PANORAMA STONES Traditional Geocache
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Difficulty:
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Terrain:
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Size: 
(small)
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A Drive by with a link to the past
A Bit of History
Just across the road from St. Margaret’s church in Ilkley in an iron fenced enclosure are 3 carved rocks the largest of which is known as the Panorama Stone. Originally these stones stood less than a mile away to the west around SE105470 but were found to be ‘in the way’ of the development of 19th century Ilkley and were bought and removed by a Dr. Fletcher Little in 1890 who paid £10 for them. They were then moved to their present positions around 1892 and at some point during one of the moves the largest stone was broken in two places.
Over the years the carvings on the rocks have badly deteriorated due to weather and vandalism and the marks are now becoming increasingly difficult to discern. On the Panorama Stones itself there are 25 cups, 16 of which are surrounded by between 1 and 5 rings, some incomplete. Linking some of these cups and rings in complex designs are 'ladders', which consist of parallel grooves joined by perpendicular lines - these ladders are thought to be unique to this stone and the Barmishaw Stone. The next stone is smaller and has much simpler marks on its surface which consist of around 40 cups with 3 incomplete or eroded rings and some linking grooves. The final smallest stone has about a dozen cups, one of which could have a partial ring and groove.
Additional Hints
(Decrypt)
JVPXRG XRRCRE