Frankfurt 2009: Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG

The Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG is intended to redress the awkwardness – and low volumes – of the McLaren Mercedes SLR. Based on a first look at it, the supercoupe's chances are very good. That door handle is down by one's shins, but overcome that low hurdle and the reward is a cozy trip to the Sixties with millennial ergonomics.

For all that bonnet, the 6.3-liter 571 horsepower engine is shoved way, way back, good for a 47/53 weight distribution. It'll do the business to 62 mph in 3.8 seconds, and has a good chance of making you feel like quite the champ while doing it. Speaking of looking good, the carbon rotors and yellow calipers promise to look awesome at a standstill and on the trot. And with the updated interior, you won't have to drive with the doors up to stay cool in this gullwing, unlike the Sixties original.

PRESS RELEASE:

The new gull-wing model from Mercedes-Benz

Automotive fascination and high tech of the highest order - these are the characteristics embodied by the new Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG. The super sports car boasts a purist design, consistent lightweight design, superior driving dynamics and exemplary safety.

The new super sports car from Mercedes-Benz and AMG dazzles with its unparalleled technology package: an aluminium space-frame bodyshell with gull-wing doors; an AMG 6.3-litre, front-mid V8 engine with 420 kW/571 hp peak output, 650 Nm of torque, and dry sump lubrication; seven-speed dual-clutch transmission in a transaxle configuration; and sports suspension with aluminium double-wishbones. It's a unique combination that guarantees supreme driving dynamics. The car's ideal weight distribution between the front and rear axles (47 to 53 percent respectively), its low centre of gravity and DIN kerb weight of 1,620 kilograms emphasize the outstanding sports car concept. The gull-wing model accelerates from 0 to 100 km/h in 3.8 seconds and has a top speed of 317 km/h (electronically limited). The fuel consumption of 13.2 litres per 100 kilometres (combined) is best-in-class (all values provisional).

Design: Purist, distinctive, and passionate
The purist design of the new Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG dazzles with its passionate sportiness and reinterprets the breathtaking design of the Mercedes-Benz 300 SL. The stylistic highlight is without a doubt the gull-wing doors, which impart the SLS AMG with incomparable charisma. The long bonnet, the low greenhouse positioned far back, and the short rear with the extendable rear spoiler symbolise dynamics, as do the long wheelbase, the wide track, and the large wheels. It is not just the gull-wing doors that awaken reminiscences of the Mercedes-Benz 300 SL. The wide radiator grille with the large Mercedes star, the wing-like cross fin on the bonnet and the vehicle flanks are also reminiscent of the legendary sports car.

Aviation engineering provided the inspiration to the Mercedes-Benz designers for the interior. The characteristic styling feature is the dashboard, whose powerful and dramatic wing-shape makes for an impression of width. The four prominent dashboard air vents with their adjustable, cruciform nozzles are reminiscent of a jet's engines. The elongated centre console made of solid matt metal also takes up the plane cockpit theme. Among other things, the centre console incorporates the AMG DRIVE UNIT, which enables SLS owners to customise their vehicle set-up. The AMG SPEEDSHIFT DCT 7-speed sports transmission is operated by means of the E-SELECT lever, which resembles a jet's thrust control. Despite the low seating position typical of a sports car, the wide opening gull-wing doors ensure easy entry and exit. The gull-wing doors require less room to open than do conventional coupe doors and can be completely opened in standard sized garages.

Aluminium space frame for light weight and highest strength
The SLS is taking a new approach in its body concept. For the first time ever, Mercedes-Benz and AMG are presenting an automobile, whose chassis and body are made of aluminium. This leads to significant weight savings compared to the traditional steel construction, as shown by the car's DIN kerb weight of only 1,620 kilograms. The newly developed aluminium space-frame bodyshell combines intelligent, lightweight design with high strength - and thus benefits the excellent handling dynamics. The aluminium space frame is 45 per cent aluminium profiles, 31 per cent aluminium panelling, 20 per cent cast aluminium and four per cent steel. The use of ultra high-tensile, hot-rolled steel in the
A-pillars provides a further increase in occupant safety. The shell weighs 241 kilograms - an absolute peak value in the super sports car segment. The highest possible degree of passive safety is guaranteed for the occupants by the vehicle's standard equipment, which includes three-point seatbelts, seat-belt tensioners, belt force limiters, and eight airbags.

