Psst! I know who killed Porky Bangers - but it's a secret!


To make the most of my time in Europe, I looked for ways to expand my perspective and I stumbled across Treasure Trails. The company sells brochures with clues to lead you on a self-guided route. Along the way, you’ll solve a murder, find a buried treasure, or complete a secret mission. So many travel websites focus on big cities, but this site is designed for local families to get out and explore their community, and I was able to find treasure trail brochures for all 5 of the regions I’ll be visiting this winter, many of them in really small towns.

My first trail was in Lincoln and I was trying to work out who had killed Porky Bangers, the champion sausage maker in all of Lincolnshire and even England. The clues led me on a route around the cathedral and castle and I discovered so many places where I would never have ventured on my own. There was a lovely hidden garden, a great place to stop for lunch, and a variety of interesting independent stores.


Most people complete the trails as part of a small group. I was on my own and found that some of the clues required revisiting the site a couple of times to figure out the answer. I suspect the following trails will be a little easier as I now have a better understanding of how the clues have been written. I really enjoyed the fact that the clues focused on local history; forced you to look up, down and sideways; and were often quite funny. For example, one of the possible suspects was Don Trump, but I was able to eliminate him as he was too busy tweeting to have committed the murder.


The trails are up to date and attentive to detail. I was advised to cross a street at the crosswalk and to look out for traffic. The brochure also encourages you to take your time and visit some of the stores and cafés. The trails are self-directed, so I started the trail around Lincoln one day and finished it the next.


My next Treasure Trail is the York Chocolate and Sweet Trail. Here’s the description: “Listen up, sweet-toothed detectives! Your self-guided murder mystery around the UK’s home of chocolate starts in The Shambles. Explore the picturesque ‘chocolate-box streets’, dive into the famous sweet museum, and unwrap amazing stories behind Terry’s, Rowntree and other kings of confectionery.” It sounds delicious!

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