GC1R3XV A Midsummer Night's Cache (Event Cache) in North West England, United Kingdom created by Puck

This cache has been archived.

Foinavon: Time for the Sun to Set on this one.

GC1R3XV ▼

A cache by Puck Message this owner

Hidden : Saturday, June 20, 2009

Difficulty:

Terrain:

Size: Size: not chosen (not chosen)

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Geocache Description:

Here we go again!

After the somewhat unexpected popularity of the Winter Solstice event I decided to have a go at the summer equivalent. Don't worry that you will have to get up at such an ungodly hour this time. For this one we are watching the sun set!

The Plan

Saturday 20th June

Watch the sun set at the given coordinates (Darwen Tower) at 9.45pm. Assemble at Tockholes car park (see waypoint below) at 9.00pm.

Mid Summer's Night

As usual the name of the event does not quite tie in with the appropriate date. Regardless of the positions of the earth and the sun Mid Summers eve is always the night of the 24th June. It's beleived that this been celebrated since Neolithic times. Essentially people believed that mid-summer plants had miraculous healing powers and they therefore picked them on this night. Bonfires were lit to protect against evil spirits which were believed to roam freely when the sun was turning southwards again. For a time it became a religious event but in the 15th century the Abbot of Lilleshall priory observed that "At first, men and women came to church with candles and other lights and prayed all night long. In the process of time, however, men left such devotion and used songs and dances and fell into lechery and gluttony ". Perhaps we can continue this tradition on the night of the event! Nowadays midsummer festivals are celebrated with bonfires throughout the country.

The Summer Solstice

We may not be tieing in with Mid Summers Eve however unlike it's Winter equivalent event this event is on the night of the Summer Solstice.The Summer solstice is the longest day of the year, when the Sun is at its most northern point in the sky. To talk in Astronomical Terms the actual solstice occurs when the Sun is at its furthest from the Celestial Equator . As luck would have it the date of the event is the night of the summer solstice. The actual time the Sun is at it's furthest point will occur at 5.45 am the following morning. I suspect most of us will have gone home by then.

You probably know this anyway but

We call it Darwen Tower but its real name is Jubillee Tower. It was put up in 1897 to celebrate the Diamond Jubillee of Queen Victoria. Now compared to how old Mid Summer Celebrations are thats quite recent really but the nearby village of Tockholes is ancient so it would be nice to think that we are only the latest in a long line of generations of people who have come to this spot to celebrate mid summers eve.

And finally

Tockholes has many fine hostelries where I am sure you may wish to gather before and/or after the walk. However please note that to log the event you have to the come up the hill!

Additional Hints (Decrypt)

Yrgf ubcr jr trg gb frr vg guvf gvzr!

Decryption Key

A|B|C|D|E|F|G|H|I|J|K|L|M
-------------------------
N|O|P|Q|R|S|T|U|V|W|X|Y|Z

(letter above equals below, and vice versa)