Further-developed AMG 6.3-litre V8 engine with an output of 420 kW/571 hp
The heart of the SLS is a powerful eight-cylinder engine with dry sump lubrication. The AMG 6.3-litre V8 produces 420 kW/571 hp at 6,800 rpm and develops a maximum torque of 650 Nm at 4,750 rpm. The SLS accelerates from
0 to 100 km/h in 3.8 seconds and has an electronically limited top speed of
317 km/h (all figures are preliminary). The SLS AMG consumes 13.2 litres per 100 kilometres (combined, preliminary figure). Efficiency-enhancement measures include not only the LDS cylinder bore linings but also a need-based fuel delivery and the recovery of braking energy.

The AMG 6.3-litre V8 engine delivers its power to the rear axle via a dual-clutch transmission permanently connected to the engine housing via a torque tube. A carbon shaft rotates at engine speed inside the torque tube. Power transfer is via the new AMG SPEEDSHIFT DCT seven-speed sports transmission. This dual-clutch transmission boasts fast gear changes with no interruption of tractive force and offers four driving modes. The mechanical differential lock guarantees optimum traction.

Sophisticated chassis layout with double-wishbone suspension
All four wheels are guided on dual A-arms with track rod. The A-arms, the steering knuckles and hub carriers at the front and rear axles are made of aluminium. The gull-wing model comes with a 3-stage ESP® as standard. The AMG high-performance brake system with composite brake discs on the front axle ensures short braking distances. Even better braking performance is offered by the optional ceramic-composite brake system. Weight-optimised AMG light alloy wheels in accordance with the new, innovative flow-forming principle, 9.5 x 19 inches at the front, and 11.0 x 20 inch at the rear, are fitted with 265/35 R 19 tyres up front and 295/30 R 20 tyres at the rear.

The reinterpretation of the gull-wing model will celebrate its market launch in spring 2010. The price will be 177,310 euros (incl. 19% VAT).

New gull-wing model with purely electric high-tech drive system

The electric Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG concept car - the exciting future of the super sports car

Affalterbach - Mercedes AMG is paving the way ahead. In the form of the new SLS AMG with electric drive, the performance brand within Mercedes-Benz Cars is developing an exciting super sports car with a zero-emission high-tech drive system. With this model, Mercedes-Benz and AMG are displaying their expertise in the development of alternative drive solutions for high-performance super sports cars, delivering further proof of their pioneering status in this market segment.

The Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG with electric drive transforms the vision of powerful and locally emission-free super sports cars into reality thanks to an innovative drive system. Powerful forward thrust is provided by four electric motors with a combined peak output of 392 kW and a maximum torque of 880 Nm. The four electric motors are positioned near the wheels, substantially reducing the unsprung masses compared to wheel-hub motors. One transmission per axle transmits the power. This intelligent all-wheel drive system allows dynamically optimised power transmission without any losses by means of torque vectoring - in other words the specific, targeted acceleration of individual wheels. In its first, pilot phase, the SLS AMG with electric drive incorporates a liquid-cooled, high-voltage lithium-ion battery of modular design with an energy content of 48 kWh and a capacity of 40 Ah. The 400-volt battery is charged by means of targeted regeneration during braking whilst the car is being driven.

Acceleration from zero to 100 km/h in around 4 seconds
When it comes to dynamics, the electrically driven SLS AMG delivers an unequivocal statement: The gull-wing model accelerates from zero to 100 km/h in around 4 seconds, putting it on the same high level as the SLS AMG with a 6.3-litre V8 engine developing 420 kW/571 hp.

"With the SLS AMG with electric drive, we wanted to redefine the super sports car. For us, it is not just an issue of responsibility. We attach just as much importance to fascination and classic AMG performance," says Volker Mornhinweg, Chief Executive Officer of Mercedes-AMG GmbH.

Optimal weight distribution and low centre of gravity
The purely electric drive system was factored into the equation as early as the concept phase when the new gull-wing model was being developed by Mercedes-Benz and AMG. It is ideally packaged for the integration of high-performance, zero-emission technology. By way of example, the four electric motors and the two transmissions can be positioned near the wheels and very low down in the vehicle. The same applies to the modular high-current battery, whose modules are located in front of the bulkhead, in the centre tunnel and behind the seats. Advantages of this solution include the vehicle's low centre of gravity and the balanced weight distribution - ideal conditions for optimum handling, which the electrically powered SLS AMG shares with its petrol-driven sister model.

