The Cache
You are challenged to visit the seven peaks of Cambridge within one day, although to be honest it shouldn’t be too difficult to visit them all within one hour. No oxygen tanks, climbing gear or even hiking boots are required. The total combined ascent of less than 100m doesn’t require any altitude training in advance.
Visit each of the 7 peaks below (the co-ordinates are provided as stages) and answer the question at each one to piece together the final cache co-ordinates. You can visit the peaks in any order, but they are listed in a sensible order to minimise travel to the final location.
History
The term hill comes from the fact that the river Cam was historically prone to flooding. Some areas were slightly higher and usually remained dry, hence becoming known as hills. The areas in between have been gradually filled in over the centuries (often by using them as rubbish dumps) and although most of the hills are no longer any higher than the surrounding areas, their names have stuck.
Altitudes and ascents are estimated based on OS maps, and the exact location of the base and summit of each hill is rather subject to opinion.
The Peaks
Peak 1: St Andrew’s Hill
Summit altitude: 10m
Height (base to summit): exact location unknown
Although the name is no longer used, St Andrew’s Hill appears to have been adjacent to St Tibb’s Row. St Tibb’s row has been redeveloped as access to the loading area under Grand Arcade, and although manmade is perhaps one of the steepest inclines in Cambridge and so deserves a mention. A workhouse was built here in 1829 but was sold off in 1838 and converted into a house which has since been demolished.
Question:
What year was the memorial stone laid for the nearby church of St Columba’s?
(Note: during refurbishments in late 2020 the stone appears to have been cleaned up and the year is now much harder to read. To avoid any uncertainty, it is equal to the day of the month on the stone multiplied by 86 then subtract 2)
Peak 2: Peas Hill
Summit altitude: 10m
Height (base to summit): a few centimetres
The wide street just off the Market Square, Peas Hill, was formerly used as an extension to the main market, mainly dealing in fish. Its name comes from a corruption of pisces, the Latin for fish.
Question:
In what year was the “Master of the Town of Cambridge” born, according to the blue plaque nearby?
Peak 3: Market Hill
Summit altitude: 10m
Height (base to summit): a few centimetres
Market Hill is the name of the road which runs on three sides of Market Square. Historically the market was much larger, but there is still a good selection of goods and services available.
Question:
On the map erected on the corner of Market Square with Peas Hill, what number is the closest to the “You are Here” point?
Peak 4: Senate House Hill
Summit altitude: 10m
Height (base to summit): no incline detected
The name of this hill comes from the University’s Senate House which is used for graduation ceremonies and official meetings of the University.
Question:
What is the scale of the 3D map of Cambridge? (take the three digit number)
Peak 5: Honey Hill
Summit altitude: 20m
Height (base to summit): 10m
The name Honey Hill is said to come from a local joke on the fact that the area was particularly muddy.
Question:
About half way up the hill is a telegraph pole. What are the three digits stamped on it, immediately following the letters “DP”?
Note 1: the first digit has come loose - in case it disappears altogether, it is a 2
Note 2: the second digit has now also fallen off. The second digit was a 5
Peak 6: Pound Hill
Summit altitude: 20m
Height (base to summit): 10m
Pound Hill used to be an area where stray animals were kept, which gave it its name.
Question:
What year was the memorial stone laid for Castle End Mission?
Peak 7: Castle Hill
Summit altitude: 33m
Height (base to summit): 20m
This is the only hill in Cambridge which really deserves its name. The castle mound itself gives superb views across the city and is well worth the climb. There was a castle here in Roman times, and it was rebuilt in stone by the Normans.
Question:
How many concrete steps are there up the mound?
Final Cache
Add together the seven answers you have and calculate the cache co-ordinates as:
N 52 ab.cde E 0 f.ghi
Where abcde = (Sum of all answers)*2 – 233
And fghi = (Sum of all answers) + 615
You can check your answers for this puzzle on GeoChecker.com.
When you have found the final cache, take a moment to go down to the river from here (take care though!) to enjoy the lowest altitude point in the city centre!
Sources
http://www.cl.cam.ac.uk/~ckh11/cam.html
http://www.workhouses.org.uk/Cambridge/