Past Hunts & Winners

Real Hunts, Real Winners, Real Proof – Every Prize Paid Promptly

Welcome to the Sofa Sleuths Winners Wall!

When our cosy armchair treasure hunts ends, every cash prize will be paid quickly via PayPal, and we’ll share anonymised proof right here so you can see exactly how fair and open everything is.

Our very first pilot has now been run — the clues have been cracked, and we’re celebrating the winner(s) below with full details, clue breakdowns, payout screenshots, and more.

Excited for the mystery? Follow us on Facebook to be the first to know when the next one launches!

Our Latest Winner

Hunt #2 Ernest Shackleton

28th of June 2026

The first sharp sleuth who correctly named the exact hidden location won the full £100 cash prize paid via PayPal!

Congratulations to Ingrid (aka Schicho) from Cambridge on being our winner!

Here is what Schicho had to say.

"Oh my goodness, I'm so excited! Thank you so much for running this hunt. I was involved in a student drama production about Shackleton when I was at university, so the subject is near and dear to me. I am even lucky enough to live near the Scott Polar Research Institute, which has a brilliant Shackleton collection!"

A huge thanks to everyone who entered.

Clue Breakdowns & Solution

Ernest Shackleton

Clue 1. Not a conqueror of the pole, yet remembered more than those who were.

Shackleton never reached the South Pole, unlike explorers such as Roald Amundsen. Despite this, his leadership and survival story made him one of history’s most famous polar explorers.

Clue 2. South was the destination. Survival became the mission.

The expedition set out for Antarctica, but disaster changed the goal from exploration to staying alive. This refers to the survival ordeal after the loss of the Endurance.

Clue 3. His most famous victory came during failure.

Although the expedition failed in its original objective, Shackleton succeeded in bringing every crew member home alive. His leadership during failure became the reason he is remembered.

Previous Winners

Pilot Hunt: Chatsworth House

28th of April 2026

The first sharp sleuth who correctly named the exact hidden location won the full £50 cash prize paid via PayPal!

Congratulations to Deane from Windsor on being our very first winner!

Here is what Deane had to say about the hunt:

I’m from Windsor - “Thanks for organising, that was loads of fun - can’t wait for the next one”

A huge thanks to everyone who entered.

Clue Breakdowns & Solution

Chatsworth House

Clue 1. Case cad mixed up forms falling water

The clue uses an anagram (mixed up) of the letters in "Case cad" to form the word Cascades, which refers to Chatsworth’s iconic 300-year-old water feature.

Clue 2. Class held by house during war

During World War II, Chatsworth House hosted Penrhos College, an evacuated girls' boarding school, effectively turning the stately home into a series of classrooms.

Clue 3. Estate where talk is valued

This is a play on words "Chat" (talk) and "Worth" (valued) combine to spell the name of the estate, Chatsworth

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