Corfe Castle — Dame Mary's Secret Siege
Uncover Brave Dame Mary Bankes' hidden code from the 1646 siege of Corfe Castle. Decipher clues across village landmarks to expose the royalist treasure she buried before betrayal.
📱 1 to 10 phones · 1 team per phone · Independent codes
In 1646, as Parliamentarian forces closed in on Corfe Castle—the last Royalist bastion in Dorset—Brave Dame Mary Bankes refused to yield
Corfe Castle — Dame Mary's Secret Siege
You are Lady Mary Bankes, royalist châtelaine of Corfe Castle in the heart of Dorset.
In this spring of 1643, you are the last defender of King Charles I
Relive the heroic resistance of Lady Mary Bankes, who alone defended Corfe Castle against 300 Parliamentarians in 1643 with five soldiers and hot embers.
A game, a guided tour and a heritage guide — all in one
You're not just buying an escape game. You're carrying a living guide — historical anecdotes, forgotten legends, key monuments, hidden architecture — unfolding as you go.
At each stop, places ordinary guides miss — secret façades, sculpted crests, alleys steeped in history.
Every riddle is rooted in a real historical fact or local legend. You leave with dozens of stories to tell.
Learn to read buildings — flamboyant Gothic, Baroque, Art Deco — like a real art historian, while having fun.
Walk through the city like a novel's character — every alley becomes a stage, every square a theatre.
A voice walks with you at every step, tells the story of each place, reads clues, adds a cinematic feel.
Keep access to the guide & game for 1 year. Come back any time, share it with friends.
« You will not leave this city the way you entered it. »
How does it work?
Explore the city on foot solving puzzles based on real historical facts. No locked room — the city is your playground.
No app to download. Play directly from your browser. Guided step by step, at your own pace.
One purchase per phone is enough. Play with family, friends or as a couple — everyone participates.
Point your phone at the façade: a historical character appears and speaks to you in your language. Golden letters magically write themselves on the wall to reveal the puzzle answer.
Stuck? Progressive personalised hints. The character repeats the puzzle on demand — at your own pace.
French, English, German, Spanish, Italian + 27 other languages auto-translated by AI.
Want to go deeper?
Places tied to your adventure — optional entries, totally up to you · per person
The story that haunts this land
Corfe Castle rises on its rocky spur since the Norman conquest of 1066, when William the Conqueror erected this Purbeck stone keep on an earlier Saxon site. The Bankes acquired this fortress in 1635: Sir John, Attorney General to Charles I, transformed this military bastion into a refined family residence. But in 1642, civil war broke out between king and Parliament. Sir John joined Oxford beside Charles I, leaving his wife Mary sole mistress of Corfe Castle, the last royalist stronghold in Dorset against the parliamentary tide.
On June 23, 1643, Sir Walter Erle encircled Corfe Castle with 200 to 300 men. Lady Mary Bankes had a pitiful garrison: five loyal soldiers, her daughters and some servants. From the battlements of the Norman keep, she organized an improvised but formidable defense. Her women heated stones and embers in the castle fireplaces, then poured them on attackers through murder holes. This bold tactic, led by a 45-year-old aristocrat, held parliamentary forces at bay for six full weeks.
St. Edward's Church, built in the 12th century at the foot of the castle hill, became a crucial observation post for Lady Mary. From its Gothic windows, she monitored enemy movements in the village and coordinated nighttime sorties by her defenders. The medieval bell tower served as her natural watchtower, dominating approach roads to Village Square. During the siege, this parish church transformed into a secret arsenal where Lady Mary hid powder and ammunition away from parliamentary eyes.
In February 1646, a second siege was organized against Corfe Castle. This time, Lady Mary commanded 80 royalist soldiers, but betrayal came from within: Colonel Pitman, an officer in her garrison, secretly introduced disguised parliamentarians into the fortress. The ruse succeeded, and Corfe Castle capitulated after three years of heroic resistance. Oliver Cromwell immediately ordered partial dismantling of the castle so it could never again serve as a royalist bastion.
Today, the ruins of Corfe Castle bear witness to this extraordinary resistance led by Lady Mary Bankes. The keep split by parliamentary gunpowder, walls collapsed on Cromwell's orders, broken towers tell the epic of a woman who stood up to history. Walking through these English Heritage-listed remains, you carry away the example of exceptional feminine courage at the heart of the English Civil Wars, when a Dorset châtelaine alone defied the emerging Republic.