Key data at a glance: Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG with electric drive
Peak output 392 kW
Torque 880 Nm
0-100 km/h Approx. 4 sec.
Rated capacity 40 Ah (at 400 V)
Energy content 3x 16 kWh = 48 kWh

The installation of the drive components required no changes whatsoever to the gull-wing model's aluminium space-frame bodyshell. And there were just as few constraints when it came to maintaining the excellent level of passive safety and high degree of long-distance comfort that are hallmarks of Mercedes cars.

Strategic alliance for fast electrification of the car
With the electrically powered SLS AMG, Mercedes-Benz and AMG are continuing to pursue their aim of minimizing the amount of time it will take to bring about the electrification of the car. The strategic involvement in Deutsche Accumotive GmbH & Co. KG, a joint venture between Daimler AG and Evonik Industries AG, will provide the battery technology required in future. Daimler has the leading role in this joint venture, whose mission is to develop and produce batteries and battery systems for automotive applications

Geocaching in the Yorkshire Dales

"Vg fbhaqf nf vs guvf pnpur vf orarngu lbh!" the clue reads. But, while it may look like an attempt to represent the sound of a stifled sneeze in the written word, for geocachers - proponents of a new high-tech treasure hunt sport - it could mean the difference between discovering the prize or walking away empty-handed.

Unfortunately, for my inaugural geocaching hunt, I forgot to print out the code used to crack the clue. Bletchley Park it wasn't, but, stood in a damp churchyard in the middle of the Yorkshire Moors, I realised the scale of my school boy error.

Origins of geocaching

Geocaching was devised by gadget geeks in 2000 when the global satellite positioning system was opened up to mere mortals (as opposed to the military). A guy in Oregon hid a ‘cache' - a small box - in the middle of the woods and gave his friend the coordinates. Using a GPS receiver, he followed the directions, just like on a sat nav, and found the prize. Thus was born geocaching - after thinking twice about calling it ‘stashing'.

As of 16 July 2009, there are 849, 790 caches hidden in more than 100 countries, and on all seven continents. There are thousands of urban caches in London, New York, Paris, Toronto, and many more camouflaged in countryside across the world; I would be fairly certain there is at least one within half an hour from where you're sitting. You can find one in your lunch break.

What's the prize?

Geocaches can contain all manner of whimsical items, pieces of information, coins that have moved around the world and you plant somewhere else, or, at its simplest, a log book and pencil. The idea is that you can take any prize and replace it with a like-valued item. But for geocachers, the prize is the least important element. It is an excuse to go places you may never have seen.

In urban areas, you can find a new coffee house, boutique shops, or in the country, a new walking or mountain biking route. But at its core is forcing the geocacher into the unknown. You become a 21st-century flâneur, guided on the whim of 27 GPS satellites. Well that, or maybe it's just a good fun treasure hunt.

Getting started

1. All the caches are logged on www.geocaching.com. Register for free and type in your postcode, or the town where you want to start your quest from. This will draw up a list of caches.

2. Click on the name for more information about the cache. It will also give coordinates of either the cache's location or a starting point. Read the clue carefully, sometimes a maths quiz is thrown in to work out the coordinates, sometimes the information given in the first cache will lead you to the second and so on. And then maybe another coded hint. Print out the page - all of it.

3. Find a starting point, tap in the coordinates to your GPS. A specific outdoor handheld receiver is best, but a sat nav and GPS enabled phone (there is an excellent Geocaching application for the iPhone) will do the job just fine. A good OS map can be useful for footpaths, or finding the cache old school style.

4. When you find the exact location for the cache, this is where the hint comes in handy. The caches are usually in plastic weatherproof boxes, or in cities, they could be a film case. And eureka! Inside each cache must be a log book. Jot down your details and ponder the prizes. Geocaching etiquette says you must replace the prize with some of like value.

5. Sit in a nearby pub and relish in the joy of finding the treasure.

6. Log your find on www.geocaching.com.

7. Go plant your own.

Cathedral of the Dales

After following these steps, I arrive in Maham - a small village under the brooding Yorkshire Moor skies. Hikers and mountain bikers scurry around as I head into one of the Yorkshire Dales National Park Centres. The park authority has been instrumental in promoting geocaching in the UK and was an early adopter. So much so, that today, there is a computer dedicated to geocaching with guidelines. You can even hire an outdoor handheld GPS receiver for £5 a day and £50 deposit.

