Dorset: Five crack a code in Purbeck We are following a recently launched adventure trail commemorating the publication of the first Famous Five book, 70 years ago, which promises to lead us to the crooks who nabbed Uncle Q in his most recent misadventure. If we can find answers to all six questions and write them down on our clue sheet, that is. Certainly, there are worse places to be a detective: the riddles lie in some of the loveliest spots around the Isle of Purbeck and Poole in Dorset, including the Blue Pool Tea Rooms outside Corfe Castle, which overlook a glacial-looking expanse of water, as well as Swanage Pier and Poole Museum. Another clue is only visible from the steam train that runs between Norden and Swanage. All you need is a clue sheet (you can download it, or pick one up from any of the clue locations, making sure you get it stamped after solving each question), plus an Ordnance Survey map of the region and a quick brain. Each clue contains a number, which, when entered into the codebreaker on the clue sheet, reveals a grid reference. This, with the help of your handy map, takes you to the end location, just in time to see the brutes arrested (as depicted on a large mural, at least). Huzzah! You then pop your stamped clue sheet into the letter box at the final coordinates to enter a prize draw. You can do the trail in a day, but it's less of a rush if you set aside two. The person behind the trail is Viv Endecott, owner of the Ginger Pop shop in Corfe Castle and the amazing Eileen Soper's World of Adventures in Poole (Soper illustrated all of Blyton's books), which are also the locations of the final clues. Endecott sells Blyton memorabilia in her shops, including bottles of ginger pop, Blyton books and, rather jarringly, golliwogs. She has an encyclopedic knowledge of Blyton: when she asked me to guess how many books Blyton had written and I guessed 200 she first looked horrified, then a bit puzzled that I could get it so wrong (the correct answer is 800). Reader, beware: this trail is no walk in the park. The clues can be difficult and you have to read your clue sheet very carefully to answer them. But as Aimee, Dan, Bella and Molly will report, it's a jolly good way to hold a child's interest when sneaking some worthwhile sightseeing into your holiday. Best of luck, old bricks! Trail blazers Jessie Hewitson stayed at The Castleton guesthouse in Swanage, where double rooms start at £85 and family rooms at £120, including breakfast (01929 423972; thecastleton.co.uk) The clue sheet can be downloaded from: gingerpop.co.uk/adventuretrail2012 Other half-term trails for families St Margaret's Church, in the centre of Canterbury and close to the Cathedral, has a Canterbury Tales audio trail designed to appeal to all ages. On arrival, you are given a set of headphones with an hour-long audio commentary narrated by Bernard Cribbins, taking you on a journey around the cathedral that recreates several scenes from Chaucer's work, including The Knight's Tale, The Miller's Tale and The Wife of Bath's Tale. The sights and smells of Medieval England are evoked along the way. Adults, £8.25; children over five £6.25 (canterburytales.org.uk). Each Friday at 2pm a Sherlock Holmes walking tour sets off from the Villiers Street exit of Embankment tube station (you don't need to book, just look for a guide brandishing a London Walks leaflet). You'll explore the London documented in Conan Doyle's books, including Charing Cross, the gas-lit alleyways of the Strand and Covent Garden. The walk finishes in the recreation of Sherlock Holmes's study, housed in a building at Embankment that featured in The Hound of the Baskervilles. The walk lasts about two hours and costs £9 for adults, children under 15 are free when accompanied by parents (walks.com). A self-guided trail commemorating the life and work of Thomas Edward Lawrence (aka Lawrence of Arabia) takes you through some lovely stretches of the south Dorset countryside, along riverbanks, across heath and through woodland. It's a circular route, starting and finishing at Bovington's excellent Tank Museum (tankmuseum.org), and it takes in Lawrence's home at Clouds Hill (owned by the National Trust) and his grave in Moreton. In full, the walk covers just under seven miles and takes four hours, though there are short cuts. To download a map, type "Lawrence of Arabia" into the search box of dorsetforyou.com; the site also has details of a 22-mile, on-road, Lawrence bike ride. There are admission charges at some of the clue locations: Eileen Soper's World of Adventures: adults £5, concessions £4, family ticket £16. Blue Poole Tea Rooms: adults £5.50, children £4, under fives free, family ticket £15. Swanage pier: adults 60p, children aged five to 15 enter free with an adult. Swanage Railway: adults £11, children £8, under fives free, family ticket £34.