Black Cat Treasure Hunts News and Views

So the last Christmas hat was taken off and the unusual prizes awarded by Black Cat Treasure Hunts were celebrated one more time and then put safely away. I realised what an excellent year this had been and how much fun the Christmas treasure hunts had proved to be. It started me thinking as to whether any of the other style of treasure hunts we offer had a Christmas link up too. I was surprised a....

What makes an ideal special offer? The simple answer is one which benefits you in more than one way and is easy to use. Black Cat thought it would be nice to kick off the New Year with news of a special offer for those of you thinking about booking a personalised treasure hunt in Brighton during 2020.

We have teamed up with the popular pubs, The Black Lion and The Mesmeri....

Bruce Tuckman was a psychologist who looked at the  four stages of development for high performing teams. He assigned names for these four stages called forming, storming, norming and performing. Black Cat is of the opinion that teambuilding and of course a treasure hunt (!) could play a useful part at each stage.

Forming: 
A new team has just come together at this stage.....

Deciding on an appropriate office awayday event is not a task to be taken lightly as there are always lots of points of view to be taken into account. However, here is a handy 10 point guide prepared specially by Black Cat Treasure Hunts to help you show your boss,friends and colleagues how a treasure hunt written by us could be the perfect solution:

1. Team building or Team bondin....

In our series of Around the World in 80 treasure hunts..the next 10 (numbers 11-20) feature some of the best routes for a hen party treasure hunt in Brighton. Black Cat have a strong reputation for personalised  hen party treasure hunts in Sussex and especially in Brighton.
A starting point can be determind by where your accommmodation is or maybe where you are having a meal before setti....

Black Cat Treasure Hunts are specialists in writing personalised, bespoke and themed treasure hunts for a variety of special occasions and events. The thing is right now you may be trying to get inspiration for how you would like your treasure hunt organised or written, but can`t quite nail that killer idea. You have been given the potentially overwhelming task of arranging the annual teambuilding....

I am greatly honoured to invite myself back to do another blog for Black Cat Treasure Hunts. I mean, as an individual, I have plenty to say about the benefits of a treasure hunt on teambuilding. If you stick with this you will also discover there can be a good time to get lost on route too! If you read my last blog you will have seen how I inspired readers by setting out clearly what they would n....

"Variety is the very spice of life.." is part of a line in a poem by William Cowper in 1785. Don`t worry..I haven`t heard of him either despite the quote being well known. He was referring to fashion in that period apparently, but you could just as well apply it to driving treasure hunts produced by Black Cat Treasure Hunts today.
Of course, Black Cat creates personalised and bespoke treasure....

I was very pleased to be asked to write a guest blog for Black Cat Treasure Hunts and even prouder to be a sponsor on the Stanmer Park treasure hunt adventure  page.
 [link] My name is Ian Hornett, internationally unrenowned author of Quarton: The Bridge. Thank you for clicking on this blog. Bear with me as I take you on a magical treasure ....

The  activity choices for a hen party are always important factors to consider when you are given the role of head hen party organiser. There is no reason to think that even though there is a good chance  one of your guests is pregnant that your task becomes harder. All you need to do is follow Black Cat`s seven top tips to make this a seamless transition to girl bond....

By Tim Carter (Owner at Black Cat Treasure Hunts)

Just the mention of the words team building is enough to send a shiver down the spine of most people. The term has developed a negative connotation for several reasons, ranging from the implication that your team needs building in the first place to the likelihood of showing you have no co-ordination at the African drummin....

Chichester is one of Black Cat`s favourite places for a treasure hunt. This ultimate guide to treasure
hunts in the City looks at the top ten reasons and attractions for making Chichester one of your `must visit`places in Sussex. From a guarantee of never getting lost to following in the footsteps of the Romans, a personalised treasure hunt in Chichester will provide you with a host of ....

