On most normal days, I would despair of my kids being glued to a screen when visiting somewhere as beautiful as Lulworth. Today however, I am actively encouraging it.
Smartphone in hand, my two boys followed the app up a hill to a grassy ledge where the 150-million-year-old rocks of Lulworth arch around a calm, sunlit shallow bay of water. For once, rather than standing in the way of an experience, technology was helping us engage with the landscape in a way we may not have without it. Normally more interested in Minecraft than the Mesozoic, they were fascinated by the different ages of rock circling the bay and what the world might have looked like when they were laid down.
My boys were taking part in a type of geocaching – a treasure hunt for the smartphone generation. Like letterboxing or orienteering, it involves navigating to a specific point but,of what is inside, the main object is always finding the cache itself.
