Can you solve our fiendishly clever Easter puzzle created by the same illustrator who made GCHQ’s mystery message?
Here’s an Easter teaser to see if your brain matches that of the clever code breakers at GCHQ (Government Communications Headquarters) who protect this country from our enemies.
Earlier this month, bosses at Britain’s Intelligence, Security and Cyber Agency commissioned a visual puzzle as part of a campaign to attract recruits who can think outside the box and are therefore suited to working for the extremely secret organization from Cheltenham.
Hidden within an illustration of a cityscape were several clues that, when found, could be used to spell out the message ‘Journey to GCHQ’.
Scroll down to reveal the answer!
Just for fun, we asked the same illustrator, Justin Eagleton, to create a drawing specifically for today’s Easter edition of The Mail on Sunday to test your lateral thinking skills.
He has put together the image of an imaginary seaside village and hidden within it are eleven clues (11 because that is the number of Jesus’ apostles who remained faithful after Judas’ betrayal), each representing a letter of the alphabet that can then be unraveled to create a spell message. .
Manchester-based Eagleton, a printmaker and portrait painter whose recent subjects have included footballer Marcus Rashford and singer Rick Astley, said: ‘It’s not difficult, once you have a few letters.’
Do you need help getting started?
Six of the letters are based on the phonetic alphabet, which is beloved by both the military and spies.
One involves half of Shakespeare’s star-crossed young lovers.
Good luck!
ANSWERS TO THE EASTER PICTURE PUZZLE
Were you a jerk at solving our Easter puzzle, or did you find it too hard (cooked) to crack?
Anyway, here’s the answer.
You obtain these by collecting the letter that represents each clue and putting them together to reveal the hidden message: HAPPY EASTER
H Hotel located on the right with the sign ‘NO VACANCIES’
a Alfa after the name of the blue Italian-made car
P Morse code on the bottom group of runaway balloons – dot dash dash dot, indicating the letter P
P Statue of a peeing boy – Manneken Pis in Brussels
Y Wye Valley formed by the rising trail of smoke from the chimney
E East point on compass
a Ace of spades sign hangs in the store
S Flag of Sierra Leone on the building
T Tango dancers in the foreground
E Echo of the word ‘HELLO!’ from the cave to the cliff
R Romeo for the second part of the Alfa Romeo car brand
To see more of artist Justin Eagleton’s work, visit justineagleton.com