THE CACHE IS NOT LOCATED AT THE ABOVE
COORDINATES!!
This is
part of a series of two caches, details below. Each can be logged
separately but you are going to find it hard to find the second
cache without completing the first cache.
The Story...
Sherlock Gnomes is the greatest
detective ever known in the world of the Magical and Underground
Races (or “Little People” as they sometimes called). He is probably
the greatest detective anywhere in the universe for that matter. He
has foiled more evil plots and captured more villains than even the
fictional detectives so loved by humans (or “Biggas” as they are
often called by the Little People).
The problem is he has gone
missing!
He was last known to be chasing
one of the most evil megalomaniacs in history: a Bigga known only
as “Hairy Overlord”.
Hairy Overlord had often crossed
paths with Sherlock Gnomes, who had so far foiled all of his
attempts to subjugate the Magical people and use them in his evil
plans to rob and cheat Biggas. His aim eventually seems to be total
world domination.
M.U.P.P.E.T.S (Magical and
Underground Peoples Police, Espionage and Terrorism Squad) believe
Sherlock has been captured and imprisoned by Hairy Overlord
somewhere close to one of the portals where the Underground World
meets our world. They have some information but need YOUR help to
locate the secret prison that holds Sherlock Gnomes. If you succeed
in locating his prison then you can release him so that he can do
what he does best: foiling evil Hairy Overlord’s dastardly
plans!
BEWARE! Hairy Overlord has many
spies, some human some from the Little People. They can be
disguised as dog walkers or children, often they can move invisibly
and silently to appear right beside you! Be careful not to let them
spot you or they will alert Hairy Overlord and Sherlock may never
be seen again!
Are you ready to help M.U.P.P.E.T.S
and locate Sherlock’s prison?
To do so will not be easy. You will need to use guile, brainpower
and a little legwork.
The task is broken into three
separate parts, the first two form one challenge "The Key to the
Magical Cell. You need to complete this two part challenge before
you can move on to the final part, "Sherlock Gnomes Tastes Freedom"
which is listed as a separate cache. Finding the coordinates to the
second cache without following the trail will be extremely
difficult!
The caches are:
Cache 1- “Sherlock Gnomes - The Key to the Magical Cell”
(GC1E898)
Cache 2- “Sherlock Gnomes - Tastes Freedom”
(GC1E89B)
Expect a walk of about 2.5 km to complete the tasks.
I would also recommend that you take
a paper and pen, as you may need it!
THE KEY TO THE MAGICAL CELL
This is the first, two-part task.
THE CACHE ITSELF IS
NOT LOCATED AT THE ABOVE COORDINATES!!
You need to travel to this
location to begin your mission. There is ample parking near to
these coordinates. There is no cache container at this location,
you are searching for secret Gnomic dot notation to give you the
exact coordinates for the cache.
Once you find the Gnomic dot code you must note the digits it
represents... there is a twist however! You should bear in mind
that Gnomic dot code is written in octal! You will need to convert
this before entering it into your GPS.
We believe Sherlock visited this
location on his way to place whose exact location is unknown, but
we believe it was close to a gateway between the world of the
"Little People" and the Human World. This gateway is located at the
coordinates given below as the "Gnome Hole". You should expect to
exchange the last three digits of the Northing and Westing for the
Gnome Hole with the figures you have deciphered from the dot code.
They should not be all that far apart.
The "Gnome Hole" may be worth a
look but beware- it is hazardous! You risk falling into another
world! Take particular care of children; I would advise keeping
them on a lead as there are several potential dangers.
Sherlock's visit to these first
coordinates was not just to lay a trail for M.U.P.P.E.T.S to follow
should he ever end up in a situation like this one. He also posted
a letter back to base, the contents of which are in code. The
letter reads:
eqhr
nglr nwew nczx rrub nwew
We believe the Key to this code is in a cache at the location given
by the Gnomic dot code. You should have worked out this location
and entered it in to your GPS by now so what are you waiting for!
Go find the cache!
When you get there you will need
to decrypt the above code. Don’t worry, take note of the tips
below, the instructions are in the box!
OK. Now for a few
tips:
The Gnomic dot code should be very obvious to spot (no pun
intended). Your job is to count the dots. Sherlock may wear a
Deerstalker and smoke a pipe but it’s the magnifying glass you will
find most useful unless you have good eyesight!
Check out Octal (base 8) before attempting since you will have to
be able to convert the numbers you find to Denary (base 10 or
decimal) before you can use them.
There are two sets of dots, the first is the last three digits of
the Northing and the second give the last three digits of the
Westing for the cache.
Parking is available across the road from the starting location.
There is a café just a short distance up the road in the direction
of the motorway junction. You can eat a bacon butty and drink tea
while you do your sums if you like!
The cache is a reasonably sized clip-lock container with room for
several swaps, TB’s, etc. It isn’t the deepest of boxes so don’t
take anything too bulky!
There is the modest prize of a “First to Find” badge for the lucky
FTF’er to treasure… what was that... who said we were
cheap!
All the information you need to decipher the code is provided in
the cache with the exception of the encrypted text. Please ensure
you have a copy!
We would advise taking a pen and some paper to make decryption
easier.
Not far from this location is a very convenient spot to sit for a
while and crack a code without looking too conspicuous. You should
spot this location on your way to the cache.
Please feel free to take the code key and information to the more
convenient spot but be sure to return it afterwards for the next
visitor.
Beware when searching for and retrieving the cache. There are
several hazards like nettles, brambles, sudden drops and even
snakes in the grass! If you don’t believe me I can show you photos
of the after effects of an adder bite I suffered not far from this
location. You have been warned!
The paths in this area are generally very good, even after rain. It
shouldn't be hard to avoid any muddy patches. Please stick to the
paths and out of the crops, there are many paths to explore around
here so you should have fun.