If your lunch break usually consists of standing in a queue for food, then eating said food, here's a great way to break out of the routine. Go on a treasure hunt.
Treasure Trails produce incredibly fiendish, yet undeniably addictive treasure hunts. It's a UK-wide operation, but includes almost 40 trails in London. All you have to do is spend the price of a hot lunch on the treasure pack (which can be downloaded or sent in physical form through the post), grab a pen and head out onto the streets to solve the puzzles.
We road-tested the treasure trail for Spitalfields and Brick Lane, an area of town we know intimately. Or so we thought. The game had us ducking down alleys we'd barely noticed before; examining street furniture and manhole covers; and looking up at the rooftops for hidden clues.
So far, the trail's 21 clues have occupied us for three lunch hours, and we still haven't cracked them all.
This is a superb way to explore the area around your office, either alone or as a team-building wheeze with colleagues. Treasure Trails also work well as a family pursuits — a novel way to get the kids interested in the urban environment.
The 37 London trails include most central areas and a few suburban locations. There's even a 'spy mission' set in North Greenwich and focused on the cable car.
Treasure Trails can be bought online for £6.99, and we reckon it's more than worth it.
