York’s ancient centre is full of hidden treasures and you’re going to discover them!

Starting at the fabulous Museum Gardens, you’ll sneak through a series of snickelways, passing churches, cathedrals and medieval Guildhalls.

Even York experts will surely spot something they’ve never seen before!

You’ll be led around the city by Captain Bess, a snarky pirate who’s testing out new recruits to join her ship. Bess will send a series of maps, clues and directions. Follow the map and solve the clues by searching your surroundings. When you get the right answer, you’ll move on to the next place.

Don’t worry, if you get stuck you can ask for a hint and Bess’ll get you on your way!

The game works a bit like a WhatsApp group, but on a web page instead. You don’t need to download anything and it doesn’t need any permissions.

Before you’re due to start, we’ll send you a link to the game. Open the link to join the game and share it with your team so they can join too.

Once you’re ready, Captain Bess will tell you what to do next.

Things to know:

• Take your time – it’s more enjoyable to see everything at your own pace. There’s a scheduled break around half-way, but you can take your own breaks if you prefer.
• Aim to finish before sunset – it’s almost impossible to find or even see clues in the dark!
• You can play in 2 parts – if it suits your plans, you can pause the game and come back after lunch or even the next day.
• Bess will be scoring you! Your score is the number of clues you got right first time, without a hint. The score is only for your satisfaction, so don’t struggle needlessly!

What to bring:

• Smartphones with mobile data and full batteries (it’s okay to share, but it works better if everyone has their own phone)
• Shoes for walking 2 miles
• Waterproofs in case of bad weather
• A witty, cunning and adventurous spirit!