I choose a cache called Cathedral of the Dales in nearby Kirkby Malham. Up hill and down dale, I plod through the sun-dappled countryside passing abandoned farmhouses, ruined abbeys and stop at country pubs to read the history of the St Michael the Archangel, the Cathedral of the Dales. Briefly: built 1490, Oliver Cromwell was the witness at a wedding here, original stocks still in churchyard. The coordinates gradually count down.

Once I find the exact coordinates, I start to hunt. Behind gravestones, in some poor folk's garden (cue odd looks from passers by) cursing the fact I didn't print the second page off with the code. What the devil does "Vg fbhaqf nf vs guvf pnpur vf orarngu lbh!" mean? Arrgghh. Twenty minutes later, and getting considerably frustrated, my wife notices an oddly placed rock underneath a tree (was she once in the SAS?), lifts it and there it is. A little Tupperware box, filled with a doll, a purse, a key ring and a notebook.

I write ‘Daniel Neilson, 11 July 2009, www.worldtravelguide.net'. At least 50 people have found it earlier, including one the day before. Happy we head into the pub next door. When I return I work out the clue: "It sounds as if this cache is beneath yew!". See what they did.

Explore Scotland's historic castles

There are more castles in Scotland than you can shake a haggis at. From haunted chambers and crumbly walls, to stately turrets and ornate carvings, here is our selection of the country's most famous, impressive and historically charged structures that open their doors (and drawbridges) to the public.

Edinburgh Castle

The majestic look-at-me castle perched on an extinct volcano dominates the skyline. This powerful national symbol has seen many changes throughout the centuries, and today it is a mix of palace, fortress, war memorial and military barracks. It is home to the Stone of Destiny on which Scottish monarchs were crowned until Edward 1 of England invaded Scotland and took the stone to London. In 1996, Her Majesty The Queen allowed the stone to be returned to Scotland after 700 years. The Scottish Crown Jewels, known as the ‘Honours of Scotland', are here too, plus mighty Mons Meg, a 15th-century siege cannon. The One O'clock Gun, established as a time signal for ships, fires from the ramparts each weekday, regularly alarming pedestrians on Princes Street below.

Location: Castlehill, Edinburgh
Tel: 0131 225 9846
Owned by: Historic Scotland

Eilean Donan Castle

In an impossibly romantic setting at the point where three sea lochs meet, romantic Eilean Donan is one of the nation's most photographed. In 1331 the Earl of Moray hung 16 Mackenzie heads on the walls after he executed them for law breaking. Ruined during one of the Jacobite risings in the early 18th century, it was restored to all its glory two centuries later, and is now the headquarters of the Clan McRae. Although the island of Eilean Donan has been a fortified site for at least 800 years, the present building dates largely from the early 20th century. The Banqueting Hall has a selection of fine furniture, a fragment of tartan which belonged to Bonnie Prince Charlie and other historical curios.

Location: Dornie, by Kyle of Lochalsh, Ross-shire
Tel: 01599 555202
Owned by: Conchra Charitable Trust

Crathes Castle

Crathes Castle was certainly not designed to accommodate the unwelcome visitor: the building tapers toward the top to make it impossible for unwelcome guests to shelter beneath the battlements while assaulting the castle; on the off-chance a determined intruder made it inside, they were most likely met with a pot of boiling oil. If a highly lucky soul made it past that, then negotiating the staircase would be his downfall, the eleventh step cunningly booby trapped. Bountiful King Robert the Bruce granted the lands of Leys to the Burnett family in 1323 and the ancient Horn of Leys, now in the Great Hall, marks his gift. Original Jacobean painted ceilings survive in the Chamber of the Muses, the Chamber of Nine Worthies and the Green Lady's Room where visitors have reported seeing a spectral green mist.

