
Enjoy some family fun
Looking for places the whole family will enjoy? Discover family-friendly cycling trails, places to get closer to nature and historic buildings where you can learn about the past.
Geocaching is like a treasure hunt for the digital generation, where you can enjoy the freedom of being outside and discovering new places. More and more people are discovering how much fun it is, and all you need is a handheld GPS and a sense of fun.
Geocaching is an exciting outdoor adventure for the whole family. Many of the places we care for have GPS devices available for you to try geocaching for free. All you need to get going is a sense of adventure, and the coordinates to find the treasure.
A geocache or ‘cache’ is a small waterproof treasure box hidden outdoors. Geocachers seek out these hidden goodies guided by a GPS-enabled device which uses coordinates, or ‘waypoints’ downloaded from the geocaching.com website. Alternatively, you can download a free geocaching app for Android or iPhone.
So once you’ve found the treasure box – what will you find inside? The satisfaction of finding the box is a reward in itself, and most caches have a logbook for you to leave a message in. You’ll also often find a strange array of trinkets that people have left to swap. If you take a treasure out of the box, you should leave another trinket in its place, so come prepared.
Whether on the side of a windswept mountain or on an expanse of beach, there are geocaches hidden across the UK including hundreds on land we look after.
Here are some of the best National Trust places to go geocaching:
Looking for places the whole family will enjoy? Discover family-friendly cycling trails, places to get closer to nature and historic buildings where you can learn about the past.
Enjoy a family-friendly walk with these trails suitable for buggies and little legs. Go wild in natural play areas and compete in woodland den building.
Looking for magical days out with the family? Discover our best enchanted forests where children can let their imaginations roam.
Looking for enchanting family days out? Look no further than these fairy-tale castles, perfect for days out with little knights and dragon-slayers.
Go on a modern-day adventure at the 320-million-year-old Brimham Rocks, Yorkshire in our podcast episode, 'A beginner's guide to geocaching'. You can also find more episodes from series seven, filled with nature and history.