Customer Story - Over 150 Treasure Trails Done and Dusted

If you want to know a thing or two about solving murder mysteries, completing spy missions and searching for lost treasure, Susan Perkins is your woman! Susan and her husband have completed over 150 Treasure Trails and are still going strong!

Susan recently told us that she used to write car rallies when she was teaching and also included questions for children as well as the adults. She switched to writing walking Trails and in doing so raised funds for her two charities, Save the Children and Breakaway. When she saw one of ours advertised in Dartmouth she knew she had to try it. She said “we were with two friends; we did half, had fish and chips on the seafront and then finished the Trail the next day. This was back in August 2010”.

They last all day!

Susan told us “I love doing the Trails as I always learn a lot about the places visited. They usually recommend 1 1/2 to 2 hours. No way, they usually last us all day. By the time we have had coffee, done a few clues, called in a few shops, stopped for a picnic, gone somewhere for a drink, few more clues, few more shops, afternoon tea, great value for money...” 

Susan likes the Trails because they introduce her and her husband to parts of a town, village or city that they wouldn’t have discovered without following a Trail. She told us “I usually do them with my husband who uses a disability scooter and my two dogs. When my dog was a puppy and couldn't walk far, the basket was ideal for him. Both dogs have ridden on the scooter and gone into cathedrals while on the Trails. We have taken friends with us as well as my daughter who is also smitten. One friend had dementia, he was able to participate with a little directing. With prompts he could look for clues and achieve some success as well.”

Detailed records

We were intrigued to hear that Susan has kept detailed records of all the Trails she has completed. She usually books a caravan site in the middle of the Trails she wants to do. She did the Glasgow and Edinburgh Trails while on a cruise and has been down to Cornwall to do some too. She has done three Trails twice as she hadn't checked before she bought them. She says she still enjoyed them though!

When asked which was her favourite she said she couldn’t choose and she loves the variety of them all. Her favourite clues are the ones that have more than one part to them. For example, find the resting place and look for something close by or add the number of swings to the benches! She likes ones that need counting and maths. Must be the teacher in her!

Susan lives in Northamptonshire and is hoping that Treasure Trail partners will write more Trails around the county as there are lots of places to explore there. Recently she completed three Trails in Staffordshire which she said were “most enjoyable with about the right difficulty to stretch us but still to enjoy”.  Well done to Ivan and Sue, our Treasure Trail partners in the Staffordshire region.

If you have done more than Susan we'd love to hear from you!