Location: Crathes, Banchory, Aberdeen & Grampian
Tel: 0844 4932166
Owned by: the National Trust for Scotland

Glamis Castle

As if straight from the pages of a fairytale, the impressive Glamis (pronounced ‘Glamz') Caslte, was the childhood home of Elizabeth Bowes-Lyon, youngest daughter of the 14th Earl, who later became Queen Elizabeth, mother of the present Queen. A royal residence since 1372, this is said to be one of Scotland's most haunted castles. The phantom of Earl Beardie is said to play cards non-stop with the Devil in a secret room, while the ghost of Lady Janet Douglas, widow of the Earl of Glamis who burned at the stake as a witch in 1537, has been seen in the family chapel. Another phantom - a woman with no tongue - is said to haunt the grounds. The Castle, which is full of splendid tapestries and weaponry, also finds itself mentioned in Shakespeare's Macbeth.

Location: Glamis, Forfar, Angus
Tel: 01307 840393
Owned by: the Earl of Strathmore and Kinghorne

Stirling

Similar to Edinburgh Castle in design and location, Stirling Castle has been at the centre of the country's history since it was built. It stands on Castlehill, a volcanic rocky outcrop surrounded by steep cliffs on three sides. Several Scottish Kings and Queens were crowned in Stirling Castle, including Mary, Queen of Scots, who spent her childhood here. Architecturally, it offers an array of riches including James 1V's vast Great Hall, the largest medieval banqueting hall ever built in Scotland, and the Chapel Royal built for the baptism of Prince Henry in 1594. It towers over some of the most important battlefields in Scotland's history: Stirling Bridge, the site of William Wallace's victory in 1297; and Bannockburn, where Robert the Bruce defeated the English in 1314.

Location: Castlehill, Stirling
Tel: 01786 450000
Owned by: Historic Scotland

Balmoral Castle

Nestled amongst the magnificent scenery of Royal Deeside, in the shadows of the dramatic Lochnagar mountain, is Balmoral Castle. Bought by Prince Albert for Queen Victoria in 1852, it has served as the official Scottish residence of the British Royal family ever since. The Balmoral Estate extends to more than 20,243 hectares (50,000 acres) of heather clad hills, ancient Calendonian woodland and the River Dee. Queen Victoria established an unconventional, homely Court here, and described Balmoral, built in the Scottish baronial style, as ‘my dear paradise in the Highlands'. However, not everyone thought as highly of it: Disraeli disliked it, Lady Dalhousie said ‘I never saw anything that I coveted less', while Prince Leopold, Victoria's son, had such an aversion to it he refused to go there at all - much to his mother's annoyance.

Location: Ballater, Aberdeenshire
Tel: 013397 42534
Privately owned

Author: Gilly Pickup

UK summer walks

While July's weather somewhat failed to fulfil the Met Office's prophecy of a "barbecue summer", the recent rainfalls mean Britain's green countryside is even more fresh and gleaming. So pack a cagoule and some Kendal mint cake, and enjoy our favourite summer walks around the British Isles.

England: The South Downs

Where?
A sweeping 113km (70-mile) stretch of chalk downland, running from Winchester in Hampshire to Eastbourne in East Sussex.

Why?
This soft expanse of English countryside boasts rolling hills and striking cliff-top views, punctuated with pretty villages and traditional pubs - all wrapped up in fresh coastal air.

Ireland: Glenariff

Where?
The largest glen in Northern Ireland's charming country Antrim.

Why?
The emerald Glenariff is country Antrim's most popular glen, peppered with sparkling waterfalls and burgeoning plant life. Numerous snaking woodland trails are the perfect way to explore.

Scotland: the Glenkens

Where?
Found in the heart of Galloway, the Glenkens is a beautiful slice of Scottish landscape, found along the western section of the Southern Upland way.

Why?
This rugged area, situated by the Galloway Forest Park, offers over 100 walks and hikes for all abilities - stroll by glistening lakes or power your way over undulating terrain.

Wales: The Pembrokeshire Coast Path

Where?
A 300km (186-mile) trail running along the southwest Welsh coast, along the edge of the Pembrokeshire Coast National Park.

Why?
Traversing cliffs, offering striking views and giving access to a string of sandy beaches and quaint coastal villages, the Pembrokeshire Coast Path is a walker's dream.

PortAventura Holidays, Spain

In association with

Take a trip with PortAventura Holidays to the sunny Costa Daurada in Spain - the perfect place for a family holiday.

Escape to PortAventura theme park with its five fascinating lands where you can brave the thrilling rides, take in stunning shows and enjoy relaxing dinners in delicious restaurants.

