Hay-on-Wye — Booth's Lost Manuscript
Uncover the secret cipher in Richard Booth's lost manuscript that holds the key to a hidden literary treasure buried among Hay's bookshops. Decode clues across the Kingdom of Books to claim the prize before it's gone forever.
📱 1 to 10 phones · 1 team per phone · Independent codes
In 1962, Richard Booth ignited a revolution in sleepy Hay-on-Wye by opening his first bookshop, transforming the town into the world's first booktown
Hay-on-Wye — Booth's Lost Manuscript
You are a trusted archivist, tasked in modern-day Hay-on-Wye with recovering a lost manuscript belonging to Richard Booth, the 'King of Hay'.
Your mission: find his
Delve into the heart of Hay-on-Wye, the 'Town of Books', to unearth the secrets of a literary kingdom forged over centuries.
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
Your quest for the manuscript begins at Hay Castle, an 11th-century Norman edifice rebuilt in stone in the 13th century. This iconic site, located in the center of Hay-on-Wye, was acquired by Richard Booth in 1963, who transformed it into a bookshop and cultural center. The castle, despite a fire in 1922, has undergone restorations since 2010 and now hosts literary exhibitions, marking the starting point of Hay-on-Wye's fame as a literary destination. The first pages of your investigation await within its historic walls.
Continue your investigation along Castle Street, the main cobbled street connecting Hay Castle to the commercial heart of Hay-on-Wye. This thoroughfare is one of the most emblematic of the 'Town of Books', lined with independent bookshops. It was here that Richard Booth began buying second-hand books globally from 1961, laying the foundations for the nearly 30 bookshops that have flourished in the village since the 1970s. Every storefront on Castle Street could hold a crucial clue for the manuscript.
Market Square, Hay-on-Wye's central plaza, is your next stop. Since the Middle Ages, it has hosted the weekly market and is surrounded by buildings dating from the 17th to 19th centuries. This square is also the gathering place for the Hay Festival, one of Europe's largest literary festivals since 1988. The echoes of discussions and author signings, such as William Wordsworth who contributed so much to the Welsh imagination, might guide you to the path of Booth's lost manuscript.
Your search then leads you to Richard Booth's Bookshop. Opened in 1961 in the former fire station, this was the first large second-hand bookshop to initiate Hay-on-Wye's transformation into the 'Town of Books'. Despite predictions of failure, it has been active for over 50 years, also serving as a cinema and concert venue. Richard Booth, who has held the Guinness record for the most second-hand bookshops in the world since 1983, may have hidden clues among the shelves of this institution.
Conclude your journey by following Richard Booth's footsteps to Hay Bridge, a historic 19th-century bridge over the River Wye, connecting Hay-on-Wye to the central Welsh mountains. Its approximate length of 100 meters makes it a key passage for walkers and local events. Then, a visit to St Mary's Church, a 12th-century parish church near the bridge, with its 14th-century extensions, stained-glass windows, and historic cemetery, might reveal the final piece of the puzzle. Used for Hay Festival cultural events since 1988, it could hold a discreet link to the manuscript. The exploration of Hay-on-Wye, this Book Town Wales, will have allowed you to grasp the spirit of Richard Booth and understand why this Welsh town has become a sanctuary for book lovers.
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?
Town of Books
Explore the countless bookshops and the unique literary atmosphere of Hay-on-Wye.
A King's Legacy
Follow in the footsteps of Richard Booth, the eccentric 'King of Hay', and his declaration of independence.
Castle and Festival
Discover Hay Castle and the history of the Hay Festival, which attracts the greatest authors.
Open the book, discover the kingdom.
Hay's knowledge awaits you.
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.
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Your turn to play
Delve into the heart of Hay-on-Wye, the 'Town of Books', to unearth the secrets of a literary kingdom forged over centuries.
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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