The idea for this cache came from the return of the Borders Railway in 2015, after it had been disabled for 49 years due to the infamous “Beeching Cuts”. I thought it would be nice for visitors, who arrived on the train from Edinburgh, to take a short stroll (or a longer one if enticed) round the centre of Galashiels town. Taking in a cache and a puzzle to boot might add to the occasion.
Since the puzzle is a Sudoku one, the grid should be printed out before attempting the cache, since there will be a lot of writing required to complete the puzzle. It should not be too difficult for Sudoku beginners and fairly easy for addicts. I class myself closer to the beginner end and managed it in a reasonable time. Remember to take a pen, or a pencil and rubber if you make mistakes as I often do!
Since the cache is aimed at train arrivals, I have not given co-ordinates for parking. However, if you have driven to town, there are a few public car parks round the centre, as well as on-street parking if you are lucky enough to find a spot. Simply park and make your way to the cache co-ordinates which are, in fact, the same as for the first clue.
The answers to the clues at the various stages will all be numbers, referenced as A - H. The resulting numbers will later be entered onto the grid in place of those letters.
Stage 1
You will find yourself at the new Galashiels Railway station and need to find out the date that it was opened.
Answer A is the numerical format of the month, i.e. Jan=1, Feb=2 etc.
Across the road you should go through the new Galashiels Interchange, built to integrate the new railway with the local bus services.
Leave by the opposite entrance and cross the pedestrian area to a narrow footbridge over The Gala Water, then on to the shopping area where you should turn right. You will pass a rather impressive building on the right. This was the old Post Office, now closed, which was at one time ear-marked for an indoor market, although now it is to be part of a building to display the Great Tapestry of Scotland, along with a new building to be built alongside.
Stage2
Looping round into Bank Street you will come to Round Tree Bridge, although it is not too obvious with the modern streets. It does in fact cross the town’s mill lade and is marked by 2 commemorative pillars. The pillars are topped by carvings of the Galashiels Coat of Arms and the text “Sovre Plvms”. The image is of a fox reaching up to eat the sour plums. It commorates the rout of English soldiers in 1337 while they were distracted picking the plums.
Answer B is the number of letters in the 2nd word after the title of the bridge.
Carry on up over the mill lade until you reach Scott Street, at reference point 0. If you would like to take a slightly longer walk, and get off the pavements for a while, follow the signs for the swimming pool at this junction. On the left, just before the pool, is the entrance to the Gala Policies. This is an area of beautiful, quiet public woodlands in which there is a network of paths for you to explore.
Stage 3
Carry on to the entrance to Scott Park, named after the Scott family who gifted the land to the town in 1939. New Gala House was built here in 1872 for the Scott family but was demolished in 1985. The park could be another opportunity for a leisurely stroll away from the streets.
For the cache, however, you will notice that there are some rather ornate stone pillers around the entrance to the park.
Answer C is the number of pillars -2.
Stage 4
A short distance up the road, on the other side, you will find Old Gala House which, surprisingly, has well outlived its new namesake.
If you are here during opening hours, there is a small museum in the house that is well worth a visit. There are often art exhibitions staged here too, if you hit lucky, as well as a café that also sells gifts. The gardens behind the house are very pretty and secluded if you fancy a seat for a while. They make it a very popular venue for weddings.
In the garden there is a fountain. Answer D is based on the spout at the top of the fountain.
If the water spouts from Fish = 1, Flower = 2, Mermaid = 3.
Stage 5
Carrying on up the road you come to the Mercat Cross, marking a traditional gathering place, the cross itself being a trade status symbol for the town. It has stood here since 1599, when the town was granted Burgh of Barony status, although it has been changed and restored at different times since then.
A plaque on the cross states that it was near there that an Act of Sasine relating to the marriage of James IV of Scotland and Margaret Tudor of England took place. This marriage led to the Union of the Crowns of Scotland and England 100 years later. The Braw Lads' Gathering in June each year commemorates the act.
On top of the cross there is a banner on which is a date.
Answer E is the last digit of that date.
Turn left here and head down the hill, back towards the town centre.
Stage 6
At the foot of the hill there is a statue. Answer F is based on who it depicts.
If it depicts Walter Scott = 1, Robert Burns = 2, James Hogg = 3
Across the road are the Burgh Chambers. In front of the building is the War Memorial, in front of which stands a magnificent statue of a Border Reiver. Reivers were raiders who plundered backwards and forwards over the English border for centuries and were recognised for their horsemanship. The statue is easily the most important work of art in Galashiels and is the location of the finale to the Braw Lads’ Week ceremonies, when the Braw Lad dips the Burgh Flag for a period of silence to show respect for those who died in the two World Wars.
Stage 7
Turning your back on the horse, you will see a fountain in Cormill Square, set in walls overlooking a section of the mill lade. This area has recently been developed into a pedestrian area, good for a gathering of friends on a sunny day.
The statue is of a multi-spout style, each spout being a depiction of a fish.
Answer G is the number of fish spouts on the fountain.
Stage 8
You are now at the end of the town’s Bank Street Gardens, best seen in the Spring when the cherry blossom is out, but beautiful all summer with its floral bedding areas, lawns, shrubberies and array of benches to enjoy them from. Take a stroll along the gardens.
Answer H is the number of formal planted beds, next to the pavement, between the bus stop entrance and the far entrance near Round Tree Bridge +3.
You now have all the information needed to solve the puzzle.
For an additional check, each answer is a different number.
How about taking a seat, on one of the benches in the gardens or with some refreshment in one of the coffee shops or pubs in town, to solve the puzzle.
The starting position of the Sudoku puzzle can be built by substituting the values for A through H in the grid shown. After that, complete the Sudoku puzzle as normal. Each line, vertical and horizontal must contain the numbers 1 to 9, as should each square grouping.
The co-ordinates of the final cache are worked out by substituting a number from the completed grid, using references such as d1, h9 etc, for each missing digit in the co-ordinates shown under the grid.
The cache can be found by a walk of around 15 mins from the station, or parking is available a short walk from the GZ. On the way to the GZ you will notice a sign for Private Road. This simply means that it is mainained by residents, rather than the Council. It is perfectly acceptable to take this road.
Please be sure to replace the container out of site, as found.
Congratulations to gewitter_katze for FTF.
Final cache position:
N f2 e8 ° e4 a8 . h4 d2 g3 W 00 a4 ° i7 c1 . h1 b6 f9
Please note that the cache was lost sometime after 9th July 2017 and has been replaced at a slightly different position. If you worked out the puzzle before then, you will need to adjust the co-ordinates accordingly, using the same method. Only 3 numbers have changed.
You can check your answers for this puzzle at