The Route
8 stages through the city
The gameplay: AR, camera, hidden clues
At each stop, open your phone camera: an augmented reality character appears on the façade and speaks your language. Hunt the clue — it materializes as golden letters on the real wall or floats in front of you. When you find it, the phone vibrates, an AR chest opens and reveals your answer fragment. 8 stops, 8 clues to find with the camera, 1 final code.
The stops on your route are a surprise. You'll discover them one by one, guided by your phone, starting from the meeting point.
How does it work with a group?
One phone = one team. Pick the number at checkout (1 to 10).
Solo, or a group sharing the screen. One team, one code.
Family, couple, or 2-3 teams competing. Each phone has its own code and its own score.
Friends, bachelor/bachelorette, small office outing — each their own code, each plays at their own pace. Tiered pricing then €6 flat per phone from the 6th.
- ✓All codes are independent — play at the same time OR separately, each team advances at its own pace.
- ✓Leaderboard between your teams + global game leaderboard — each score appears in the public ranking.
- ✓More than 10 phones or need a personalized quest? Discover custom tours.
Ready to live this adventure?
Get my code · 12€No calendar booking. Code sent immediately by email.
🔒 Secure payment · Code in 5 min · Free cancellation
Practical info
Why this route?
English Civil War
Relive the era when England was torn between royalists and parliamentarians
Unsung heroine
Discover Lady Mary Bankes, one of the bravest women of her time
Spectacular ruins
Explore a deliberately destroyed castle, witness to political violence
Courage and loyalty
Following the footsteps of the Corfe heroine
9 features nobody else has
OddballTrip combines gamified play, augmented reality and AI. All our competitors deliver 1 or 2 of these angles. We deliver all 5.
AR treasure chest
A golden chest floats in front of the monument. Tap → opening animation → reveals a secret message.
AR narrator character
Point your phone at the façade: a knight, witch, monk, sailor, detective or ghost appears full-screen and speaks to you in your language with their dedicated ElevenLabs voice (each character has their own unique voice) — your living guide.
Magic golden letters
At the puzzle climax, golden letters magically write themselves on the real wall — that's the puzzle answer. An unforgettable visual effect.
Written + audio narration
Every puzzle available as text AND voice-over: read at your own pace or listen eyes-free while walking. Great in groups and for accessibility.
360° radar + vibration
A mini-radar shows the target even behind you, and the phone vibrates when you aim in the right direction.
Heritage storytelling
Every puzzle weaves in real historical facts (architecture, era, anecdotes). You learn by playing — like a gamified audioguide.
Progressive AI hints
3 levels of AI-generated help: vibe → where to look → answer format. You're never stuck.
AR selfie memento
At the end of the game, capture a selfie with OddballTrip banner + mascot, shareable on Instagram, TikTok.
Zero app to install
PWA technology: open the link, it plays in your browser. Same quality as an app, no App Store hassle.
Frequently asked questions
Q01Do I need to download an app?
No, never. You get a link, you click, it plays in your browser. That's the point of a PWA: same as an app, without the hassle.
Q02Does it work offline?
GPS yes (handled by your phone). Maps yes (tiles cached). AI and hints need an intermittent 4G connection.
Q03How long does a game take?
1 h 30 to 2 h 30 depending on your pace. The timer runs but only for the leaderboard — you play at your own tempo.
Q04What happens if I'm stuck?
You get 3 levels of hints per puzzle (increasing penalty). If truly stuck, you can skip the step (45-min penalty but you keep going).
Q05What's the age range?
From 12 without an adult, from 6 with an adult reading puzzles. Works for families, couples, friend groups, companies.
Q06What if my city isn't in the catalogue?
Pre-register or contact us — we'll email you as soon as your city is live.
Q07What is augmented reality exactly?
Point your phone at the façade: a historical character appears full-screen and speaks to you in your language. At the puzzle climax, golden letters magically write themselves on the real wall — that's your answer. After each puzzle solved, a treasure chest floats in front of you. Seeing is believing.
Avis des aventuriers
Soyez le premier à partager votre expérience.
Did you play la dame de corfe? Check the email you received after your game to leave a verified review.
Your turn to play
Relive the heroic resistance of Lady Mary Bankes, who alone defended Corfe Castle against 300 Parliamentarians in 1643 with five soldiers and hot embers.
1 purchase = 1 phone. Play several on the same device.
No calendar booking. Code sent immediately by email.
🔒Secure payment · Code in 5 min · Free cancellation
🪙+24 TripCoins granted with your booking
Other escape games in Corfe Castle, Dorset
See all games in Corfe Castle, Dorset→More ideas for self-guided walking tours, scavenger hunts & city quests in the same city
Other escape games in Angleterre
View Angleterre→More destinations, tours & urban treasure hunts across the country
