Cardiff — The Capital's Secret Manifesto
Uncover the hidden manifesto that sealed Cardiff's fate as Wales' capital. Decode clues from 1955 debates to expose the clandestine plot behind the controversial decision.
📱 1 to 10 phones · 1 team per phone · Independent codes
In 1955, after years of fierce rivalry between Swansea and Cardiff, a secret manifesto emerged from the shadows of Cardiff's civic heart, tipping the scales in a controversial vote that crowned it Wal
Cardiff — The Capital's Secret Manifesto
You are a government archivist, assigned to a critical investigation in Cardiff Bay, 1997.
Your mission is to uncover a lost manifesto from that pivotal year, when the referendum granted autonomy to
Uncover the mysteries of the Welsh Senedd and Cardiff docks, where Wales' independence was forged between coal and politics.
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
« In these stones horizons sing »— Inscription on the Wales Millennium Centre facade, Cardiff, 2004
The story that haunts this land
Cardiff Bay opens before you with the Senedd, seat of Welsh power since 2006. This 5,300 m² glass and steel building, designed by Richard Rogers, architect of the Centre Pompidou, houses the 100 elected members of the National Assembly for Wales. Its cost of £69 million testifies to the political ambition born from the 1997 referendum. In this transparent enclosure, modern Welsh democracy takes shape, far from the Norman castles that dominated this territory since the 11th century.
The Wales Millennium Centre reveals the artistic soul of this Welsh renaissance. Opened on 26 October 2004, this copper and stainless steel complex evokes a giant wave with 1,900 auditorium seats. The side inscription 'In these stones horizons sing' proclaims in Welsh the cultural ambition of the new Wales. Since 2004, the Welsh National Opera has found its definitive home here, transforming Cardiff into a cultural capital worthy of its recovered political status.
The Pierhead Building stands with its Victorian Gothic silhouette as a witness to the industrial golden age. Built in 1897 for the Bute Docks Company, this Grade I listed red brick edifice since 1975 dominated a coal empire that exported worldwide. Its 4 floors housed the offices of a company that made Cardiff the world's leading coal port by 1913. Restored in the 1990s, it housed the Welsh Assembly Visitor Centre until 2010, a symbolic bridge between the industrial era and political autonomy.
The Norwegian Church Arts Centre tells a more intimate story of Cardiff Bay. This limestone church built in 1867 for Norwegian sailors has a 20-meter high bell tower. Here was baptized in 1916 Roald Dahl, the Welsh-Norwegian writer who would become the author of Charlie and the Chocolate Factory. Converted into an arts centre in 1987 then restored after the 1993 fire, it embodies the cultural diversity that enriches modern Welsh identity.
Cardiff Bay Barrage closes your investigation into this spectacular transformation. Built between 1994 and 2001, this 1.1km barrage linking Cardiff Bay to Penarth created a 200-hectare artificial lake at a cost of £220 million. Inaugurated by Queen Elizabeth II on 10 November 2001, it generates 1.5 MW of hydroelectric energy while transforming former marshes into a residential and cultural quarter. You take away the image of a nation that knew how to reinvent its industrial territory as a political and cultural showcase of Atlantic Europe.
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?
Visionary Architecture
Discover how iconic buildings shaped the identity of a new capital.
Welsh Identity
Uncover the secrets of Wales' cultural and linguistic revival.
Pop Culture Legacy
Explore Cardiff, an iconic filming location for global series, and its impact on the city.
The future of Wales is written in its new foundations.
Decipher Cardiff's visionary manifesto.
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
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Your turn to play
Uncover the mysteries of the Welsh Senedd and Cardiff docks, where Wales' independence was forged between coal and politics.
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
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