The Pavilion Puzzle Cache
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Gentle, well-made paths through the Pavilion gardens.
The coordinates are not those of the cache, but relate to the Square. Now read on......
Strathpeffer is a picturesque Victorian spa village, with many attractive stone-built villas with manicured gardens clinging to the wooded valley sides. At the heart of the village lies The Square, which owes much of its present appearance to the 3rd Duke of Sutherland and his wife, who made Strathpeffer Spa a place where fashionable people gathered. They invested around £2,500 in the 1860s to create the Pump Room (which stood in the area just above the Square), shops and other recreational facilities. The Temperance Hotel, (now called Mackay’s Hotel) and some of the villas overlooking the Square were built around this time. Wealthy English people who wanted to come north to sample the waters built large houses and impressive hotels. Almost all of the original buildings are unique, and as the visitor will see, they are not built in the local style. On Saturday evenings during summer, there is traditional highland entertainment in The Square, with displays by local highland dancers and with music from the Strathpeffer and District Pipe Band.
Although the area had been inhabited for thousands of years, the Spa began its rise to fame in the 1770s and the first pump room was built in 1819. With the arrival of the Highland Railway in 1885, when a branch line was built from Fodderty Junction, the Spa grew even more rapidly. People travelled from as far afield as London - the wealthy often travelling on the overnight sleeper direct to the village, to take 'cures' that lasted for up to three weeks, depending on one’s complaint. One full glass of the sulphurous waters had to be taken before breakfast every day. To make sure that everyone was up in time to experience this delight, a piper walked around the village every morning at 7 o'clock, playing loudly.
The Spa Pavilion was built in 1881-2, based on a design from Baden-Baden in Germany. It contained reading rooms, a Hall measuring 100 feet by 40 feet and from the front there were grand views across the village and spa facilities. A bandstand was erected at the west end of the terrace that ran in front of the Pavilion: orchestras would play as visitors strolled along the manicured walks. After decades of decay, the Pavilion has now been fully restored.
Strathpeffer was one of the first places in northern Scotland to have its own electricity supply. In 1903 the Ben Wyvis Hotel was lit by 420 light bulbs, using electricity generated by the nearby power station located in an old house: it is still in operation today and can be seen on one of the forest walks north of the village.
Although the original Pump Room and Baths have long since gone, Strathpeffer still retains its unique, picturesque character. During a stay at the Spa in 1880 on his return from California, Robert Louis Stevenson wrote 'Near here is a valley, birchwoods, heather and a stream….. no country, no place was ever for a moment so delightful to my soul.' However, seemingly less well-disposed towards other visitors he wrote a poem 'On Some Ghastly Companions at a Spa'!
The demise of the Spa began during the First World War, when the Pavilion, the Pump Room, hotels and large villas in the village were used as US Navy Hospital No.2. The Spa never fully recovered during the 1920s and by 1950 it had vanished altogether. Today, the visitor can still enjoy the peace and the beauty of the village and its surroundings without the need to suffer the early morning sulphur-water, (although this can still be sampled if desired!)
For those interested in short walks, there are a number that wind their way through the picturesque spa village itself. Others, such as the Victorian Diamond Jubilee Drive climb gently along the side of the Cat’s Back towards Knockfarrel, where there was once a tearoom called the Chalet. The panoramic view from the old vitrified fort at the top is excellent, taking in Strathpeffer, Loch Ussie, Dingwall and the Cromarty Firth, as well as peaks further afield. For the more adventurous, the surrounding hills have many routes that cater for a wide range of abilities.
Additional Hints
(Decrypt)
Oruvaq n ebpx arne n fghzc