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The Naked Lady Multi-Cache

Hidden : 6/20/2010
Difficulty:
2 out of 5
Terrain:
3 out of 5

Size: Size:   small (small)

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Geocache Description:


Like the hundreds of thousands of other trees being cut down to make way for the £371million road tunnel, the ancient beech was destined for the chop. That was until foresters pointed out the wartime carving of the naked woman and the inscription etched on the trunk. The Highways Agency agreed to alter the path of the tunnel to keep the lady in her place. Way off the beaten track and screened by a holly bush, the 400-year-old beech and its somewhat younger carving will stand as a silent sentinel at Devil's Punchbowl at Hindhead in Surrey, when the road opens in 2011.

Although the Forestry Commission, the National Trust and some historians were aware of the tree, no one has been unable to unlock its secret. The carving of the woman, depicted as a typical caricature of a Second World War pin-up, is about two feet tall. Although Forestry Commission rangers had known about the tree for many years, they kept it a secret because they did not want it attacked by vandals.
It was exposed when contractors marking out the line of the 1.1 mile A3 tunnel realised it was in the path of the chainsaws. After discussions with conservationists, they shifted the boundary slightly so the tree remains untouched.

I'm not 100% sure if the small car park which serves the Youth Hostel (co-ords below) is still accessible; you can still get to the Youth Hostel from Thursley but don't know about the car park. I've also included a waypoint for the start of the footpath but am aware that they have started ripping up the old A3 so take care if they allow access.

An alternative route to the cache is to visit the North viewing platform (and the Mad Moles of the North cache) and then follow the fence line over the tunnel and down the hill. Nice steep climb back up though :)

I've increased the rating based on the current accessibility issues... I may review these once work has finished?

The co-ordinates are for the Naked Lady.

Find the date of the carving - this is A/B/CD

Now use these numbers to find the nearby final cache:

N 51 07.(B-1)A0 W000 CD.0(B+D)(A+C)

The cache is a clip lock container.

Thanks to Matt Cussack and Parmstro for granting permission/liaising with NT. Geocaching on National Trust property is at your own risk.

Additional Hints (Decrypt)

654 ebbgf

Decryption Key

A|B|C|D|E|F|G|H|I|J|K|L|M
-------------------------
N|O|P|Q|R|S|T|U|V|W|X|Y|Z

(letter above equals below, and vice versa)