By Tim Carter (Owner at Black Cat Treasure Hunts)

Lewes is of course one of the towns featured in our on-line treasure hunts and in my opinion a perfect place for a teambuilding treasure hunt or a birthday/anniversary style treasure hunt. It is a quirky town and of course the county town of East Sussex. Despite this title it is certainly not top in terms of population. County Hall is pr....

`It`s not where you start` is the title of a song made famous by Shirley MacLaine. It was also sung as a tribute to her by Anna Kendrick a few years ago in front of the Obama`s too. The first line of the song is "It`s not where you start, but where you finish" seems to be very appropriate for Black Cat Treasure Hunts` range of personalised treasure hunts.
You can choose both your start and fi....

If you have been given the job of arranging a hen party weekend for your best friend or Sister then initially the chances are you may be feeling a little overwhelmed?!
Don`t worry! Black Cat is here to make some handy suggestions designed to give you a boost and feel more confident in your decision making.
First off there can be no doubt that Brighton is party central when it comes to he....

Everyone says they can think of some stereotypes, for example relating to nationality or body shape amongst many others. I was wondering the other day if I could disprove any stereotypes, but after a while I went off at a tangent feeling it was more to do with preferences.  I think I am the only adult in the World who does not like tomatoes,wine and fizzy drinks. These do ....

Black Cat acknowledges that a lot of people see the start of November as being the no holds barred signal to do all the Xmas shopping. There are six types of Xmas shopper identified here and Black Cat`s advice to each type as to how to improve their shopping experience.

1. `The September`..This person is highly organised and probably bought their Xmas cards last January. Possessor of co....

Everyone likes to look forward to something...a holiday, a birthday, a re-union or maybe just the weekend. Not everyone likes to look back though as often we focus on the things we could have done better, or regret a missed opportunity. People who are always looking back are criticised for living in the past even if it is about something they enjoyed or did well.

Looking forward to ....

What came first..the chicken or the egg? is the oldest question in the book. If you don`t have a chicken there will be no eggs laid, but if you don`t have an egg no chickens will be hatched. This got me thinking as to whether there were any other similar (or not!) catch 22 situations.

Well, I suppose Catch 22 is a good place to start. The book of the same name looked at an American sold....

I`ve always liked the idea of `six degrees of separation`. In other words that all living things and everything else in the World are only 6 steps or fewer from connecting to each other. The Facebook separation in 2016 was 4.57 between users on average. The average distance on Twitter is 4.67. It`s intriguing in a World with so many people in that even without setting foot outside your front door ....

Winter finished in Australia a couple of weeks ago.Apparently it`s still warm in most places, although Sydney can go down to about 50 degrees Fahrenheit.It reminded me of an Australian I used to work with, at a swimming pool. He told me one day that they had Xmas in July parties as that was the coldest part of their year. As a joke we organised a Xmas in July party at the leisure complex...which u....

I think it`s always handy to have some fun facts up your sleeve to wow everyone or even win a bet! So here are some to keep you going. Did you know watermelons are actually berries...yes they are! If you are on a double or nothing with that bet, you should be aware that croissants are from Austria and not France despite their name. Hungry for more?..of course you are..there are 20,000 species of b....

Business partnerships across two or more different types of business can be very useful so long as they are a win/win situation and  are appropriate. For example The Body Shop is not going to suddenly team up with a business that endorses product testing on animals, but it may well do with one that has solid `Green` credentials. When setting up or even proposing a new partnership it is a goo....

Brighton has the widest range of entertainments of any place in Sussex. The options are enough to confuse even the best organisers looking to get value for money and the best length of activity time for their group.
Take a typical hen party group visiting Brighton for the first time. Accommodation and evening activities are most likely already accounted for, but the daytime is....

Unless you watched the TV programme, Suits, you probably did not know who Meghan Markle was until she was linked to Prince Harry.
In May 2018 she is set to become the year`s most famous woman when she marries the country`s fifth in line to the throne. A mixed marriage, divorcee, American actress marrying the British Prince is kind of a perfect symbol for the diversity of this country and ....

