Robert Louis Stevenson was born in Edinburgh's New Town in 1850. In his early years, his family spent summers with his maternal grantparents in Colinton, however in 1867 his father took up the lease of Swanston Cottage. It was from here that he developed a fondness for the Pentland Hills, referring to them as "The Hills of Home".
Blows the wind to-day, and the sun and the rain are flying,
Blows the wind on the moors to-day and now,
Where about the graves of the martyrs the whaups are crying,
My heart remembers how!
Gray recumbent tombs of the dead in desert places,
Standing stones on the vacant wine-red moor,
Hills of sheep, and the homes of the silent vanished races,
And winds, austere and pure:
Be it granted me to behold you again in dying,
Hills of home! and to hear again the call;
Hear about the graves of the martyrs the peewees crying,
And hear no more at all.
From "To SR Crockett"
The co-ordinates above will take you to the viewpoint on the summit of Allermuir Hill. I would suggest parking at N 55 53.615 W003 12.961 (busy at weekends). Walk through Swanston Village (pretty) then straight up between the two golf courses. At N 55 53.215 W003 13.343 (signposted to Allermuir), head up the path south west all the way to the top. Alternatively park at N 55 53.260 W003 12.658 (Hillend carpark) and walk up the west side of the ski slope. Once through the gate, head west along the top of the golf course, joining the previous route at the signpost.
The cache is hidden near the summit (within a few hundred metres). Using the information on the viewpoint, answer the following questions:
1. How high are you now ? 1A17 feet
2. The nearest is very dark. B miles
3. The furthest is vane. 30C4 feet
4. The highest is 384D feet
5. Arthur sat here! 8E3 feet
6. The National Trust for Scotland was formed in 193F
7. How far is Glasgow ? G0 miles
8. You wouldn't expect a shoe maker this high! H891 feet.
9. How many munros (hills over 3000 feet) ? J
10. An island that isn't, a rock that is! So how many islands are there ? K
The final cache is located at N 55 (A-1)B.C(D-1)E W003 FG.HJ(K+2). Please make sure the cache is well hidden again.