you've got the the Shrewsbury or Shrewsbury, whichever way you want to pronounce it.

SPEAKER_01 27:56

Um I did ask local people how they pronounced it.

SPEAKER_02 27:59

Yeah, it's funny, it's always one of those ones that's like is it Shrewsbury or is it Shrewsbury?

SPEAKER_01 28:03

Most people say Shrewsbury. And I think if you're if you if you're a bit posh, you say Shrewsbury, but well, I definitely won't.

SPEAKER_02 28:08

I'm from the North Jack, so it's definitely Shrewsbury for me, that's for sure. So so you've got that one coming out soonish, or it won't be too soon because I've still got I've got a lot of work to do on it.

SPEAKER_01 28:18

But the act all the groundwork's been done, it'll be a it'll be a few months. But I'm I'm aiming on another London one this year, which would be good. Um you might be uh I hate to say too much about where I'm going just because I changed my mind quite a lot and I don't want to disappoint people, but you might be pleased to know that Durham is on the list as well.

SPEAKER_02 28:34

Oh yes, definitely.

SPEAKER_01 28:35

And a few others. I I'm hoping to do another few four maybe this year, but it's um yeah, it's a lot of work, and uh there's also the kind of the running of the business as well at the same time, so there's a lot to to manage. But I would love to do four um new ones. I've just rewritten a couple of books as well. I spent because I like to make them all I like like I said, I like to put treasure in and and do things. So Bristol's relaunching um this month, um, which is really nice. Um there's lots there's lots going on. Um and it yeah, if if you've got any suggestions for places you'd like to see, let me know because uh I do like to get suggestions.

SPEAKER_02 29:13

I will do. Well, if anybody's listening and there's somewhere you've to checked out the the website and see where Jack's covered already, and there's you're thinking, oh, I'd really like one for this place, then uh then uh get in touch with Jack. I'm actually going I don't this is a bit of left field for you, this one, but I I'm going to the island of um Iona uh at the end of next month. Um I'm just having a few days on Mull and Iona, a bit of solo travel, and uh I Iona is full of stories. Absolutely love Iona. Where is Iona? It's uh it's in the uh Hebrides of Scotland. Yeah, Mull Iona. Oh, yeah, Sky, Lewis, Harris, all the way up there. Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 29:45

Well I get I get a lot of um people ask me for places. I've never heard that before, so I'll put it on the list.

SPEAKER_02 29:51

Oh, there you go. Now um for somebody planning a trip and considering a mystery guide, what's the one tip you'd share to help them get the most out of their experience?

SPEAKER_01 30:00

Um I mentioned earlier that the story is really central to it, and I put a lot of time and effort into the story, and I think um it it it's tempting to kind of do the clues and rush to the next clue, rush to the next clue to try and get through. But my suggestion would be make sure you read the story and follow the story because there that's where the magic is, that's where like the moral is, that's where the twist is. That so, and that's the thing that I spend most time doing, and um I want to I just want to make sure people do get the most out of that bit. Um, then you get the nice twists as well, so you wouldn't get that otherwise. You still get a good day, but you wouldn't get the nice moral twist at the end. And I I would say as well, like um this is basically life advice, I would say. Like, take your time, enjoy you enjoy it as you go, because um, if you rush through, you forget to soak it up and enjoy. So spend enjoy the time you're spending with the people you're with and the place you're in, regardless of you know the weather or whatever. Just enjoy it. That's that's a bit of life advice at the end.

SPEAKER_02 31:00

Brilliant. Oh, thanks so much. I'm so glad that you came on and uh could could share mystery guides with our uh UK travel plan and audience. Um I'm really excited to hear the the the feedback that we get because I I just know that uh people are gonna absolutely love love them. Really, really love them. So thanks so much.

SPEAKER_01 31:16

I also love to get feedback. So if people do do it, then let me know how you get on. And uh because I get emails all the time from people and uh it's such it does I read them all and it it does make me really happy. It's what it's all about, you know. It's uh I did I never thought it was gonna be as big as it was and as far reaching as it was. So every single time I get someone say they enjoyed it, it's it's fabulous to me.

SPEAKER_02 31:38

Thank you so much, Jack, for joining me on this episode of the podcast. I just absolutely love um the concept that you came up with and everything you shared today. It just makes me want to go out and do more mystery guides. I just absolutely love them. Um now head to mysteryguides.co.uk to browse all the locations and find the right guide for your trip. I will put the link in the show notes. As promised, here is your exclusive discount code for 15% off just for UK travel planning listeners and our community. It is UKTP15. That's UKTP15. And just a quick practical note if you're listening from outside the UK, mystery guides currently need to be purchased within the UK. But as Jack mentioned, many visitors simply have the guides delivered to their accommodation in advance. Now, all the details and the discount code are in the show notes. Um, thank you so much for listening as always. Do share this episode if you have friends or family who are planning to visit the UK and uh would love to do something uh like this. Honestly, the mystery guides are so much fun, I can't recommend them enough. But that just leaves me, as always, to stay until next week. Happy UK travel planning! Thank you for tuning in to this week's episode of the UK Travel Planning Podcast. As always, show notes can be found at uktravelplanning.com. If you've enjoyed the show, why not leave us feedback via text or a review on your favourite podcast app? We love to hear from you, and you never know, you may receive a shout out in a future episode. But as always, that just leaves me to say until next week, happy UK travel planning.