NFC stands for Near Field Communication (although perhaps in this case, Near Fields Caching would be more appropriate). It is a short range communication technology, similar to that used in contactless payment cards. An NFC enabled device can communicate with another device, a contactless card, or an electronic tag by simply tapping the two together.
This cache was created when NFC was in its infancy, but since then it has become widely deployed in phones, for both payment and to enable other capabilities like configuring Bluetooth accessories.
But now on to the cache... Doing caches along the Basingstoke canal I've been very interested in the old World War II defences which are still there. I'd never realised that there was one on my doorstep (almost).
The first stage of this cache will take you to a pill box on the side of a field. This is a relatively well preserved one. When you find the "pill" hidden there (a black disc with a screw in the middle) it will give you the prescription to find the rest of the cache. If you have an NFC enabled phone, tap it against the black disc to get the final location of the cache.
If you do not have an NFC phone, don't panic, just go to the stage 2 location written on the prescription for further instructions.
But first, please read on. Take note of the footpath on the left just down the road from the pillbox. Once you have the location of the cache you will need to cross the entire field along this footpath, and look for the cache once you are out the other end. The walk doesn't take you anywhere (the footpath brings you out to a narrow bit of road between banks where cars whizz along rather fast, so do take care if you continue down the road) - but getting nowhere in particular gives you some pleasant views across the valley where the Whitewater River rises to the long thin village of Greywell. It is particularly lovely on a spring or summer evening. If you look due north when you get to the hedge halfway across you can see the ruins of Odiham Castle above the trees. When logging the cache, please include the method you used to find the final coordinates.
If you want a slightly different route back, you can walk along the edge of the field parallel to the road. This joins a footpath across someone's back yard and you'll soon be back to the starting point.
For those of you without an NFC phone, you should by now have reached the location noted in the first stage. If you haven't yet, don't worry. Just stop reading now, get walking, and continue when you get there. You are now looking out at a pastoral scene. If you wish, you may choose to sit on the nearby bench for this next part.
As you rest, breathing in the fresh country air as the pungent smells of cow manure combine with the those of the exhausts of passing cars, look carefully around you, taking particular notice of the sets of signs providing directions. One of the signs is somewhat two-faced, but just ignore this and only use its good side (or its naughty side depending on your nature - but just pick one, not both).
- The distance is given to two places. Subtract the number of whole miles (remove any fractions but set them aside for later) to the first location from the number of whole miles (again setting aside any fractions, but take care not to mix them) to the second location. A? A? Speak up lad.
- How many places B mentioned altogether on all the signs?
- If you were to turn left, how many places (according to the sign) would you C?
- Now take the fractions that you set aside earlier. Multiply them. Call the denominator X (or if you hate fractions, you may call it X#*$& - but it's the bit on the bottom.)
- Now ask Y. Ask it a few more times and you'll remember what it was like to be a 2 year old. Ask it a few more times for good measure, and in the end someone will tell you to stop. Full stop. Count them and double them. That's what you get for asking Y. Y? Just because!
- For this next part make sure you read it through before you start, and carefully avoid the bull. Count the number of cows in the field. Multiply by 9. (If there are no cows in the field imagine there are some, and count them.) Now count the cows again. (Make sure you get the same number as the first time. If not, go back and get your glasses and try again.) If you did, divide the result you got multiplying by 9 by the number of cows and this is Z. (Stop counting now or you'll start to feel very sleepy ZZZZZ...)
The only thing left for you to do now (except remembering the bit about the footpath) is to put the following into your GPS... N51 15.A(B-1)(C+5) W0 57.XYZ
Have fun.