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This is a multi-cache, the given coordinates are for the best car parking space. I like a round trip and hope you do too. The cache is still sound but due to damage to the final bridge I have made some changes.
From the car park return to the crossroads, the trail starts here.
From the crossroads follow the co-ords
N 55 51.602 W003 09.595 to find a disused railway bridge.
What is the number of this bridge? BD
Continue to follow this road which takes you past The Roslin Institute, birthplace and former home of ‘Dolly’ the sheep.
The next set of co-ords bring you to a monument erected by the Roslin Heritage Society.
N 55 51.769 W003 09.303
When was this monument erected? 19G4
The monument is in memory of The Battle of Roslin. The battle took place on which date? W4th Feb 13F3 Let K = W x 3
The number of men who fought varies according to which report you read, but all agree that a small army of Scots won a series of battles against a much greater English army in the Battle of Roslin. John Comyn led the Scots against Sir John Seagrave.
Sir John Seagrave was Edward I's Governor of Edinburgh Castle at the height of English domination of Scotland. He was in love with Margaret Ramsay of Dalhousie. When he learned of her betrothal to the young Henry St Clair of Roslin, he brought an army of 30,000 into Scotland. He divided the force into three equal parts, one to attack Dalhousie Castle, the Ramsays' seat, another to attack Lochorwart (later Borthwick) Castle, and the third he led himself to Roslin
At the Battle of Roslin 8,000 Scots defeated a superior English army of 30,000 in three separate engagements.
There are a few detailed accounts of the battle to choose from, all tell of the support given to the Scots by the monks from the Cistercian Priory close to Rosslyn. The Prior, Abernethy, had previously been a Templar knight.
The Battle has not been well remembered by history, since the Comyns were Robert the Bruce’s rivals for the throne - and history is written by the winners. However, its memory survives in placenames around Roslin.
The nearby burn is called the Killburn, it is said to have run with blood. Shinbanes field so called as they ploughed up so many! The Hewan where the men were hewan to the ground. Stinking rigg where bodies decayed. Carnethy Hill, the hill on the skyline, is a corruption of Abernethy and the village of Glencorse, or rather its earlier name of Glencross, recalls the cross built by the Cistercian monks on the skyline to encourage the Scots.
The money and labour for this monument all came from local donations with little or no national recognition.
Continue along the track, and choose to follow the newly surfaced cycle path, heading for the viaduct
N 55 52.286 W003 09.060.
Pause for a moment on the new wooden bridge and look east, you are overlooking the Hewan where many lost their lives.
The viaduct N 55 52.286 W003 09.060 was built by the North British Railway Company to serve the local mining industry.
When was it built?
1CZ2 Let J = Z - 4
It was restored in 1999.
N 55 52.323 W003 09.064
Take time to read the plaque on the bearings, it contains very interesting information about the building and restoration of the bridge.
This bridge replaced an earlier bridge which had been built when?
1V7X Let A = X + 1 and let E = V - 4
This was once a thriving coal mining area but there are now few remains of this very busy industrial past.
Head for a sign post N 55 52.269 W003 09.268 to keep you on the trail. From this post fork left and continue to the footbridge N 55 51.887 W003 09.587.
On the footbridge you will find a plaque telling you when this bridge was built.
Oct 9Y Let H = Y + 1 This bridge is damaged so I will give you this number.
Y = 4 Therefore coordinate H is 5
This bridge crosses the Killburn, the burn that ran with blood. But due to the bridge being closed you will need to detour off the path before this. I have added waypoints for two alternative crossing points. There is also a new post saying Roslin/Polton pointing the way.
When you reach the cache you may understand why I chose the title.
You should now have all the clues to piece together the final coordinates for the cache.
N 55 AB.CDE
W 003 FG.HJK
Where A+B+C+D+E+F+G+H+J+K = 50
After retrieving the cache you have a choice of return routes, either plot the coordinates for the Battle of Roslin Memorial AND follow the path then retrace your original route from there, or follow the posts for Killburn and skirt the walled garden of the former Dryden House, now a tree nursery, and join up with the road and return through the village.
Additional Hints
(Decrypt)
Va n puvyyl fcbg, oruvaq gur zbffl jnyy, jrqtrq haqre gur fgbar jvgu n ybt ba gbc, orjner bs gur cevpxyrf.