The problem with New Year`s Resolutions is I think the whole idea comes too early in the Year! Don`t worry..I do understand the whole concept of committing to life changing ideas right at the beginning of a year. Let`s face it though, for those that have been out on New Year`s Eve the likelihood of making any sensible decisions the next day is unlikely to be too high! "I`ll never drink again." may....

You don`t have to be a fan of Strictly Come Dancing, but when one of the couples who were hot favourites to make at least the final if not to win the whole competition got knocked out at the half way stage this weekend, it left me wandering about the judging system for not only the show, but also the decision making process of individuals and professional companies for their entertainment ....

In my opinion Britain`s adoption of Halloween as ` a thing` has slightly damaged the reputation of Bonfire Night as the best event of Autumn. It`s fine to have lots to look forward to, but just sneaking in the week before is a little rude. After all, Guy Fawkes and his co-conspirators had taken some time to plan the potential blowing up of the Houses of Parliament. Halloween has been steal....

With the recent collapse of Monarch airlines and the stranding of approx 110 000 people abroad, the question of when is the best time to book will inevitably arise. Monarch had been in business for 50 years before going into administration. There had been strong rumours of its imminent demise a year ago, but it secured funding and another licence. Almost 5.5 Million people trusted it enoug....

When I  was employed (rather than self-employed) I attended some good,bad and indifferent teambuilding sessions. Now I organise teambuilding treasure hunts I try and ensure to include what makes for the best outcomes. For example, a number of large company`s are set up in a way that secretary`s don`t know the finance team by sight or a Manager doesn`t know what their supervisor enjoys doing a....

Every birthday is special of course. You know that..everyone knows that.You may even be a good present chooser for the people in your life even if they don`t give you enough ideas. However there comes a time when that birthday starts to loom and you are stumped for that winning idea. Let`s look quickly at the history of present ideas: Younger..a house party or the trip to a place of en....

By Tim Carter (Owner of Black Cat Treasure Hunts)

She woke up..her alarm had not gone off, but something was bugging her. It was that feeling of needing to make a decision on something really important, but not being able to remember what it was. Breakfast was an option, but this really had to be sorted before she could feel like eating. The dog gave her a hopeful, longing look as she ....

With just under three weeks left of the school Summer holidays left have you got to that point where your children are at the bored...nothing to do..friends are away stage? This is the Summer Holidays crisis. If you have a family getaway planned soon or for the end of August you may be able to avoid this, but it is worth considering your options in case it strikes. It is not worth giv....

Watching someone put together an exam revision timetable has got me thinking as to when the best days of the week and times of the day to think clearly and achieve the most effective outcomes are. Monday..morning...well ..on the downside there is the `Monday morning feeling`, but set against that and probably a stronger factor in this context is the determined feeling to set down a strong messa....

Black Cat Treasure Hunts is releasing a new treasure hunt in Brighton`s famous Lanes district. This is not to be confused with the North Laine area of the City which is a bit more quirky.
The Lanes have more jewellers than you can shake a stick at and it also retains a historical feel as you twist and turn through the alleyways. The distance is short, but you will be keen to go ....

This year Shrove Tuesday or Pancake Day falls on the 28th February. It will not do so again for another 79 years! Compare this with 13th February which celebrates this day three times in the period 2018 to 2029. It is all to do with when Easter Sunday is. If you are lucky enough to attend 3 Black Cats` persononalised treasure hunts in 11 years then you will understand the skills and techniqu....

It struck me the other day that if you look close enough there is a secret or a tale to be told around every corner. This is no truer than when exploring London. I was setting up a birthday treasure hunt on one of Black Cat`s rare excursions outside of Sussex and had to laugh at the constant, odd information I was uncovering.

The Strand is home to The Savoy Hotel amongst....

It`s coming up to that time of the year when you can consider whether it`s worth putting yourself through the daunting ritual of New Year resolutions. I found out today that the idea of making resolutions stretches back to Medieval times when the knights used to take the `Peacock Vow`at  the end of the Xmas festivity period. It meant re-asserting their commitment to chivalry.
....