Cool off in the Caribbean waters of Caribe Aquatic Park; a waterpark that offers fun in the sun and a chilled-out reggae vibe.

Stay in one of the fabulous four-star resort hotels. You can choose from the Mediterranean themed Hotel PortAventura, the Mexican themed Hotel El Paso and the Caribbean themed Hotel Caribe or the new Hotel Gold River opening in summer 2009. All hotel guests have exclusive benefits which include unlimited park entrance amongst other great advantages.

Discover PortAventura and explore the resort’s sunny, beachside location combined with the non-stop fun of the parks that make PortAventura an exciting destination for a fabulous family holiday.

Port Aventura holidays have something for everyone. Take a fascinating journey around the world to the exotic lands of China, Polynesia, the Far West, Mexico and of course the Mediterranean. Each land has rides, shows, shops and restaurants that are themed with native products, plants and artists.

PortAventura Park offers more than 30 rides to suit both adrenaline junkies and small children. Test your nerves on the eight-loop Dragon Khan ride which reaches speeds of over 112 km/h (70mph), whilst the Hurakan Condor stands at over 91m (300ft) and lifts its riders slowly to the top before plunging them to the ground in freefall. Or try out the new roller coaster Furius Baco in the Mediterranean area of the park. This ride speeds from 0 to 135 km/h (83mph) in less than 3.5 seconds. To make it even more exciting it drops to ground level, runs through trenches, tunnels and even skims across the Mediterranean lake.

And for the little ones, PortAventura Theme Park has a wealth of roller coasters, teacups, swings and more.

But it's not just about rides. PortAventura Park has over 100 performances each day of dazzling shows; from Can Can dances, to Chinese Acrobats, Polynesian tribal dances and FiestAventura - a stunning midnight firework spectacular which takes place on the Mediterranean lake.

The park has a wide variety of restaurants in each land. You will find restaurants serving a la carte menus with full table service as well as fast food outlets for those who would rather not stop, and the little ones will just love the children's specialties.

Caribe Aquatic Park

The water park guarantees non-stop fun for hours on end. Enjoy whizzing down breath-taking slides and rapids, surfing the waves in the wave pool, or winding your way down the lazy river. Lush Caribbean surroundings are filled with palm trees, beach huts and cool reggae music. While the bars, restaurants and gardens will whisk you away to the heart of the tropics.

Beach Club

The exclusive Beach Club is an idyllic spot which will make your stay at PortAventura an unforgettable experience. Close your eyes and imagine an exclusive destination right by the sea in a unique Mediterranean setting. Take a relaxing dip in the pool, enjoy a refreshing fruit shake, or take a quiet stroll along Salou's Playa Larga.

Hotel PortAventura

Discover Hotel PortAventura - the perfect holiday village with all the charm of the Mediterranean. Sit back and relax in comfortable rooms, magnificent gardens and large swimming pools. The hotel's wide range of restaurants will delight you with their tasty Mediterranean dishes. And with direct access to the PortAventura theme park, this is the ideal combination for theme park lovers of all ages.

Hotel El Paso

Ideal for families, the Hotel El Paso is a traditional Mexican hacienda where the authentic looking décor and charming gardens will take you back to the days of colonial Mexico. Lie back and relax next to the hotel's enormous pool which features a sunken pirate ship where children can splash around for hours. Relax in comfortable lounges as you take in all of the excitement of this hotel which lies just minutes from the gates of Port Aventura Theme Park and Caribe Aquatic Park.

Hotel Caribe

Portaventura Hotel Caribe is a unique tropical paradise comprising huge open spaces and low-rise buildings set around a picturesque central lake. The hotel has four pools, a children's club, wellness area and an entertainment venue. Relax with a cocktail on the wicker loungers surrounding the lake whilst the children enjoy one of the many facilities on offer. The hotel with its landscaped surroundings is a charming Caribbean paradise just a stone's throw from PortAventura Park.

Geocaching in the Yorkshire Dales

"Vg fbhaqf nf vs guvf pnpur vf orarngu lbh!" the clue reads. But, while it may look like an attempt to represent the sound of a stifled sneeze in the written word, for geocachers - proponents of a new high-tech treasure hunt sport - it could mean the difference between discovering the prize or walking away empty-handed.

