FAQ for the Mystery Walks app

Does the app need a phone signal/internet?

Not during the mystery walk. You need internet to buy a mystery walk but once downloaded, the whole thing will run offline.

Is it suitable for children?

The puzzles, vocabulary and stories are designed for adults. Teenagers are likely to manage most of the puzzles but may occasionally need a bit of help with any involving ("old people's") language and general knowledge. Younger children under adult supervision may enjoy helping to solve some of the easier puzzles and searching for clues, depending on their attention span. Stories contain some themes such as alcohol and piracy which may not be suitable for young children so we recommend filtering of the content by an adult.

Is it suitable for dogs?

None of the routes have dog bans and there are no dog-inaccessible stiles or fields with livestock, so it will depend on the temperament of the dog(s). The routes are in towns or villages so dogs will need to be on a lead as there will be some traffic, and in summer there may be quite a few tourists. You will frequently be stopping to solve puzzles so chilled-out senior pooches that don't mind stopping lots will fare better than hyperactive puppies that want constant activity.

For some quieter countryside walks in Cornwall, see the iWalk Cornwall app.

Is it something I can do on my own?

Whilst theoretically yes, it's FAR MORE FUN with someone else. It's designed to be a social activity, very much like an escape room. It works very well with 2 people.

Is there a time limit?

No. Unlike an escape room, it's not a race. The idea here is to take your time, enjoy the (often spectacular) views, take a few photos, perhaps stop for something to eat and have a nice day out. There's a pause button to shut down the GPS and save phone battery during longer stops.

Will I have any trouble navigating?

To make navigation easy, there are both hand-written directions (like a walking book) and a map showing the next step of the route and where you currently are on it (updated as you move). The app will beep when you reach the next direction and also warn you if you wander too far off the route.

Do I need to go inside any buildings?

No - all the clues are outside.

Will I need to write things down?

There is a virtual backpack in the app where all the clues are collected so you don't need to write things down to remember them. However, many people find it easier to solve certain types of puzzle such as word puzzles with a pen and paper so may want to take one along if that helps you visualise things.

Can I do half on one day and the rest on a different day?

Yes. Just close the app and it will remember where you got to. When you re-open the app on your second visit, you can use the map (which will show the route up to the point where you reached) to get to where you stopped last time. Then pick up from where left off.

Can we use one purchase on multiple devices?

No for a few reasons. It's designed to work standalone on a device without needing an internet connection, due to the variability (and sometimes complete lack) of phone signal strength in Cornwall. It's designed as a collaborative social activity, like an escape room, where every member of the group doesn't have to duplicate doing every puzzle. This also keeps the amount of phone-staring to a minimum both for safety in the outdoor environment and so Cornwall's spectacular views can be enjoyed.

If you're doing a mystery walk with several friends, we recommend nominating someone as phone-meister, someone else as traffic lookout and the remainder as clue spotters/view enjoyers, and taking turns in the different roles. Also see tips on sharing an individual puzzle within a group.

If you want to use a second phone to read something in the backpack whist solving a puzzle on the main phone, we suggest using the second phone to take a photo of the main phone's screen showing the backpack item (this is Cornwall-proof, guaranteed to work in places with no phone signal).

Can I do it more than once?

It's one use per purchase (like an escape room). You can, however, split one use over two visits (e.g. if the weather turns bad or the kids are tired) and continue from where you got to last time. The map will show the route up to the last direction that you reached to help you locate where you need to pick up from.

If I uninstall the app or change phones could I lose a downloaded mystery?

The downloaded mystery only exists locally on the device so potentially, yes. It's therefore best to buy it just before you intend to use it. The app doesn't need a SIM card or internet to run a downloaded mystery so if you do end up with one left on a "previous phone", it will still be usable if you hang onto the phone until you've completed it.

What if a clue is obstructed/inaccessible?

There's a backup photo for every clue which you can use if e.g. there's a van parked right in front of it. If there's an obstruction to the roads/paths (e.g. roadworks) there's both a map to be able to bypass it and an "I can't get there" mechanism to catch up on any clues you couldn't physically get to. For more info see the tips.

What if I want to stop for the loo, food, sightseeing etc?

We've designed the app to accommodate that. The map will show where you currently are and the route so far, so you can make your way back to pick up where you left off. You can also use the pause button on the options screen to shut down the GPS to save battery when you are stopped.

Is the terrain suitable for wheelchairs/pushchairs?

Not so far (we're keeping an eye out). The main reason seems to be that the historic and therefore interesting parts of Cornish towns and fishing villages contain steep slopes (due to their coastal location), steps and narrow alleys. They were built hundreds of years before such wheel-based devices were in common use and when goods transport via donkeys, barrels and sleds (still in use at Clovelly) was able to cope reasonably well with steps.

Are there any other accessibility considerations?

If you are long-sighted and have reading glasses, definitely bring them: phone screens are small and the story and puzzles involves quite a lot of reading. A neck cord is a useful addition so you can enjoy the views without constantly fiddling to put glasses away.

The high glare of the outdoor environment is also worth noting. Sunglasses can help (but not at the expense of reading glasses). We've made the text and images as high-contrast as the hardware will allow. Newer models of phones tend to be brighter so running the app on the fanciest phone in the group can make a difference.

A couple of puzzles are based on colour-recognition. These are intentionally not critical for solving the mystery so colour-blind mystery solvers can skip these or to outsource them to a friend.

Given it's a puzzle-based activity aimed at adults, cognitive limitations (e.g. primary-age children and also for some impairments) can best be accommodated by sharing activities with a social group (e.g hunting for visual clues) and also making use of the puzzle hints which become progressively less complex. Also see the tips on sharing a puzzle between several members of a group.

Are there any other things I need to remember to do/bring before I set off?

We've made a list of things to check before you set off (also linked off the app home screen).

Are there mystery walks available outside of Cornwall?

Nope - it's 100% unique to Cornwall. Both this and the iWalk Cornwall countryside walks app are designed and built in Cornwall by Dave and John. If you don't live here, thank you for visiting us, and doing another one is an excuse to visit Cornwall again.

Will you be releasing any more in Cornwall?

Yes, gradually a few more. They take a huge amount of work to produce and we do many rounds of testing and tuning before each one is released. To be notified of new ones, follow iWalkCornwall on facebook.