When is it officially OK to mention Xmas? September comes and some cheeky shops start up Xmas offers or subtly (or not so subtly) placing Xmas trees next to boxes of Xmas puddings they want to sell before anyone else. This is of course too early and I think there should be some kind of law in place to ban this blatant profiteering. You can include the people who gleefully say only 3 months....

By Tim Carter (Owner of Black Cat Treasure Hunts)
  Rottingdean is the new site for our latest walking treasure hunt. Here are eight reasons why Rottingdean: From the Waves to a Windmill should definitely be on your `must do` treasure hunts list 1. The views..The title itself gives a hint of what you can see. The windmill is of course on top of a hill and gives a fantastic vi....

I don`t think this has been officially recognised as a condition, but I feel not enough attention has been given to September Blues. Actually, probably no attention because I have just made this up, but consider the facts!
1. Back To School: Ok..so you may be very intelligent or you might be looking forward to meeting up with friends, but nothing is quite as d....

By Tim Carter (Owner of Black Cat Treasure Hunts)
  The other day I had an enquiry from a company in Brighton for any awayday, teambuilding style treasure hunt. The only condition was that they wanted to explore somewhere else in Sussex outside of Brighton during the course of the treasure hunt and wanted my ideas on this. I considered the places I have set up treasure hunts wit....

Black Cat Treasure Hunts Blog July 2016
Black Cat Treasure Hunts Blog July 2016

Black Cat Treasure Hunts are often asked for pub recommendations for places to finish a treasure hunt. In fact, choosing a pub/bar is always a crucial part of working out a route in relation to the starting point.
Brighton has featured in the largest number of treasure hunts to date ....

New Cycling Treasure Hunt: Hove Seafront to Rudyard Kipling Gardens, Rottingdean
Black Cat decided along with their friends at Cycle Brighton that it was about time a proper treasure hunt was devised for cyclists. Here is a Q and A as to how it came about and what to expect:
Q: Why Hove to Rottingdean? A: This was the most requested route asked for at Cyc....

Elvis once said, "I believe the key to happiness is someone to love, something to do, and something to look forward to."
Black Cat Treasure Hunts could not agree more with this sentiment. Our most popular treasure hunts have been in Brighton to date and it is not surprising that the City has now been voted one of the top 10 ....

  Too often it is easy to `stick to the routine` or `follow the normal procedures`. However, this way of working can be appropriate, even commendable where certain targets or levels of service must be achieved. For example a Solicitors must make sure the transfer of monies on a house sale is done at the correct moment..or..the cleaner must make sure that the areas open to the p....

There are places all over Sussex that are ideal for treasure hunts. Sussex villages often have a mysterious feature that can be perfect to discover on a driving treasure hunt. The Sussex Downs and the Seven Sisters cliffs are amongst the most spectacular scenery in the country and can unleash hidden treasures for you to discover.
How does Brighton fit in so n....

"Not so hard that you could not get any of the clues, but hard enough so that you feel pleased with yourself when you get one. The challenges were a lot of fun and just right for our group."
This recent testimonial is typical of the type of comments applied to our treasure hunts. All too often I have seen other treasure hunts try to be overly smart with their ....

I have been asked on quite a few occasions on how I settled on Black Cat Treasure Hunts for the company name. It wasn`t an easy process! I started off by going through a large selection of names utilising any variation involving the word treasure hunt, but none really seemed to stand out or were original. After that I was thinking about adventure related words and names involving r....

By Tim Carter (Owner at Black Cat Treasure Hunts)
  1. Birthday..18..21..30..40..50..60..?.we wont ask if you don`t want us to know, but a personalised treasure hunt is the best idea we know for entertaining a wide range of ages!   2. You want a promotion..we know you are good at your job, but convince your boss by booking us to organise a teambuilding treasure hunt for t....