🌲****************** 🌲******************** 🌲
This cache is part of a series of geocaches called Park Life. Caches are placed within our urban parks, community gardens or country parks. For more details and statistics on how you can expand the Park Life series please visit the Park Life webpage.
🌲*** Hollandbush Park *** 🌲
The cache is not at the published coordinates and there is no reason to go there
Hollandbush Park is also known locally as 'The Ash Park', and is a large park at the edge of Banknock.
The park is bounded by houses to the west, the motorway to the east and the A803 road through Banknock to the north. The site slopes quite steeply up to the north and south, and up to the motorway embankment to the east. Amenities in the park include sports and play areas, including a MUGA, a children’s play area and large grass area. There is also a strip of mixed woodland on the northern border.
The eastern part of the park is located in a steep grass depression that was formerly a fish pond. The western part of the pond where the kids play area is now, was formerly workers cottages, and then in 1912 it became the site of one of Scotland's earliest cinemas. The Ingram Brothers, showmen from the west of Scotland, took to showing films on their travels. Around 1912 they had a tent at Hollandbush near Banknock and in 1913 decided to make it a more permanent fixture. In August that year the foundations were laid for a wooden picture palace on the south side of the main Kilsyth road (A803). A large stage was fitted with curtains for variety shows. The park is adjacent to the Community Centre which provides excellent parking.
The Puzzle
This is a puzzle cache. To get the true coordinates for the cache you will have to solve a picture puzzle.
Hollandbush is the most westerly of all the parks in Falkirk Council area, and perhaps one of the less well-known parks in the area. But how well do you know your Falkirk parks?
Shown below are satellite pictures of parks in Falkirk Council area, six in fact, only they are slightly altered. Identify the parks and they will help you fill in the missing coordinates. There's also a copy of the pictures in the gallery.
Look at the two pictures, one for the North coordinates, one for the West coordinates. Once you have figured out what parks they show, put the Northerly coordinate parks in alphabetical order, and separately put the Westerly coordinate parks in alphabetic order. Then use the instructions below to identify letters within the park names, converting those letters to numbers using the A=1, B=2 etc method. The cache can be found at:
N 55° 59.ABC W 003° 56.DEF
Northerlies Park first: A = Letter 3
Northerlies Park second: B = Letter 2
Northerlies Park third: C = Letter 5 minus Letter 6
Westerly Park first: D = Letter 1 minus Letter 2
Westerly Park second: E = Letter 5 minus Letter 11
Westerly Park third: F = Letter 2 plus Letter 5
Northerly Coordinates Parks
Westerly Coordinates Parks
Remember, all of the parks are within the Falkirk Council boundaries. There's a solution checker below, just put in your guess at the final coordinates to see if you are correct. If so, you will also get the hint for locating the cache.
You can validate your puzzle solution with certitude.