Hidden Trail

Two lovely pictures.Five changes.Take your time.

Daily pair, 2026-10-18

The potting shed

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Inside a wooden potting shed: a window onto the garden, a shelf of pots and seedlings, garden tools on hooks, a workbench with seed trays and gloves, and a watering can on the floor.The same picture with five changes

Gardens

All 10 gardens

Flower borders, ponds, sheds and vegetable patches, all in full bloom.

Inside a wooden potting shed: a window onto the garden, a shelf of pots and seedlings, garden tools on hooks, a workbench with seed trays and gloves, and a watering can on the floor.The potting shedA vegetable garden with raised wooden beds of cabbages and carrots, a scarecrow in a striped shirt, bean poles, a wheelbarrow full of vegetables, a hedgehog and a robin on a fork handle.The vegetable patchA garden pond surrounded by reeds and irises, with lily pads and pink water lilies, a duck and her ducklings, a frog on a stepping stone, dragonflies and a wooden bench under a weeping tree.The lily pondAn orchard on a sunny afternoon: apple and pear trees, a wooden ladder, baskets of apples, hens pecking in the grass, a picnic blanket with a hamper, a jug of lemonade and a sleepy dog.Orchard picnicInside a small greenhouse with glass panes and a white frame: tomato plants on canes, staging shelves of cacti and succulents, a hanging basket, a watering can, a stool and a butterfly near the roof.The greenhouseA back garden with a washing line strung between two posts holding shirts, socks, a towel and a dress, a laundry basket on the grass, a brick wall with a gate, flower pots and a cat on the back step.Washing dayA sunny bee garden with three painted beehives, rows of lavender, tall sunflowers, foxgloves, bees in the air, a stone path, a jar of honey on a little table and a watering can.The bee gardenA walled garden with a rose-covered arch over a gravel path, clipped round topiary in pots, a sundial, a stone bench, a birdbath with a robin and borders of pink and red roses.The rose archAn autumn garden with orange and yellow trees, a heap of raked leaves with a rake, pumpkins by a shed door, a wheelbarrow, a wooden fence with a robin, a hedgehog and leaves drifting down.Autumn leavesA cream cottage with a blue door and climbing roses, a picket fence with flower borders, an apple tree, a birdbath and a ginger cat on the path.Cottage borders

Cosy rooms

All 10 cosy rooms

Window seats, kitchens and firesides: warm rooms full of small treasures.

A country kitchen with a green painted dresser full of plates and jugs, a cream range cooker with a red kettle, copper pans hanging on a rail, a scrubbed table with a loaf, eggs and a jug of flowers, and a cat on a chair.Country kitchenA cosy sitting room with a lit fireplace, a mantelpiece with candles, a clock and little vases, two armchairs, a dog asleep on a rug, a basket of logs, a floor lamp and paintings on striped wallpaper.By the firesideA craft corner with a teal sewing machine on a wooden table, spools of coloured thread, scissors, a jar of buttons, folded fabrics on a shelf, a pinboard of notes and swatches, a dressmaker’s dummy and a plant on the windowsill.The sewing cornerA sunny room with tall windows, a wicker peacock chair with a yellow cushion, hanging planters, a ladder shelf of houseplants, a big monstera, a watering can, a cat on a striped rug and a tray with a teapot.The plant roomA kitchen table set for baking: a mixing bowl with a whisk, a rolling pin, a bag of flour, eggs, an open recipe book, a tray of heart and round cookies, a layered cake on a stand, jars on the shelf and an oven glowing behind.Baking dayAn attic bedroom with a sloping ceiling and a skylight showing a starry sky, a bed with a patchwork quilt, a teddy bear, a string of fairy lights, a bedside table with a lamp and books, toy blocks and slippers on a round rug.The attic bedroomA cosy music corner with a teal wall, a record player on a sideboard, a crate of records, an acoustic guitar on a stand, a floor cushion, posters and a round mirror, a tall plant, a radio and string lights.The music cornerA parlour set for afternoon tea: a round table with a lace cloth, a flowered teapot, cups and saucers, a plate of sandwiches, a three-tier cake stand, a vase of roses, bunting along the wall, a dresser and a window with a garden view.Afternoon teaA wide window seat on a snowy evening: snow falling on a garden with a snowman and lit cottages, candles and lanterns on the sill, mugs of hot chocolate, knitted mittens, a sleeping cat, a book and a woollen blanket.Winter windowA cosy reading corner: a window seat with cushions and a curled-up grey cat, a tall bookcase, a reading lamp, a side table with a mug and a garden view through the window.The reading nook

Days out

All 10 days out

Beaches, markets, fairs and station platforms on bright days away.

