The National Trust launched a new puzzle-based geocache at Penshaw Monument in Sunderland, Tyne and Wear, on February 11, 2026, offering a fresh activity for local residents.
This free outdoor game, known as geocaching, requires visitors to solve a series of puzzles around the hill to find a hidden container. The National Trust’s site describes the installation as a special geocache at Penshaw that involves solving a few puzzles before finding the final cache, and the activity is promoted for families and visitors to try for free.
Updated visitor guidance has also been published. The site receives over 60,000 visitors each year, and the National Trust asks visitors to “please keep dogs under close control, on a lead around grazing cattle.”
The Trust is recruiting volunteers to help look after the grounds. The National Trust’s volunteering pages describe a range of roles — including volunteer rangers and litter-picking teams — and note that on-the-job training is provided. The recruitment drive is timed to bolster the volunteer roster ahead of the peak season, which begins on Good Friday (April 3, 2026).
New recruits will help provide visitor information and may support events and rooftop tours as part of the site’s volunteer programme. From Good Friday until the end of September, the National Trust opens the hidden spiral staircase inside one of the monument’s columns for guided rooftop visits, allowing visitors to climb to the rooftop walkways and enjoy views across the North East.
