This Week in the UK Scavenger Hunt Tasks - 13 August 2026
This week's UK headlines include Find a shop, café or library displaying an official heat-health notice (e, Locate a bus stop, train station or council noticeboard showing a heat-related travel message (e, and more, and we have turned them into challenges. Here are 33 scavenger hunt tasks based on what is actually happening across the country.
Each task is tied to a real story, trend, or cultural moment from this week. Grab your phone, head outside, and see how many you can tick off.
This Week's Tasks
1. Find a shop, café or library displaying an official heat-health notice (e.g., advice to drink water, keep cool, or check on others) and photograph the sign.
* Amber extreme heat warnings and record-chasing temperatures have prompted public-facing heat advice in many venues this week.
2. Locate a bus stop, train station or council noticeboard showing a heat-related travel message (e.g., ‘carry water’, ‘allow extra time’, ‘rail temperatures’), and capture it clearly.
* With another major heatwave forecast, travel operators have been issuing practical passenger advice in public spaces this week.
3. Seek out a supermarket endcap or convenience-store display pushing ‘BBQ essentials’ specifically because of the heatwave, and photograph the display headline.
* The extreme heat warnings have driven prominent ‘heatwave/BBQ’ retail messaging in shops this week.
4. Find a public water refill point (or a venue advertising free tap-water refills) and take a photo of the refill sign or fountain.
* With temperatures soaring, hydration messaging and refill points are especially visible and promoted this week.
5. Spot a garden centre or DIY shop promoting hosepipe bans, drought-friendly plants, or water-saving products, and photograph the drought/water-saving wording.
* Drought conditions across much of England have made water-saving signage and products more prominent this week.
6. Visit a local park and document a council sign about protecting grass/trees during hot weather (e.g., ‘keep off dry grass’, ‘water conservation’, ‘no BBQs’).
* Drought and repeated heatwaves have led to more protective park signage in public green spaces this week.
7. Find a car park or motorway service area displaying seasonal driving advice for heat (tyres, coolant, water), and photograph the advice board.
* Driver-focused heat and weather guidance is being pushed this week as the UK faces another spell of very hot conditions.
8. Track down a shop selling eclipse-viewing glasses or a printed ‘eclipse viewing safety’ notice, then photograph the product/notice.
* A widely watched solar eclipse has driven public interest and safety messaging about viewing this week.
9. Find a science museum, library, school, or community venue that has put up an ‘eclipse’ display or noticeboard item, and capture the word ‘eclipse’ in the photo.
* The solar eclipse has prompted public-facing displays and information boards in community spaces this week.
10. At dusk, photograph a public clock, church tower, or town-hall clock that you can use to timestamp your ‘sky moment’ photo from this eclipse week.
* The eclipse has had people timing skywatching; a public clock gives a grounded ‘this week’ timestamp.
11. Buy and taste a bar labelled as the new ‘100% British’ chocolate, then photograph the wrapper showing the ‘British’ claim.
* A newly announced 100% British chocolate bar has made headlines and is appearing on shelves this week.
12. Compare two chocolate bars in a shop: one that highlights British sourcing and one that doesn’t—photograph both front-of-pack claims side by side.
* The ‘100% British chocolate’ story has sparked extra attention to sourcing claims in the confectionery aisle this week.
13. Find a school, college, or tutoring centre notice mentioning A-level, T-level or BTEC results day and photograph the notice (no names visible).
* Students are waiting for A-level, T-level and BTEC results to be released, and many education venues post visible notices this week.
14. Spot a high street shop offering ‘good luck’ gifts for exam results (cards, balloons, flowers, chocolates) and photograph the ‘good luck/results’ wording.
* Results-week gifting and ‘good luck’ displays spike around A-level/T-level/BTEC results time in the UK this week.
15. Find a university accommodation office, student union, or letting agent window that mentions ‘freshers’ week’ or ‘student move-in’ and photograph the wording.
* Councils and universities are urging new starters to act now ahead of freshers’ week, and student move-in messaging is visible this week.
16. Locate a campus-area shop running a ‘student essentials’ display (bedding, kitchen kits, stationery) and photograph the display header.
* With freshers’ preparations in the news, ‘student essentials’ retail displays are appearing prominently this week.
17. Find a railcard, bus pass, or ticketing poster advertising ‘one third off’ fares and photograph the ‘1/3 off’ claim.
* A government announcement this week highlights cheaper travel for millions with a third off fares, which often appears in station signage.
