The Lost Shell of Shell Corner Mystery Cache
The Lost Shell of Shell Corner
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Difficulty:
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Terrain:
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Size: 
(small)
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The Lost Shell of Shell Corner
Please note – you need to follow the instructions below before heading out to find this cache!
This cache is not at the listed co-ordinates – the following text explains how to find the actual co-ordinates.Once upon a time (well, today), in a kingdom far, far away (okay, Blackheath) there was a secret, hidden kingdom called Shell Corner. The citizens of Shell Corner have their own King and Queen, who live in a wonderful palace and own an amazing collection of Royal Jewels. The prize piece in their collection is the Royal Shell, the Kingdom’s symbol and a key part of their coat of arms.
All sounds lovely, doesn’t it? Sadly there’s a problem - the Royal Shell has been stolen!! Can you help the citizens to get their prized possession back?
Luckily there was a witness to the theft, but unfortunately this was a very odd character known as the Royal Rememberer. This eccentric chap is in charge of remembering everything that happens in the Kingdom, but he is, in fact, quite forgetful. He saw the Royal Shell being stolen and managed to follow the thief to where it’s been hidden, but unfortunately the technique he used to remember the hiding place’s co-ordinates is so complicated he can’t recall all of the information, so he needs your help to reconstruct the details.
What you’ll need to do is harness the power of Google Street View and take a trip around the Kingdom to help the Rememberer find out where the Royal Shell has been taken. When you work out the co-ordinates you can then leave your computer and venture out into the real world and hopefully find the Royal Shell.
To load Google Street View please use this link: https://www.google.co.uk/maps/@52.470534,-2.032653,3a,75y,84.53h,82.09t/data=!3m4!1e1!3m2!1sZDpzAO0pa9BI_7EMAnLyMA!2e0?hl=en
If this link doesn’t work, go to http://maps.google.co.uk/ and search for "Shell Corner, Halesowen". Click and drag the yellow 'peg man' icon and drop it at the left end of Belgrave Road, which should be near the middle of your screen. When Street View loads, if you are facing the island simply drag the map around to turn and look behind you.
There is a useful guide on how to use Street View here: https://support.google.com/maps/answer/3093484?hl=en
When you’re in Street View please follow these instructions to navigate your way around the Kingdom:
****** START OF STREET VIEW INSTRUCTIONS ******
Start at Belgrave Road, and head east (away from the main Shell Corner roundabout). A little way along the street there is a yellow skip on the left-hand side. What is the last number on the bottom row of numbers on the skip? That number minus 2 = A.
Continue along Belgrave Road in the same direction. As you approach Clifton Road, there is a child on a bicycle on the right-hand side. What colour is their outfit? The number of letters in the word plus 4 = B.
Turn left (north) into Clifton Road. Not far along the road there is a large conifer-type hedge on the left-hand side. The Royal Rememberer used the colour of the paint which has been spilled on the road here to record part of the Royal Shell’s co-ordinates. If you are in doubt about the exact colour it is one of the three primary colours. The number of letters in the word plus 1 = C.
Continue along Clifton Road, ignoring the two side street offshoots. When you reach the end of the road turn left (west) onto Masters Lane. Travel along Masters Lane until you reach Nimmings Road, where you should cross straight over into Green Lane. If you progress along this road a little way you will come across a red-coloured house on the right with a prominent tree just outside it. The front door of the house is open - what is the date above the door? The second digit of the date = D.
Continue westward along Green Lane. When you reach Clement Road on the left hand-side continue straight along Green Lane. Shortly before the end of the road (next to the church) you will notice an unusual building on the right hand-side, which says Age Concern on it. What colour is the building? The number of letters in the colour plus 2 = E.
Carry on along Green Lane, and you will very shortly reach the A4034 (Long Lane). When you do, turn left (south-east). Carry on along the road, past the window manufacturers and the tyre shop; until you reach the supermarket on the left hand-side (it has sacks of onions and potatoes out the front). Zoom in on the sign above the front door of the store - how many mix & match items can you buy for £9.99? The amount you can buy for £9.99 minus 3 = F.
Turn back around and continue on the same way as you were originally heading. When you reach Malt Mill Lane on your right turn into it (you will now be heading westwards). A short way up this road there are two recycling banks on the right hand side, just past the large WMS sign. What colour are these recycling banks? The number of letters in the colour minus 3 = G.
Carry on along Malt Mill Lane in the direction you were originally heading. When you get to Victoria Road on your right ignore it and carry on a little further. When you reach Olive Hill Road on your left turn into it. As you reach Maple Road on your left turn into it, then look immediately to your right. You will see a very cool vehicle outside the garage of the end house – what colour is the bottom half? The number of letters in the word minus 2 = H.
Continue down Maple Road (now heading north-east). When you reach Woodland Road on the right-hand side ignore it and continue straight. Just before you rejoin the main road (Long Lane) there is a right turning – ignore this too. When you reach the end of Maple Road there is a shop directly in front of you with a black & white sign. There are three words in the name of the shop and the middle word is actually a number. That number plus 7 = I.
Turn right onto the A4034 (Long Lane) – you will now be heading south-east. Before long you will reach a garage on the right-hand side. Above the garage’s reception is the sign for a snooker club. What colour is the first letter of the name? The number of letters in the word minus 4 = J.
****** END OF STREET VIEW INSTRUCTIONS ******
That’s it; you should now have all of the information you need so you can now close Street View! You should now piece all of the information together to hopefully find the co-ordinates of the Royal Shell.
The Shell’s co-ordinates are: N52 AB.CDE W002 FG.HIJ
You can check your answers for this puzzle on Geochecker.com.
The final location is a little outside of the Kingdom as there was nowhere suitable to place a cache within Shell Corner but it’s not too far away. You will need to use stealth at the final location though! There is parking nearby.
The cache itself is an unusual container with room for a few small swaps or trackables.
Any problems with the cache please leave a note or contact us through our profile or directly at adamandbeckychater@gmail.com
We're aware that at some point the Street View images will be updated so when this happens we'll disable the cache temporarily and update what you need to look for. If you find that any of the information is missing because of an update to Street View please let us know! Good luck!
Additional Hints
(Decrypt)
Ab uvag, fbeel! Gur uvqvat cynpr fubhyq or snveyl boivbhf jura lbh trg gurer - vs abg cyrnfr pbagnpg hf sbe n pyhr.