Bill & Ben recently had to replace their satnav after the battery died. The new satnav is by the same maker, but the software supplier is different. Whereas the original satnav had difficulties with the odd word, like hill became eel, the new satnav has real problems. Journeys down Gresley Way are a torture, the satnav pronouncing it Gr -eye- lie way. B&B have decided on a new venture – elecution lessons for satnavs. We are going to be the Professor Higgins of the 21st century.
So far, trade has been a bit slack for our new venture. We have had one enquiry from a chap who’s got a satnav with a Michael Caine voice-over, Compared to our problem this chap has a real problem. Coming to a road junction he gets “Oi! Did you know that in 250 yards you will be turning right. Oh yes!”. Roundabouts are even worse “ There’s not many people know this, but at the next roundabout you are going to take the third exit”. Wearing! Whilst elecution lessons might work for our satnav, I think this chap’s satnav may need brainwashing. In an attempt to help, our thoughts made the connection – Michael Caine, brainwashing – why not try the Ipcress File. So we did.
Apart from all the spy clichés in the film, there is the 1960s rebellious challenge to the authority and that brilliant John Barry soundtrack. A review of the music on the BBC Music web site says
“The music has echoes and strains of Barry's brilliant themes for Bond, but is far less bombastic. Appropriately, it's darker, more reflective. There's even that contrast within the main theme, between the lush vibes, strings and harp, which perhaps allude to the exotic thrill of spying but really just provides a bed for the spare, fragile flute lines, and then, majestically alone and utterly haunting, the distinctive sound of the cymbalom, a hammered stringed/tuned percussion instrument (of Hungarian origin I believe). This contrast continues throughout: between up-tempo sensuous jazz and sombre, brooding, menace.”
That’s us told then!
“I Shall Miss Your Sense of Humour, Sir”
Obviously there wasn’t geocaching during the cold war. Can you imagine what would have happened if there had been? Behind the iron curtain a lone geocacher would suddenly find that he a lot of new “friends” helping him look for the caches, after which it would be off “back to theirs” for an event cache. Back here in Blighty it might have made the chaps in the bowlers and Guard’s ties feeding the ducks a tad uncomfortable having a load of cachers poking about all over the park, not to mention the occasional alcoholic Cambridge alumnus waiting for his handler.
We thought you might like to follow in Sgt Palmer’s footsteps, but, as Eric Morecambe might have said, “not necessarily in the right order”. Your journey in Sgt Palmer’s footsteps starts with a puzzle in the form of a little YouTube video we have made, based on the scene at the end of the film. You may find this tests your tenacity and audacity.
Solve that and off you go outdoors to make contact with Commander Ross. He will give you instructions for the next stage of your journey, which may be real or virtual – the choice is yours. If you want to solve things in the field we would suggest you take a smart phone or look up free wifi or internet cafes near your first contact, and also take an OS map of the greater Welwyn area. After your journey you will have a choice of routes to the cache, depending on whether you are as “chirpy” as Sgt Palmer or not. Following a radio message from Commander Ross the cache is yours. Whether you want to dress up in a trench coat or bowler and brolley is up to you.
Thanks go to son Simon for his useful suggestion at location 1, also to Pink Paisley and Gazooks for their input, and Philip Guyler/Lincoln Grounds for the music.
You can check your answers for the first part of this puzzle on GeoChecker.com.