Unfortunately, for my inaugural geocaching hunt, I forgot to print out the code used to crack the clue. Bletchley Park it wasn't, but, stood in a damp churchyard in the middle of the Yorkshire Moors, I realised the scale of my school boy error.

Origins of geocaching

Geocaching was devised by gadget geeks in 2000 when the global satellite positioning system was opened up to mere mortals (as opposed to the military). A guy in Oregon hid a ‘cache' - a small box - in the middle of the woods and gave his friend the coordinates. Using a GPS receiver, he followed the directions, just like on a sat nav, and found the prize. Thus was born geocaching - after thinking twice about calling it ‘stashing'.

As of 16 July 2009, there are 849, 790 caches hidden in more than 100 countries, and on all seven continents. There are thousands of urban caches in London, New York, Paris, Toronto, and many more camouflaged in countryside across the world; I would be fairly certain there is at least one within half an hour from where you're sitting. You can find one in your lunch break.

What's the prize?

Geocaches can contain all manner of whimsical items, pieces of information, coins that have moved around the world and you plant somewhere else, or, at its simplest, a log book and pencil. The idea is that you can take any prize and replace it with a like-valued item. But for geocachers, the prize is the least important element. It is an excuse to go places you may never have seen.

In urban areas, you can find a new coffee house, boutique shops, or in the country, a new walking or mountain biking route. But at its core is forcing the geocacher into the unknown. You become a 21st-century flâneur, guided on the whim of 27 GPS satellites. Well that, or maybe it's just a good fun treasure hunt.

Getting started

1. All the caches are logged on www.geocaching.com. Register for free and type in your postcode, or the town where you want to start your quest from. This will draw up a list of caches.

2. Click on the name for more information about the cache. It will also give coordinates of either the cache's location or a starting point. Read the clue carefully, sometimes a maths quiz is thrown in to work out the coordinates, sometimes the information given in the first cache will lead you to the second and so on. And then maybe another coded hint. Print out the page - all of it.

3. Find a starting point, tap in the coordinates to your GPS. A specific outdoor handheld receiver is best, but a sat nav and GPS enabled phone (there is an excellent Geocaching application for the iPhone) will do the job just fine. A good OS map can be useful for footpaths, or finding the cache old school style.

4. When you find the exact location for the cache, this is where the hint comes in handy. The caches are usually in plastic weatherproof boxes, or in cities, they could be a film case. And eureka! Inside each cache must be a log book. Jot down your details and ponder the prizes. Geocaching etiquette says you must replace the prize with some of like value.

5. Sit in a nearby pub and relish in the joy of finding the treasure.

6. Log your find on www.geocaching.com.

7. Go plant your own.

Cathedral of the Dales

After following these steps, I arrive in Maham - a small village under the brooding Yorkshire Moor skies. Hikers and mountain bikers scurry around as I head into one of the Yorkshire Dales National Park Centres. The park authority has been instrumental in promoting geocaching in the UK and was an early adopter. So much so, that today, there is a computer dedicated to geocaching with guidelines. You can even hire an outdoor handheld GPS receiver for £5 a day and £50 deposit.

I choose a cache called Cathedral of the Dales in nearby Kirkby Malham. Up hill and down dale, I plod through the sun-dappled countryside passing abandoned farmhouses, ruined abbeys and stop at country pubs to read the history of the St Michael the Archangel, the Cathedral of the Dales. Briefly: built 1490, Oliver Cromwell was the witness at a wedding here, original stocks still in churchyard. The coordinates gradually count down.

Once I find the exact coordinates, I start to hunt. Behind gravestones, in some poor folk's garden (cue odd looks from passers by) cursing the fact I didn't print the second page off with the code. What the devil does "Vg fbhaqf nf vs guvf pnpur vf orarngu lbh!" mean? Arrgghh. Twenty minutes later, and getting considerably frustrated, my wife notices an oddly placed rock underneath a tree (was she once in the SAS?), lifts it and there it is. A little Tupperware box, filled with a doll, a purse, a key ring and a notebook.

I write ‘Daniel Neilson, 11 July 2009, www.worldtravelguide.net'. At least 50 people have found it earlier, including one the day before. Happy we head into the pub next door. When I return I work out the clue: "It sounds as if this cache is beneath yew!". See what they did.

