‘I arrived with £40 and now I own eleven cottages’
Ocelot Ventures
Puzzles
17 October 2026 · Compiled daily since 1873 · Solutions tomorrow
The Chronicle Cryptic
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | |||||||
| 7 | ||||||||||||
| 8 | 9 | 10 | ||||||||||
| 11 | 12 | |||||||||||
| 13 | 14 | 15 | ||||||||||
| 16 | ||||||||||||
| 17 | 18 | 19 | ||||||||||
| 20 | 21 | 22 | ||||||||||
| 23 | 24 |
Across
- Timetable revised again — see previous revision (6)
- Cryptic setter retires without explanation (6)
- See 7 Across (3)
- One in a kilt upset the piper at last (8)
- Single-track road ahead: give way to the inevitable (10)
- Storm batters pier — mind how you go (3)
- Coolcation ruined by unexpected warmth inside (6)
- Caravan reverses into national park after delay (6)
- Standing stone moved slightly, say locals (3)
- Newsagent stocks up on patience, in short (9)
- Bothy door left open for the wrong walker (9)
- Haar conceals article about the minister’s marquee (3)
- Tea goes cold while the weather is not discussed (6)
- Trawler returns with empty net — sound of regret (6)
Down
- Wigtown’s second book overturned by critic (3)
- Gulls audibly divided over chips (12)
- Heather turns purple about the misplaced sign (5)
- Puffin’s odd habit picked up by ringers (7)
- Peat cutter loses direction in the mist (9)
- Tote bag awarded to no one in particular (5)
- Local derby postponed on account of visibility (11)
- Dry stane dyke holds despite everything (9)
- Message from the Colonel scrambled in transmission (7)
- Small dram taken before a stormy crossing (5)
- Marquee stands firm despite council vote (5)
- Bagpipes heard faintly across the loch at dawn (3)
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Shop the rangeSudoku
| 8 | 7 | 6 | 3 | |||||
| 5 | 7 | |||||||
| 6 | 9 | 8 | ||||||
| 8 | 5 | 1 | 6 | 2 | ||||
| 6 | 2 | 7 | ||||||
| 2 | 7 | 3 | 9 | 4 | ||||
| 4 | 2 | 5 | ||||||
| 9 | 3 | |||||||
| 7 | 5 | 9 | 4 |
Fill the grid so that every row, column and box contains the digits 1 to 9. There is one solution.
Entries: post completed grids to Puzzles, The Caledonian Chronicle. The first correct entry drawn wins a Chronicle tote bag. The editor’s decision is final.
Yesterday’s solutions
Across
1 DUNOON, 4 FORFAR, 8 DON, 9 MILNGAVIE, 11 STORNOWAY, 12 RUM, 13 CULLEN, 15 MOFFAT, 17 DEE, 18 PITLOCHRY, 20 PRESTWICK, 21 AYR, 23 DUNDEE, 24 LAUDER
Down
1 UIG, 2 LOSSIEMOUTH, 3 ELLON, 5 TARBERT, 6 ARDROSSAN, 7 TROON, 10 PORTPATRICK, 11 INVERNESS, 14 MALLAIG, 16 KEISS, 19 LARGS, 22 ESK
| 8 | 9 | 3 | 2 | 5 | 4 | 1 | 6 | 7 |
| 1 | 6 | 7 | 3 | 8 | 9 | 5 | 4 | 2 |
| 5 | 4 | 2 | 7 | 1 | 6 | 8 | 9 | 3 |
| 9 | 2 | 5 | 1 | 4 | 7 | 6 | 3 | 8 |
| 4 | 7 | 1 | 8 | 6 | 3 | 9 | 2 | 5 |
| 6 | 3 | 8 | 5 | 9 | 2 | 4 | 7 | 1 |
| 2 | 1 | 4 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 3 | 5 | 9 |
| 7 | 8 | 6 | 9 | 3 | 5 | 2 | 1 | 4 |
| 3 | 5 | 9 | 4 | 2 | 1 | 7 | 8 | 6 |
The Chronicle regrets that no correct solution to Cryptic No. 4,960 was received.