18. At a station ticket machine or ticket office window, photograph a screen or notice that mentions discounted fares or eligibility (no personal data shown).
* Following this week’s cheaper-travel push, ticketing points are highlighting discounts and fare deals in public-facing notices.
19. On the London Underground, spot and photograph a British Transport Police notice that mentions the Live Facial Recognition (LFR) trial (capture the letters ‘LFR’).
* BTP has expanded its Live Facial Recognition trial into London Underground stations, making this signage timely and specific this week.
20. In a station concourse, locate a BTP help point, poster, or information board and photograph the BTP branding next to a safety/help message.
* With BTP communications in the spotlight due to the LFR trial expansion, their public-facing help/safety messaging is especially topical this week.
21. Find a café, gym, or workplace noticeboard that asks people to ‘shower and change’ (or similar hygiene advice) and photograph the instruction line.
* A widely shared NHS-related alert has told people to ‘shower and change’ this week, making such notices unusually topical.
22. Locate a shop selling travel-size toiletries with a ‘hot weather essentials’ or ‘freshen up’ display and photograph the display title.
* With heat and the ‘shower and change’ alert in the news, ‘freshen up’ and hygiene-focused retail displays feel extra current this week.
23. Find a public-facing notice in a GP surgery, pharmacy, or clinic about reducing paperwork/admin (e.g., ‘use online forms’, ‘update details online’) and photograph the instruction.
* New research says NHS staff lose significant time to admin, increasing visibility of ‘do it online’ and admin-reduction notices this week.
24. Spot an ‘online check-in’ or ‘self-service’ sign at a pharmacy or clinic reception and photograph the sign text.
* The admin-burden research has highlighted how much time staff spend on paperwork, making self-service and online check-in prompts especially topical this week.
25. Find a high street bank or currency exchange board that has updated rates prominently this week, and photograph the board showing at least three currencies.
* UK economic growth and wider economic news has kept attention on money and rates, and exchange boards are a visible, time-sensitive public indicator.
26. In a supermarket, photograph a shelf-edge label showing a recent price change sticker (e.g., ‘new price’) on an everyday item.
* Economic growth figures have been widely covered and price sensitivity remains visible in retail through ‘new price’ shelf labels this week.
27. Spot a sports shop or pub chalkboard mentioning at least one of these clubs: Chelsea, Arsenal, or Liverpool, and photograph the exact wording used.
* Transfer talk involving Chelsea, Arsenal and Liverpool has dominated mainstream football coverage this week and often spills into pub/shop messaging.
28. Find a shop selling the latest football sticker/collector packs and photograph the display showing ‘new season’ or ‘2026/27’ style wording (whatever is printed).
* High-profile transfer coverage tends to coincide with peak ‘new season’ football retail displays, which are visible on UK high streets this week.
29. Locate a community event noticeboard (library, leisure centre, church hall) advertising a local ‘summer fete’ or ‘family fun day’ happening during the heatwave, and photograph the date.
* The intense heat has become a practical factor in scheduling and messaging for local summer events this week.
30. Find a café or restaurant offering a ‘heatwave special’ cold drink (e.g., iced coffee, slush, milkshake) and photograph the menu line showing the drink name.
* As temperatures surge again, many venues push cold-drink specials and heatwave messaging this week.
31. Photograph a shop window or café door sign that changes opening hours because of the heat (e.g., ‘closing early due to hot weather’).
* Extreme heat can lead to altered opening hours and temporary notices, which are a visible public-life change this week.
32. Find a local weather warning sign or digital screen in a public place (shopping centre, station, council building) showing ‘amber’ or ‘extreme heat’ and photograph it.
* Amber extreme heat warnings have been issued, and public digital signage often mirrors official warnings this week.
33. Pick up a free local paper or supermarket magazine that leads with heatwave coverage, then photograph just the front page headline (no people).
* The UK heatwave has dominated headlines this week, making front pages and covers highly time-specific.
How to Play
These tasks are designed for BucketRace, the UK's favourite scavenger hunt platform. You can play solo or in teams, and each task is meant to be completed in the real world. Snap a photo as proof, share it with your group, and see who can complete the most.
New tasks are published every week based on what is actually happening in the UK, so no two weeks are ever the same. Follow us for next week's challenges.