Family holiday heaven: Guernsey

Second largest of the Channel Islands, Guernsey is an incredibly welcoming place for families with plenty of clean and safe beaches. A Crown Dependency with French street names, it drips with history - 7,000 years worth - and oozes Old World English charm with an added smattering of French flair.

Guernsey is a member of the British Isles, though not the United Kingdom or the European Union, and a mere hop from the UK mainland, which means you have arrived before the kids have the chance to get bored!

Getting around

Low duty on petrol means car rental is popular with visitors who come here. Being small, the island is easy to drive round, though bear in mind most roads are narrow and also used by cyclists, tractors and horses. While you are pootling along, don't forget the speed limit in most areas is 56 kph (35mph), while in and around St Peter Port it is 40kph (25mph). Parking is free. If you prefer to hop on one of the new fleet of green and yellow buses, all journeys cost only 60p. A wide range of accommodation choices means there is something to suit every budget, from sophisticated hotels and spas to friendly guest houses, self catering cottages and campsites.

Elegant St Peter Port

Stacked with old-fashioned charm, St Peter Port, the capital, rises majestically from its picturesque harbour to keep a protective eye on Guernsey's sister islands of Sark, Herm and Jethou. With the most sheltered anchorage in the Channel Islands, it has been a haven and harbour for over 2,000 years, and despite the high proportion of international banks based here, it retains its 17th-century elegance. Stroll through its streets to find a wealth of independent retailers offering everything from antiques to clothes and jewellery. Many goods are competitively priced because excise duty rates are lower than in the UK.

Fun for all ages

As 1950s in places as ‘Muffin the Mule', this unspoilt floral paradise, a completely theme park-free zone, has a host of sights and delights to entertain visitors, with excellent indoor and outdoor play areas, family parks and year-round activities.

For starters, there is Saumarez Park, the largest public park on the island, with a well-equipped children's adventure playground and bouncy castle, as well as a duck pond, rose garden and tea rooms. Wildlife enthusiasts meanwhile shouldn't miss the adjacent Saumarez Nature Trail with its richly carpeted wildflower woods, banana trees, birdsong and butterflies.

Step back in time with a visit to the nearby Guernsey Folk Museum situated in the outbuildings of a stately home. Your children will see just how lucky they are nowadays when they visit the Victorian schoolrooms, playroom, wash house, dairy and plough room which all depict life as it used to be on the island around 100 years ago.

Another attraction which always proves popular with youngsters is the shipwreck museum at Fort Grey, known locally as the ‘Cup and Saucer' because of its shape. It tells the story of the island's numerous shipwrecks, with salvaged artefacts including cutlery, candlesticks and crockery from the SS Yorouba which foundered on the rocks in 1888. The nearby sands provide the opportunity to go rock-pooling, paddling or beachcombing.

Myths and legends

The island is chock-a-bloc with myths and legends. Everywhere you go there are dolmens; stone burial chambers built above ground, as well as an abundance of witches' resting stones, creepy ruins, fairy rings and roads named after werewolves. Who knows, you may even discover the mystery of the ruined Pagan priory on the unspoilt, uninhabited bird sanctuary, tiny Lihou island! Reached by an ancient causeway at low tide, it is sensible to visit with a local guide.

Tiny Chapel

A must-see is the Little Chapel of St Andrews, charming creation of Benedictine monk, Brother Deodat. He re-created a scale model of the Basilica at Lourdes and painstakingly encrusted it in thousands of pebbles, seashells and colourful pieces of broken china. Inside, there is only space for the priest and perhaps three people, quite possibly making this the world's smallest church!

And so to eat

Don't expect to find chain outlets like McDonalds, Pizza Huts or Starbucks in Guernsey. Instead there are owner-run eateries to suit every pocket from beach cafes and country pubs to gourmet restaurants.

‘Bean jar' is a deliciously more-ish rich stew that you shouldn't even think about leaving Guernsey without sampling. ‘Gache', pronounced ‘gosh' - the island's famous fruit loaf traditionally eaten smothered with rich golden Guernsey butter and local finger-licking Gâche Melée, an alluring local apple cake - will also make your heart sing. And you just have to savour a bumper bowl of seriously fabulous ‘moules', among the freshest you're likely to find.

Tennerfest is an island-wide, six-week-long food extravaganza which starts every October, when more than 50 of the island's restaurants compete to come up with menus from £10. Great value for money!