Game, Set and . . . Splash?
The cache, a tiny screw-capped sample tube, is hidden at Ilkley's tennis and squash club which is located to the west of the town on a bend in the River Wharfe.
This short multi will take you on a brief tour around limited parts of the club and should take only around 15 minutes to complete.
Note: take care to use stealth when retrieving & replacing the cache as there will always be muggles around!
Step 1: Park and secure your cachemobile in the club car park @ or near N 53 55.805 W 1 50.242 where on the inspection cover of a lamp-post on the edge of the car-park you will see the stamped name of a beautiful bird. The number of letters in this name = A
Step 2: Head past the front of the clubhouse towards N 53 55.837 W 1 50.201 where you will quickly note that there are B large yellow tennis balls painted on the wall of the practice half-court ahead.
Steps 3 & 4: Now return the short distance to N 53 55.821 W 1 50.228 at the entrance of the clubhouse. Climb the C steps up towards the entrance door where you will see an antique-style metal box attached to the wall on the right. On the heraldic shield depicted on the box front, there are D creatures (resembling lions).
Step 5: From here move past the entrance and along the front of the building to its south corner where @ N 53 55.813 W 1 50.247 attached to the wall you will see a Notice requesting a certain type of behaviour which is highlighted in larger capital letters. The alphanumeric value (A=1 B=2 C=3 etc) of the middle letter of this 7-letter word = E
Step 6: Finally move around the corner and walk a short distance along the side of the club-house to N 53 55.816 W 1 50.261 from where you can see it is supported by F pillar-stilts along the base of that side to protect it from periodic flooding of the river.
From here continue along the side of the building and around to the cache location at:
N 53 55.(A-D)EF W 1 50.(F-E)(C-1)(B+3)
The club, one of the first of its kind in the county, was established on 20 February 1880 with just 6 courts and minimal facilities housed in a small green hut. 60 families joined and in 1885 the first open tournament was held and has continued annually since apart from during the war years. Winners of the 9-day event get wildcard entry into Wimbledon.
By the end of the 1940s the facilities were revived and a new clubhouse built. Squash courts were added in the 1960s and over subsequent years, the club expanded the indoor courts and fitness centre.
A particular issue facing the club is periodic (usually winter) flooding. Being next to the River Wharfe with its rapid and dramatic flow increases during/after heavy rains, and with the increased amount of rain the area has experienced in recent years, the club is more prone to flooding than in the past. So it has had to adapt accordingly. When flooding is expected, the whole site is evacuated as the water can reach 4 feet deep on the grass courts!
The water can't enter the main clubhouse which is on stilts, but it can get into the indoor courts - in the last winter (2020) reaching 7 inches deep. The floodwater has also started to reach the artificial grass courts and, although they are built on a raised platform, it has reached 3 inches deep.
Once the water subsides members help with the clean-up. Debris and sludge is piled up, collected with a tractor and trailer and dumped back in the river. The water is pushed out of the indoor courts, which are then power-washed and put back into use after a day. Outside the water is allowed to drain away naturally, then any debris is removed and the grass brushed and cut.
In contrast, in drier summer months 20,000 L/day of water from the river is used when necessary to irrigate the outside courts.
Permission to place the cache was kindly granted by the club manager.
