Walk in the footsteps of history
Follow a trail of mystery
Explore the backstreets of adventure
THE TRAILS
An Outdoor Adventure in the City of London
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“Uncover ancient mysteries hidden within the City of London & win the puzzling Freedom of the City.”
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Follow a puzzling trail through the City’s quiet lanes and backstreets. Visit the hidden gems and historic treasures that shaped its origins as a trading centre. Solve clues and conundrums that lead you a merry dance through history and tradition until, like in every City trade, it all comes down to one final number.
This 2+ hour adventure through time is a journey, not a race. There are endless opportunities to step off the trail for breaks & refreshments or to explore points of interest at your leisure. The route is chosen for its beauty, relative quiet and historical interest. Our directions are playfully disguised but not hard to follow. Our clues are artfully contrived but always staring you in the face. All you need is your phone and our number.
- 2+ hours immersive adventure in medieval City backstreets
- Prove yourself a Master Puzzler
- Discover ancient mysteries and intriguing history as you go
- Follow a route chosen for its beauty & historical interest
- Travel at your own pace, taking breaks when you want
- Solve visual clues along the way, building to a big finish
Starts & Ends: Guildhall Yard
Distance: 7km
An Outdoor Adventure in Whitechapel
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“Point your feet back in time to visit the murder scenes, hear the victims’ stories & unmask the real Ripper!”
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This is your chance to take on history’s most notorious serial killer, and crack the real Jack. Follow our clever trail around the crime scenes. Sift through the evidence to identify the killer’s identifying characteristics. Rip yourself a place in the history of crime-solving as the one whodunnit.
This 2+ hour adventure through crime is a journey, not a race. There are endless opportunities to step off the trail for breaks & refreshments or to explore places of interest or intrigue at your leisure. The route is chosen for its relative quiet and historical interest. Our directions are playfully disguised but not hard to follow. Our clues are artfully contrived but always staring you in the face. All you need is your phone and some guts.
- 2+ hours of immersive adventure in the City’s dark shadows
- Visit the Ripper murder sites
- Hear the Ripper victims’ stories
- Follow the clues, sift the evidence & unmask the real Ripper
- Travel at your own pace, taking breaks whenever you want
Starts: Whitechapel Tube
Ends: Spitalfields
Distance: 5km
An Outdoor Adventure in Marylebone
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“Take on an urgent case with the great man, piece the puzzle together and solve a terrible murder.”
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Follow a trail of clues that lead to intrigue, suspicion and accusation. Become a consulting detective for the day & hone your skills in observation, interrogation & logical reasoning. Learn Sherlock’s trade secrets from the master of deduction. Help get Watson out of a spot of bother. Put on your metaphorical cape & deerstalker: there’s no time to lose!
This 2+ hour adventure through crime is a journey, not a race. There are endless opportunities to step off the trail for breaks & refreshments or to explore places of interest at your leisure. The route is chosen for its charm, relative quiet & historical interest. Our directions are playfully disguised but not hard to follow. Our clues are artfully contrived but always staring you in the face. All you need is your phone and a keen eye.
- 2+ hours of immersive adventure in Regents Park & Marylebone
- Take on an urgent case to help the great man
- Spot the elementary details & unmask the killer
- Follow a route chosen for its beauty & historical interest
- Move at your own pace & take breaks when you want
- Solve clues along the way, building to a dramatic finale
Starts & Ends: Baker St Tube
Distance: 5km
An Outdoor Adventure in Westminster
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“Take on clandestine mission to uncover the mole and serve your country. But which country?”
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Take on this off-book assignment to become an honorary spook for the day. Show yourself a true patriot and help the nation in its hour of need. Learn the back routes and backchannels of spycraft. Visit dead-drops, check for signals and work out the key to decipher a cryptic message that will make you a hero or a villain. It’s your call.
This 2+ hour adventure through the shadows is a journey, not a race. There are endless opportunities to step off the trail for breaks & refreshments or to explore points of interest. The route is chosen for its beauty, relative quiet & historical interest. Our directions are playfully disguised but not hard to follow. Our clues are artfully contrived but always staring you in the face. All you need is your phone and a steady nerve.
- 2+ hours of immersive action in London’s spy district
- Find the key & decipher the code to reveal the mole
- Follow a route chosen for its beauty & historical interest
- Travel at your own pace & take breaks when you want
- Solve visual clues along the way, building to a dramatic finale
Starts & Ends: Trafalgar Square
Distance: 6.5km
An Outdoor Adventure in Holborn
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“Join the quest for the Holy Grail, discovering mystic symbols, secret sites and hidden signs along the way.”
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Follow clues etched in history to uncover intriguing truths and forgotten details in London’s topography. Learn to read the cryptic signs and secrets in ancient London landmarks. Complete your quest by reaching a secret location that hides all the answers in plain sight. And one thing we guarantee: our quest for the grail is built on historical fact, not fiction.
