Review: Race Across The World: The Experience in London

Race Across The World: The Experience takes the hit TV show and condenses it into a journey around London that takes a few hours rather than a few weeks to complete.

As fans of both the show and of treasure hunt-style activities, my husband and I took on the challenge to see how well we could navigate our way around the capital.

Once we located the starting point - walking back and forth along the same road outside Liverpool Street station trying to find it felt like an ominous start - we were given an envelope which contained items to use on our journey.

With the envelope we were given at the start (Image: Newsquest)

First up was using the clues to work out the first of our three checkpoint destinations, which we then had to confirm via WhatsApp - a lot of the communication is done on your phone, so make sure you've got good battery life before you start or a power bank to hand.

Then we had to decide what sort of instructions we wanted to follow.

Each leg had two options - a clear and concise version which may be better for families, those with English as a second language or anyone simply wanting to earn the best time possible, and a more challenging version with trickier clues, such as being in rhyming slang.

Each option costs a certain amount of in-game money.

Virtual money was spent in the game (Image: Newsquest)

We went for the trickier option and were given a clue to the first place we needed to find on the way to our first checkpoint.

Being familiar with the Liverpool Street area initially helped, but after a swift start of locating the right answer to each clue to receive directions to the next one, we soon wandered into unfamiliar territory.

Just like in the show, where contestants take a mixture of main tourist routes and going off the beaten track, we felt like we were seeing both sides of London as well.

Across the journey, we took in landmarks and side streets, bustling areas and places we didn't see another soul, and managed to learn a few new things about the city and its history as well.

We managed to find our first checkpoint within a respectable time - a virtual leaderboard pitted us against three other teams - and used the contents of our envelope to work out our second checkpoint destination.

The game is paused at each checkpoint, allowing participants time to grab something to eat or drink, take a toilet break or soak up more of the location, but we decided to carry straight on. Maybe this was a mistake.

While we'd worked out our checkpoint destination, and therefore had an idea of where we were headed, we weren't prepared for the more challenging clues.

The challenge took in both tourist sites and back streets (Image: Newsquest)

In the second leg, we got lost - twice - and had to spend virtual money on getting help.

There is the option for a hint, if you think you're in the right area but can't find the answer to the clue, or to declare yourself lost and get a Google Maps pin of the right location.

Of course, this meant our money ran out, so we had to 'work' to earn more in the form of a couple of tasks done via WhatsApp.

Funds replenished, we located the second checkpoint and completed an in-venue task to work out our where our final leg would take us.

We spotted another team in the venue who were taking a refreshment break, but despite our weary legs we were conscious of it getting dark so decided to carry on.

This proved the right decision as a couple of clues required us using a phone torch to read the answers on street furniture in the fading light.

We'd recommend starting the experience early in the day if possible, from both a practical and a safety point of view - a couple of areas we went through while it was light might not have felt the same in the dark.

We were desperate to make up time, our second leg having been significantly slower than we'd hoped, and I was grateful when I realised we were heading towards an area I had been many times as a child.

Navigating in the dark felt easier thanks to the familiarity of where I was.

We'd pulled our time back in the leaderboard - some relief after the poor second leg - and were grateful of a seat in our destination venue while we completed the final task.

Signing the guestbook at the end (Image: Newsquest)

And just like in the show, reaching that final checkpoint meant signing the guestbook - only instead of putting in our names and the time, we were invited to write a message to other participants.

Reading through some of the other comments in the book, it seems like a whole range of people have taken part, from couples and family groups to friends and overseas tourists.

The general consensus, though, was that it had been a lot of fun - and we completely agreed with that.

The whole experience is done on foot, so make sure you've got a good pair of shoes on - it took us around three hours and significantly more than the three miles billed to complete due to a couple of detours when we got lost.

Race Across The World: The Experience also has a festive West End edition running this winter. Both versions can be booked at raceacrosstheworldexperience.com