The Campsite Riddle Puzzling The Internet

This logic puzzle for children has left the internet scratching its head.

The sketch shows three tourists at a campsite and is accompanied by a series of nine questions, based on the picture.

The questions begin simply enough, asking how many people are staying at the camp.

But as they progress they become tougher.

Can you solve the puzzle by answering these questions?
1. How many tourists are staying at this camp?
2. When did they arrive: today or a few days ago?
3. How did they get here?
4. Is there a town nearby?
5. Where does the wind blow from: north or south?
6. What time of day is it?
7. Where did Alex go?
8. Who was on duty yesterday?
9. What date is it today?

Did you guess correctly?

1. The answer to how many tourists are staying at the camp is revealed by the four spoons and plates on the picnic blanket, and the four names listed on the duty notice.

2. As to when the group arrived, a cobweb strung from the tent to a tree is noted as the hint to suggest they have been there a few days.

3. An oar leaning against a tree serves as the key to figuring out how they got to the campsite: by boat.

4. A hen in the picture is said to be the clue to a town being nearby, from which the hen has wandered.

5. A flag blowing is part of the clue to work out that the wind is coming from the south. As to the direction, the answer is said to be from the fact that, in the Northern Hemisphere, branches are usually larger on the southern side of a tree, as is evidenced in the drawing.

6. If you can figure out the answer to question five, you can then work out where east and west lie then work out the time based on the shadows.

7. Spying a net behind the tent reveals Alex is catching butterflies.

8. Through a process of deduction, it can be established that Colin was on duty yesterday:

Colin is rummaging through his backpack (marked with a 'c'); Alex is catching butterflies; James is taking photos as his tripod can be seen sticking out of his bag. This leaves Peter - then, according to the list, that means Colin was on duty yesterday.

9. The date is August 8. While the duty list's numbers can be assumed to correspond to the days of the month, the inclusion of a watermelon, said to ripen in August in the Northern Hemisphere. is the clue to the month of the year.