YOUNG history detectives are on the search for ‘treasure’ on their doorsteps to learn about the past.

Pupils from Newark Primary School are enjoying a new geocaching project which is part of a wider Inverclyde heritage programme.

The children used a hand-held GPS receiver and co-ordinates to find the ‘cache’ — made up of a piece of paper inside a capsule — at Newark Castle in Port Glasgow.

Once found, it is signed and dated by the person who finds it.

Kay Clark, co-ordinator of the Inverclyde Heritage — Quest for Learning Project, said: “Geocaching is international and we thought we would take the concept and incorporate into the heritage project by creating books that tell a story about five different areas in Inverclyde.

“There are books on Newark Castle, Kilmacolm, Greenock Esplanade, Gourock Ashton and Ardgowan Estate.

“Newark Primary chose the castle and Esplanade — they looked through books to find the flag number, like codebreaking.

“When they found the flag number they visited the castle and their teacher had co-ordinates to find the cache.

“The children punch in the numbers into the GPS, like a satnav, to find the cache.”

Eventually other schools will take part and everything that is found will become part of the area’s heritage trail.

Newark P7 teacher Kimberley Holden said: “It was great that we were the first school to get an opportunity to do this.

“The kids felt quite special and it was a new exciting project for them.”

Cameron Woods, 11, who found the cache, said: “I feel like a detective.”