A small harbour with a row of painted cottages on the quay, fishing boats and a rowing boat on calm water, lobster pots, buoys and a coil of rope on the stone quay, gulls overhead and a lighthouse on the harbour wall.Harbour morningA market square with striped awnings over stalls of apples, oranges and pears, buckets of flowers, crates of vegetables, bunting strung between town houses, a clock tower, a bicycle with a basket and a dog.Market dayA park boating lake with rowing boats, a pair of swans, ducks, a weeping willow, a striped bandstand on the far bank, lamp posts, a park bench, an ice cream cart and a family of ducks on the grass.The boating lakeA grassy hilltop on a windy day with three colourful kites in the sky, a picnic blanket with a hamper and lemonade, sheep grazing, a windmill and patchwork fields in the valley, a dog chasing a ball and a red balloon.Kite hillA village green on fete day with a green and white striped marquee, a cake stall with cakes on stands, a tombola drum, bunting between the trees, a church tower behind, balloons, a brass band chair and a picnic bench.The village feteA small country railway station: a green steam engine and red carriage at the platform, a canopy with a hanging clock, benches, stacked suitcases, tubs of flowers, a station cat, a lamp post and hills behind.The country stationA campsite at dusk: two tents, one lit from inside, a campfire with logs to sit on and marshmallows toasting, a lantern on a stump, pine trees, mountains under a starry purple sky with a crescent moon and an owl on a branch.Campfire eveningA seaside pier with a big wheel of colourful cars, a carousel with painted horses and a striped top, a candy floss kiosk, bunting, balloons, deckchairs on the boards and the sea with a sailing boat below.The pier funfairA café with a striped awning and big windows, round tables with cups and plates on the pavement, bistro chairs, flower boxes, a chalkboard sign, a bicycle with a basket of flowers, a lamp post and pigeons.Café terraceA sandy beach with a row of painted beach huts, the sea with sailing boats, a lighthouse on the headland, a parasol, a towel, a sandcastle and a bucket and spade.Beach huts

A slow, friendly game of looking

  • One pair a day. The same for everyone, changing at midnight UTC.
  • 30 original scenes. Ten each of gardens, cosy rooms and days out, all free to play any time.
  • No clock to beat. Wrong taps cost nothing. Zoom, hints and text clues are there when you want them.
  • Phone, tablet or computer. Pictures stack on a phone and sit side by side on a wider screen.

Questions

Is Hidden Trail free?

Yes. Every picture pair, the daily pair and the archive are free, with no account and no sign-up.

How do I play?

Two pictures look the same, but five things have changed: something added or taken away, moved, reshaped, counted differently or given a new pattern. Tap or click a change in either picture to circle it. Zoom in for small details. There is no timer to beat and no penalty for wrong taps.

Is there a new pair every day?

Yes, for now: the daily pair changes at midnight UTC and is the same for everyone. 30 days are scheduled, each with a different scene. When the schedule runs out we will say so on the site rather than quietly repeat pictures; any later repeats will be labelled as a daily selection.

How do streaks work?

Find all five differences in the daily pair on its day to add a day to your streak. If you start the pair before midnight UTC you have two extra hours to finish it. Pairs from the archive are for enjoying and never change your streak.

Can I play without seeing small details?

Use Zoom, pinch on a touch screen, or the Larger controls setting. Hints circle an area, and Text clues describe where to look in words. Both are optional and mark the pair as assisted. Clues help you look; they are not a replacement for the pictures.

Who made the pictures?

Every scene is an original illustration drawn for Hidden Trail as code (vector shapes), by Idistic with an AI coding assistant. No image-generation model and no photos were used. The credits page lists every scene.

Does my progress save?

Yes, in this browser. Leave mid-pair and pick up where you stopped. My trail shows your streak, calendar and finished scenes. Nothing is uploaded.