Stage 1 - American Garden
Come and explore the American Garden which boasts various tree specimens such as Red Alder, Moose Maple, Red Maple, Oregon Maple, American Tulip Trees & Northern Red Oak. There are several information plaques scattered throughout the garden which you will have to study in order to answer the following questions.
What percentage of forest did the Acer Rubrum make up in Eastern North America?
How tall can the Fiddle Tree grow to in metres on the Appalachian Mountains?
Start with the smaller height in feet which the Oregon Maple can readily reach then subtract the larger size of the typical trees leaves in centimetres. Now add the larger height in metres which the Oregon Maple can readily reach.
The sum of all three questions = Y
Stage 2 - Fyvie Castle Front
Look under the clock at the dates.
VRI - RRS divided by 100 = F
Stage 3 - Fyvie Castle Rear
Look at the bottom of the bay window.
Number of letters before the '&' multiplied by 8 + number of letters after the '&' = I
Stage 4 - Racquets Court
Above the door is a date.
Second number minus first number = V
Check sum - F + Y + V + I = 176
The cache can be found at N57 26.FY W002 23.VI
Walk through a landscape shaped by 800 years of history and discover the rich wealth of wildlife that flourishes in Fyvie’s loch and woodlands. Fyvie’s 18th-century owners created Fyvie Loch in what was marshland protecting the castle. This picturesque landscape feature now covers a large part of the estate’s 49 hectares and supports large numbers of wildfowl. Swans, coots, mallards and moorhens are joined in the winter by greylag geese, tufted ducks and goldeneyes. Ospreys occasionally visit to fish in the loch.
The charm of Fyvie ranges from its 13th-century origins to its stunning Edwardian interiors. The castle is home to a superb collection of arms, armour and paintings, including works by Raeburn and Gainsborough.
Ghosts, legends and folklore are all woven into the tapestry of Fyvie Castle’s 800-year history. Tradition claims that the castle’s five successive families – Preston, Meldrum, Seton, Gordon and Forbes-Leith – each added a tower to this magnificent Scottish Baronial fortress.
You can see their influences today among the medieval stones and the lavish Edwardian interiors, and imagine what castle life must have been like for the families and their royal guests – among them Robert the Bruce, Edward I and Charles I.
Thanks to the National Trust and particularly the staff at Fyvie Castle for being so supportive and allowing me to place this series of caches.