A walk around the ancient town of Richmond, finding clues, which will lead to a final cache.
INCLUDES SOME STEEP HILLS AND SEVERAL STEPS.
THE FINAL CACHE SITE INVOLVES SOME ROUGH UNEVEN GROUND.
Richmond, in North Yorkshire, is the oldest (and best) of all the places of that name. At the latest
count there are about 100 ‘Richmonds’ all over the world. The Castle was begun in 1071 by Alan the
Red, a relative of William the Conqueror, and in due course the town grew up around the Castle. The
town abounds in old buildings, narrow lanes, and lovely views. After completing this tour, why not do
some exploring of your own. Richmond is the gateway to the Yorkshire Dales, with their beautiful
scenery (and quite a few caches as well!!)
The walking tour is approx. 1.5 miles long, and should take approx. 2 hours to complete.
PARKING - there is free disc parking for 2 hours in the Market Place and surrounding streets. There
are several pay-parks around the town as well. The Station car-park costs £1.20 for 4 hours.
THE COORDINATES AT THE TOP OF THIS PAGE WILL TAKE YOU TO THE GATES OF
RICHMOND CASTLE, WHERE THE TOUR STARTS.
THESE ARE NOT THE COORDINATES OF THE FINAL CACHE.
At each stopping point on the tour, you have to find the hidden number. When you have all ten
numbers, substitute them in the following, to find the coordinates of the final cache:-
N 54.HB.JCF W 001.EA.DIG
Facing away from the Castle, take Tower Street, the narrow lane on your right, and descend to join
the Castle Walk, which runs around the base of the Castle, high above the river.
[A] N 54.24.069 W 001.44.208
You will find a small group of unpainted wooden benches built into the base of the castle rock. How
many are there at this point? (Ignore any further along the path). This number is [A].
Follow Castle Walk round, and just before the bollards, go through the gap on your left, between the
railings and the wall, turn right, and descend to The Bar, a small gate in the old town wall.
(B) N 54.24.108 W 001.44.353
Find the date The Bar was built, add the first two digits together to give (B)
Pass through The Bar, and descend steeply, turning left at the bottom into Bridge Street.
[C] N 54.24.069 W 001.44.427
Find the date above the door on the Sundial House. Subtract 6 from the second digit to give [C].
Go onto the bridge, and admire the view back up towards the Castle.
[D] N 54.24.028 W 001.44.413
Lancaster is 5[D] miles from here.
Go straight back up the hill, along steep cobbled Bargate, at the top turn left into Newbiggin, this is a
street lined with elegant Georgian houses.
[E] N 54.24.220 W 001.44.553
What year was Richard Snell burned at the stake? Divide the last digit by 2 to give [E]
Head back along Newbiggin, then along Finkle Street to the Market Place.
[F] N 54.24.185 W 001.44.250
Find the date on the bench below the blue sign board. Add the first and last digits together to give [F].
Go along narrow Friars’ Wynd, through another gate in the town wall, to Friary Gardens.
[G] N 54.24.276 W 001.44.267
When was the Greyfriars friary founded? Subtract 2 from the second digit to give [G].
Go out of the Gardens, turn left up Queens Road, and follow Pottergate up and round past the traffic
lights. At the Green Howards War Memorial, admire the superb view down Frenchgate, with its
cobbled street and Georgian houses. Go down Frenchgate, turn left into Church Wynd, and enter the
churchyard.
[H] N 54.24.302 W 001.43.929
When was Richmond School re-founded? Subtract the second digit from the last digit to give [H].
Go out of the churchyard onto Station Road, turn right uphill, then turn left up Frenchgate towards the Market Place. Walk past the Victorian Pillar Box into Millgate, which descends steeply towards the
waterfalls.
(I) N 54.24.055 W 001.44.063
There are two plaques here. Find the year that this area was ORIGINALLY developed, and add the
last two digits together to give (I)
Walk downstream along the riverside, and before the Station Bridge go up across the grass to the
tarmac path that comes out onto Station Road. Turn right and cross the bridge.
[J] N 54.24.220 W 001.43.820
Find the year that the bridge was re-named. Subtract the fourth digit from the third to give [J].
CHECK SUM for A to J =34.
Hope you enjoy your tour.
NOTE – GPS reception is not brilliant at the cache site, so I have provided a couple of Spoiler pics.