This 2+ hour adventure through time is a journey, not a race. There are endless opportunities to step off the trail for breaks & refreshments or to explore points of interest at your leisure. The route is chosen for its beauty, relative quiet and historical interest. Our directions are playfully disguised but not hard to follow. Our clues are artfully contrived but always staring you in the face. All you need is your phone and a bit of faith.
- 2+ hours of immersive adventure around Holborn
- Discover mystical symbols and secret sites as you go
- Follow a route chosen for beauty & historical interest
- Travel at your own pace & take breaks when you want
- Solve visual clues along the way, building to a stunning finish
Starts: Paternoster Square
Ends: Covent Garden
Distance: 7km
HOW IT WORKS
What booking gets you
Once your booking has completed, you will receive a gamecode by text from the Sidewalks number. Use this to activate your game for the whole team.
UK Mobile numbers only
Games can only be played on UK mobile numbers. On many phones, it is possible to add an e-SIM (a digital SIM that allows you to activate a UK mobile number alongside the physical SIM card providing your usual mobile service). This option is worth investigating as a way to gain a temporary UK number (see, for example, Lycamobile’s offer: https://www.lycamobile.co.uk/en/introducing-esim-in-uk-all-you-need-to-know/.)
Activating a gamecode
Activate your game within 30 days of booking by texting ACTIVATE followed by the gamecode to the mobile/cell number provided. Once you activate the game, you have another 7 days to start playing.
The mobile/cell used to activate the gamecode must be used to play the game and will automatically be the Team Leader. This does not need to be the number used to book the game.
If you don’t activate the game within 30 days, we can extend the activation period on request.
What activation does
The gamecode can be activated from any UK mobile number, not just the one used to book. When you activate the gamecode, you will be directed to instructions how to play and invitated to choose your team name. Once you have done this, other players can join the team by texting JOIN followed by the gamecode (eg ‘JOIN VH4NKL’) to the SideWalks number. You will then receive a text confirming that they have joined. You can add team members before or after you text BEGIN.
How the games work
When your team is assembled and ready at the starting point for your game, text BEGIN to the SideWalks number. Each team member will then receive a reply which sets the scene for your game and tells you what to do next. You will receive directions to the next location; at points, you may be given a question to answer; you will be asked to try again if you don’t get it right; and all your answers will build towards a final solution to be revealed at the end of the game.
During the game, text:
- ‘HELP’ for directions to get back or stay on route
- ‘HINT” if you need help answering a question
- ’SKIP’ if you want to know the answer without guessing.
- ‘QUIT’ to end the game (irreversibly).
- ‘DIVERT’ (where indicated) for a step-free alternative route to the next clue site.
- ‘RESEND’ to receive a text again where it did not arrive (ie where there is a break in the numbered sequence of texts from each number). If you do not receive a response when you text HELP, HINT, SKIP or DIVERT, simply text HELP, HINT, SKIP or DIVERT a second time.
Times to play
During hours of daylight between 9am and 6pm. Outside of daylight hours, there are one or two places with access restrictions so we do not recommend playing in the dark! You do not need to book a particular time slot – just turn up whenever you are ready.
Are games timed?
All games are timed. You will receive a message at the end of the game with your overall time. We do not publish a leaderboard because we want you to enjoy the journey without feeling like you are in a competition. We want you to play the game on your own terms, using all the help, hints and skips available if you want.
Can anyone play?
Anyone can play. The games are written for fluent English speakers so, if English is not your first language, there may be some words that you don’t understand. If you think your English is good enough, it probably is.
Children are welcome on our games, although they may not be interested in all of the content. There are details on the RipperWalk that are a bit graphic and not suitable for children or anyone of a sensitive disposition but any team can opt out of receiving the graphic bits if they wish.
Mobility/Access
London has hills and steps and kerbs and there is nothing we can do about that, but step-free alternative routes are provided so you never need miss a single stage of any game. In SpyTrail, there are a few places where you encounter steps and one place in CityTrail but none in SherlockTrail, GrailTrail or RipperTrail.
Terms & Conditions
- All content and information both on this site and in our communications is the intellectual property of SideWalks* and not to be used without its prior authorisation.
- SideWalks* may use any images, reviews and comments submitted by you for promotional purposes. Personal information is subject to its Privacy Policy.
- Participation in our games is at your own risk and is expressly on the basis that all team members exercise reasonable care and common sense, looking after yourself and each other, when walking in London (and especially when crossing roads).
- SideWalks* is not liable for any direct or indirect loss or damage suffered or caused by any person while playing a SideWalks game.
*SideWalks is the trading name of Sidewalk Trails Ltd, a company registered in England & Wales under number 14811403.
Refund Policy
If you change your mind before activating a game, we will refund the purchase price to the card used for purchase. This may entail a short delay before the funds are received. Once the game has been activated, a refund is not available except in exceptional circumstances (at our sole discretion).