The route has been designed to be approximately circular and is mostly on pavements or hard-packed dirt paths, so it should be suitable for everyone. However, the cache itself may be more difficult to retrieve for those with limited mobility. If you have any questions about this cache feel free to contact us directly for clarification. While it could be “cached & dashed” in an hour if you were really trying, expect to take between 2-3 hours to do this if you’re pacing things a little easier.
The above co-ordinates are for a suggested parking spot, but feel free to improvise. Kincardine is not a large town, so anywhere you choose to park will be within reasonable walking distance of all the waypoints. Similarly, the route has been constructed for convenience, but feel free to visit the waypoints in any order you like. If you do decide to use the parking co-ordinates suggested then you’ll need to be aware that it’s in a one way street, so you can only approach from the south (via Kirk Street).
When you get to Kincardine you’ll find a traffic light controlled junction where the A977, A985 and A876 meet. You’re looking for the side road called “Kirk Street” which heads past the cafe on the corner and towards the local primary school. Follow the road past the school on the left (watch out for that speed bump!) round the tight left-hand corner and all the way along until you reach the parking co-ordinates. Anywhere around here is fine. It’s okay to park in the lay-by area beside the gates – just be sure to park considerately so as not to block the gates or access road as they are in constant use.
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Waypoint 1: Entrance to Tulliallan Castle Co-ordinates: N56.04.500 W003.43.158
Question: How many leaded glass windows are there in the gate house?
Answer: A
Description: The first landmark to look for is the ornate entrance to Tulliallan Castle which is right beside the parking co-ordinates. Unfortunately it’s not usually possible to visit the castle itself, since it now forms part of the Scottish Police College where all of Scotland’s finest are trained (http://www.scotland.police.uk/about-us/police-scotland/scottish-police-college/). A short history of the castle is available on Wikipedia (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tulliallan_Castle), but in summary it was built as a family home by Admiral Lord Keith in 1820 from the prize money he obtained fighting the French during the Napoleonic wars. The entrance gates did not form part of the original castle however; they were built later by Sir James Seivewright who bought the estate from Lord Keith after his death in 1823.
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Waypoint 2: Tulliallan Kirkyard Co-ordinates: N56.04.411 W003.42.889
Question: There is a plaque on the wall to the left of the kirkyard gates. How many letter “L”s are in the single word on the second bottom line?
Answer: B
Description: To get to this next landmark walk along Kirk Brae (on your left if you're standing with your back to the gatehouse). The housing estate on your right as you walk along the pavement was built in the late 1950’s to house the influx of workers who came to the village to work in the Kincardine Power Station. The Power Station opened in 1960 and was capable of generating 760,000 kilowatts. It consisted of two 120 metre chimneys that were the largest in Scotland upon their completion. The plant is no longer visible as it was decommissioned in 2000 with the landmark chimneys being demolished in April 2001. When you reach the end of Kirk Brae it forks to the right into Kirk Street. At this junction turn left up the hill towards the co-ordinates. You should now find yourself at the gates of “Woodlea Old Cemetery”, otherwise known locally as Tulliallan Kirkyard. It contains many unusual stones from as far back as the 17th century. Unfortunately the gates are kept locked to minimise maintenance, but a key is usually available from the cafe on the corner at the entrance to Kirk Street (at the traffic light junction) if you would like a better look around. The church itself was built in 1675 as a replacement for the old church a few miles north at Overton. Admiral Lord Keith’s family mausoleum now stands where the Overton church used to be.
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Waypoint 3: Tulliallan and Kincardine Parish Church Co-ordinates: N56.04.318 W003.42.945
Question: How many "D"s are there in the Roman numerals on the plaque above the front door of the church?
Answer: C
Description: Once you have your answer head back down the hill towards these co-ordinates which should take you to the church that replaced the one you have just visited in 1833. It is actually built on the site of a former distillery, and the house next to it called Burnbrae Farmhouse used to be home to the distillery manager. This church is still in use today.
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Waypoint 4: The Auld Licht Co-ordinates: N56.04.203 W003.43.003
Question: The house with “Auld Licht” in the glass above the door is number 2?
Answer: D
Description: As you head towards these co-ordinates take time to notice the two bungalows next to the church. One of these was formerly Kincardine Fire Station back in the days when fire engines were still drawn by horses. Further down Kirk Street look for the house with “Auld Licht” written on the glass above the door. This was the name of a group who had seceded from the Church of Scotland after disagreement about the role of the civil magistrate in church affairs. The church itself stood on the ground behind the house and is still standing, although it is now in some disrepair.
