Sing as You Go
N. 51 29.980 W. 000 08.042
This cache is loosely based on ghostly locations. It's a very pleasant stroll and signals are generally good. I would suggest that you avoid the hours of darkness.
BEFORE YOU GO CHECK THAT THE CROSSWORD PRINTS OUT OK. IF NOT GO TO MY LOG AUGUST 18th 2008 AND PRINT FROM THE IMAGE THERE.
The cache is a very small packet tucked away somewhere containing a log sheet and Geocaching info and a sheet for your thoughts. Bring your own pen/pencil please. Please take care replacing with a new bit of camouflage.
To keep you in good "spirits" I have tried to put some of the clues to well known tunes.
Some answers are simple and a few will take a bit of thought. Start at the above co-ordinates which are for an Underground Station.
WP1. N. 51 30.028 W. 000 07.985
There is a local tradition that, at the stroke of midnight on 1 August (the anniversary of the Queen’s death), the statue climbs down from the pedestal and walks up and down the street three times. No doubt, as the Queen keeps her annual vigil, she pauses to admire what is architecturally one of the finest streets in London.
? I’m a Little Teapot ?
I went off to London with a plan,
First I went to see Queen Anne.
Ev’ry First of August quite contrary,
Goes and looks for an Antiquary.
The answer = (two words) 7 DOWN and 14 ACROSS.
WP2. N. 51 30.053 W. 000 07.906
A headless lady is often seen on these steps then moving across the pavement and drifting over the road in the direction of St James’s Park, opposite. The Times, told in January 1804, of two Coldstream Guards who were so frightened by her that they were confined to hospital, where they remained seriously ill for some considerable time. In 1972, a motorist driving along here late at night collided with a lamppost when he swerved to avoid a woman in a red dress who suddenly appeared before him. Amazingly, the history of the mysterious haunting was brought up at the subsequent court case and the motorist was acquitted of dangerous driving!
The name of these steps is 4 ACROSS
WP3. N. 51 30.127 W. 000 08.109
A headless woman (another one!?) is sometimes seen in this vicinity. She rises slowly from the dark rippling waters and drifts slowly across the surface of the lake. Reaching dry land, she breaks into a frenzied run, her arms flailing wildly about her. Petrified onlookers stand rooted to the spot as the headless figure rushes towards the bushes and vanishes. In life, she is thought to have been the wife of a sergeant in the guard who murdered her in the 1780s. Having hacked off her head, he buried it in a secret location before flinging her body into the lake, which was then little more than an expanse of marshy ground. Since that fateful day her headless spectre searches in vain for its missing head.
Which is nothing at all to do with the question!
? London Bridge is Falling Down ?
Jamie's bridge just must be viewed,
Must be viewed,
Must be viewed,
But what bird must not have food?
That’s the question.
(Wordsworth, eat your heart out!)
Answer = 12 DOWN
WP4. N. 51 30.228 W. 000 08.307
Sonia Marsh, a clerk, was working alone in this large white house one Saturday afternoon when she got the uneasy feeling that something was watching her. Looking into the darkness, she saw a greyish, smoky, triangular mass coming towards her in a bobbing motion. Petrified, she leapt to her feet, grabbed her coat and raced from the building into the chill of a gloomy October afternoon. When on Monday morning she told a colleague of her experience, the woman commented, 'It was probably the Old Duke of Connaught.' Arthur, Duke of Connaught, the third son of Queen Victoria, lived here from 1900 until his death in 1942. It would appear, however, that his ghost was roaming the corridors and rooms of his London home for several years afterwards.
Look through the gates and tell me the name of this house.
Answer = 9 DOWN.
WP5. N. 51 30.210 W. 000 08.480
Here you will find an engraved (embossed) plaque.
Using the letters you find at the given positions you should end up with a cryptic rhyme.
First line: 12th, 31st, X, 6th, 7th // 5th, 31st, 2nd, 2nd, 6th, 7th // W, 31st, 5th, 22nd // US // 31st, 4th, S, 31st, 7th, 6th //
Second line: W, 22nd, 3rd, 5th // 36th, 31st, 4th, 7th // OF // 1st, 6th, 17th, S, 9th, 4th // 12th, 31st, 39th, 22nd, 5th // 22nd, 3rd, V, 6th // 7th, 31st, 6th, 7th//
Think about the answer as you wander on.
WP6. N. 51 30.292 W. 000 08.716
? Trees ?
I thought that I would never see,
Four ten ten stuck upon a tree.
I turned and to the path I trod,
Then same again across the sod,
And so I ask you to enquire,
What kind of tree do you admire?
Answer = (two words) 8 ACROSS and 12 ACROSS
WP7. N. 51 30.277 W. 000 08.486
Stand in this lovely spot, close your eyes and you may hear a muffled curse, the clash of steel or the sound of gunshots.
The answer to the cryptic rhyme may have stood here. = 13 ACROSS.
How many trees surround this spot = 5 DOWN.
WP8. N. 51 30.272 W. 000 08.447
This is ‘The Tree of Death.’ No birds sing from its branches, and dogs avoid it. A general feeling of melancholy is said to emanate from it, which may account for the high number of suicides that have been found hanging from its branches. A few witnesses have been scared witless by a throaty, gurgling chuckle that suddenly sounds from inside the tree.
? The Wild Rover ?
As I sat and gazed at this ghostly old tree,
Along came a doggie with thoughts of a wee.
I was not surprised when away the dog slunk,
He was scared by the moans that came out of the trunk.
And it’s no nay never..dum-dum-dum-dum,
Tell me what kind of tree?
Just ask the Park Ranger,
He’ll tell you, (maybe.)
The answer = (two words) 10 DOWN and 11 ACROSS.
WP9. N. 51 30.375 W. 000 08.254
? Nellie Dean ?
There’s an old ghost in this pub,
Not Nellie Gwyn!
But to find him you must ask,
Proceed within.
Well the barmaid may not know,
To the leaflet you must go.
How many steps are there,
That lead to the kitchin?
Deduct 70
Answer = 2 ACROSS and 3 DOWN.
(Should this pub be closed the number you need is engraved into the concrete of the next building.)
WP10. N. 51 30.416 W. 000 08.440
On your way to the last clue check the colour of the posts. This is the colour of the crossword squares you will need for the final location.
WP11. N. 51 30.553 W. 000 08.778
Number 50 is said to be the most haunted house in England. The spooky goings on are too numerous to describe here. Suffice it to say that even the external brickwork is said to give off psychic energy. Those with the gift can feel the psychic jolt when touching the wall.
This is not the house you wwant. Close by is another haunted house to find.
? A nightingale sang in …..?
I may be right,
This is the place,
I’m perfectly willing to swear.
Just find the club,
And ask, “who was,
The infamous man who gambled there?”
Answer = (two words) 1 ACROSS and 1 DOWN.
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I don't know why but the colours of a printed version are not always correct. So be sure to use the web version when working out the final coords. Now use the colour of the posts and find the numerical position in the alphabet of the six letters. Call these X in each case and the final co-ordinates will be:
N. 51 30.(x+1)(x-1)(x-5) W. 000 08.(x+6)(x+2)(x-4)
This is for the centre of this area. There are a large number of seats here all dedicated to someone. You need to find the seat dedicated to the person whose name is an anagram of the following letters from the crossword. One light blue, two yellows, two greens, two reds plus two M's. Take a seat and have a rest.Then go to the rear of the bench and walk across the grass Just over the path is a very obvious location. The cache is a small packet./>
PLEASE USE ALL YOUR CACHING EXPERTISE TO ACT CASUAL WHEN RETRIEVING AND REPLACING THE CACHE.