-
Difficulty:
-
-
Terrain:
-
Size: 
(small)
Please note Use of geocaching.com services is subject to the terms and conditions
in our disclaimer.
A walk round Ayr between the sea front and the High street visiting Auld buildings and monuments
This is intended to be a pleasant interesting and informative walk and fun cache, the co-ords given are the car park on the sea front known as the Cromwell Road car park.
I suggest you park there and walk North towards the Citadel baths and follow the path round the fort wall.
This is all about dates which are on plaques
55 27.888, 004 37.942 go there and look at a house that has stood here a very long time, since before America was discovered.
Now a few paces to
55 27.882, 004 37.923
You are looking for a small house, I don’t mean a but an ben or a room and kitchen, this is a very small house. Mary stayed here in the year answer A
Now head for
55 27.848, 004 37.944
As you are about to cross the road, look at the roadway, you will see a circle of stones and a cross. Between 1595 and 1659 twenty eight women were accused of witchcraft in the town of Ayr, at least twelve were burnt to death at this spot. Contrary to popular belief, a woman accused of witchcraft did not have to be old, ugly and living alone with a black cat for company. She was more likely to have an uncontrollable tongue, be at odds with her neighbours, contemptuous of religion.
("Kiss the God's arse" said Agnes Campbell when urged "to behave herself more Godly") and have a husband who was anxious to be rid of her. Janet Sawer "with a seeming willingness submitted herself to death" on the day of her execution, according to an officer of Cromwell's garrison in 1658. She acknowledged her "wicked life" in her address to the crowd, but continued to assert, as she had done throughout her trial, that she knew nothing of witchcraft.
At the side of the entrance door is the year the building was built answer B, if you are now down the lane or outside Rabbies Drams looking for the large brass plate with the date read the next paragraph!
A little history now, a coaching inn stood on this site and the ground level was much lower than it is today as the Sandgate ran down to a ford across the river.
In order to build the spire, look at those massive blocks of stone, a earth ramp was build from the harbour to the building and the blocks of stone were mounted on wooden sleds and a system of wooden rollers and ropes pulled the stone blocks up the ramp powered by horses.
When the spire was complete and the bridge across the river was being built to replace the ford the earth from the ramp was used to raise the street level to match the bridge. Many of the buildings were built before this happened and the ground floor became the basement.
About fifteen feet below ground level, below the small windows to your right the stables of the coaching inn still exist, or at least they did twenty years ago with a bricked up door well below current ground level (look at picture of the stable below your feet), Look in the entrance door and the lobby, this has only recently been made a lobby by driving a passage through massive stone.
This room was built with the two large windows and door as a place for the gentlemen of Ayr to sit by the fires, one at each end of the room, drink tea and coffee and read the newspapers which were supplied.
It later was incorporated as part of the Ayr Burgh Police Station and was the detective’s office, the Burgh Court behind the frontage is still in use today. When the new Ayr Police Station was built it fell into disrepair and dry rot ran wild, in the early 1980’s it was a converted to a mainframe computer suite which was in use until mainframe computers were superseded by networked PC’s.
Lady Cathcart’s House (Diagonally across the Sandgate at the Junction of Cathcart Street)
The building now with the Tourist Information Office on the ground floor was the home of Lady Cathcart, this is another ancient building, go and read the plaque. John Loudon McAdam was born on the top floor of this house, on September 21, answer C is the year. John held valid patents on his method of road building that he had developed, undertaken, and built at his own expense. His methods proved so important that his patents were not protected and enforced by governments, even in England. The term "Macadamized Road" long since has died out. Only the term "Tar-Mac", short for Tar-Macadam used to describe airport runways remains.
A short walk up the road
55 27.770, 004 38.033 Robert Burns lived here with John Murdoch who taught him English and French, how old was Burns answer D (the plaque is at 90 degrees to the road you are on). For those of you stuck and can not figure this out look for a church building and step inside the gate
To
Cross over and walk up Boswell Park and pass the bingo hall where Frank Sinatra gave two performances on Sunday 12th July 1953, both to empty houses
Now head for
55 27.700, 004 37.757 A historic monument, we are looking for the earlier date answer E.
The plaque is on the left of the main door .
Down the High street until the arrow swings hard right and up the narrow lane
55 27.782, 004 37.747 The date here is answer F and the correct answer is not 1954 nor is it 1472 or 1958!
The date is on the board not under the arch.
Many of the friends of Burns now reside here.
Update May 2017, the answer is 16?? the date the Kirk was built.
Why do so many get the century wrong?
Head towards the river and to
55 27.869, 004 37.776
It was re-opened on 29th July answer G
Now to the biggest fireplace you will ever see
Approach from the South along the lane
55 27.848, 004 38.143 When was it abandoned answer H
The cache is not far away
Add together the eight dates = X
The cache is at 55 27.(X-10767), 004 38.(X-11325)
22nd August, the box has gone again, if you do this cache and email me where you think the box was or a simple description of where you are you can claim this cache, i will find a new spot when I have time
Additional Hints
(Decrypt)
Nobir tebhaq yriry va n ubyr