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Waypoint 5: James Wylie Co-ordinates: N56.04.119 W003.43.069 Question: James Wylie died in 18?4 Answer: E Description: Continue towards the traffic lights – the café with the key for the kirkyard will be on your right. Take care crossing at the traffic lights because there are so many lights that drivers often get confused as to which one they should obey and end up driving through red-lights when pedestrians are supposed to have right of way. Once across the road you are into the town centre of Kincardine. These co-ordinates should lead you to a small plaque commemorating the life of James Wylie. It's not a big plaque, so you might have to search a bit - keep looking down! He was born in the village in 1768 and trained as a surgeon in Edinburgh. He travelled to St Petersburg in 1790 where after only five years he was appointed surgeon to the Russian Imperial Court and became personal physician to a succession of Russian Tsars. When he died his estate was left to fund the construction of a large hospital in St Petersburg. While it doesn't form part of this multi-cache, if time permits, there is a more substantial memorial to James Wylie in the town that can be viewed at these co-ordinates: N56 04 230 W003 42 919
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Waypoint 6: The Auld Hoose Co-ordinates: N56.04.006 W003.43.314
Question: The date on the wall of the Auld Hoose is 17?4
Answer: F
Description: Head across the road towards these co-ordinates which are located close to Kincardine Bridge itself. As you walk towards the co-ordinates you’ll be heading along Keith Street named after Admiral Lord Keith. Many of Kincardine’s more wealthy mariners, ship-owners and merchants lived along here and that is reflected in the quality of housing. Notice the boot scrapers beside the doors of many of the houses. See how many you can spot. The co-ordinates should bring you to a set of steps that lead up to Kincardine Bridge. The view’s worth it if you can afford the time for a quick detour! Follow Keith Street round the corner with “The Auld Hoose” pub which is the white building on the right. On the wall of the pub is a date with two sets of initials.
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Waypoint 7: The Station Green Play Park Co-ordinates: N56.04.081 W003.43.304
No question or answer required – co-ordinates are to aid navigation and provide possible entertainment!
Description: The next co-ordinates are for a play park on the Station Green, so called because it was behind Kincardine Railway Station, the platform of which can still be seen. Again, take some time to look at the sizeable houses that border the green – another clear sign of Kincardine’s prosperous past as a trading port. Also, see if you can spot "Jimmy Scotland's" (one of Scotland’s smallest pubs) on your way to the Station Green (look for the cigarette box beside the door as the best give-away!)
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Waypoint 8: Kincardine High Pier Co-ordinates: N56.03.950 W003.43.370
Question: 10? ships are recorded as lost or wrecked on the plaque beside the large anchor
Answer: G
Description: Cross the Station Green (stopping at the play park if so desired!) and turn left down the dirt track, past the former Station House on the left, towards the white fences of the level crossing. The railway is still in use, so be extra-careful as you cross the line at the level crossing. Once safely across, bear round to the left towards Kincardine Bridge. You pass the concrete pipe holders that used to carry the pipes taking ash from Kincardine Power Station to the lagoons at Longannet point where it was used for land reclamation. You also pass the ferry pier where the ferries used to cross the Forth to Higgin’s Neuk on the south bank of the river prior to the bridge opening in 1936. Pass under the bridge and you come to the High Pier. Here you will find a large ship’s anchor with a plaque commemorating the ships and crew lost during Kincardine’s period as a trading port. At one point Kincardine was the second largest port in the Forth, with only Leith in Edinburgh seeing more trade.
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Waypoint 9: Faodail - The Former Unicorn Hotel Co-ordinates: N56.04.098 W003.43.201
Question: The number of “H”’s in the top line of the plaque added to the number of “E”’s in the bottom line
Answer: H
Description: These co-ordinates require you to retrace your steps back across the railway line to Station Green. You’ll pass back under the original Forth Road Bridge, opened in 1936 and will have the opportunity to study it’s construction and profile - it's still the only Forth road crossing that doesn't close to traffic in storm force winds. Once safely back on Station Green head towards the next set of co-ordinates. These should lead you to a restaurant called Faodail (https://faodail.co.uk/) that now occupies the former Unicorn Hotel where you will find a plaque commemorating Kincardine’s most famous son: James Dewar. Born in this building in 1842 to parents who were both staunch members of the Auld Licht church mentioned earlier, he was educated at Dollar Academy before later going to Edinburgh University. He eventually became professor of Experimental Natural Philosophy at Cambridge University and finally took the position of professor of Chemistry at the Royal Institution of Great Britain in 1877. During his career he studied many different phenomenon, but it is for his low-temperature chemistry that he is always remembered and particularly for the invention of the “Dewar Flask” a device he built in order to keep gases as cold as possible for as long as possible, but which we all know today as a Thermos Flask for quite the opposite reason!
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Waypoint 10: Oor Dudley Co-ordinates: N56.04.356 W003.43.260
Question: Navigation only
Description: These co-ordinates will lead you along Kilbagie Street towards the main Kincardine to Alloa road and back towards the parking co-ordinates. As you walk along notice Kincardine Health Clinic on your left. This used to be the village police station and Dudley Watkins, the man credited with inventing “Oor Wullie” served as a war reserve constable in this station during the Second World War. It is claimed that Kincardine’s police sergeant Marnock provided the inspiration for PC Murdoch. Certainly there is a great similarity between them from the photographs we’ve seen of Sergeant Marnock! The co-ordinates are actually for a post-box a the entrance to a path, but just before it in the wall on your right you can see an old Victorian era post-box that's no longer in use but that the residents of Kincardine maintain as there are not many of them around these days.
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Waypoint 11: Back where you might have started Co-ordinates: N56.04.500 W003.43.158
Question: Navigation Only
Description: As you cross the main road (carefully!) you should be able to see the Castle gates in front of you where you may have left your car originally. This signals the end of the journey. Hopefully your walk around Kincardine will now have provided all the clues to lead you towards the final cache location. The formula for finding the final cache location is: N 56.04.E(C+D)B W003.43.(H-G)AF
Thanks for visiting, and good luck!
