Ye be looking at the 3rd part of The John Shrimpton Circular Series.
Greatings from I, John Shrimpton, knowne as "Jack" to one and all.
For those that doth not know of me I am the highwayman who ruled the route from London to Oxford in the years around 1710 and it is said there is not a stagecoach or horseman that was able to pass along the roade without being robbed by me. However few know I also robbed on other highways including the London Road from Buckingham to Aylesbury on at least one occasion. Some say I held up none other than Oliver Cromwell close to Adstock on this roade but I will never tell thee who I robbethed. To keep my gains safe I hydden some of the shillings about the fieldes and tracks of North Buckinghamshire and challenge you to finde these secret hyding places that are now markethed with geocaches.
Ye John Shrimpton Circular Series be in a sixe sectioned route covering over sixteen miles (more than twenty six of the kilometers in new money) of North Buckinghamshire countryside. It windes its way through the open fieldes and pays visit to three villages on the way, Middle Claydon, Steeple Claydon and Adstock. There be goode ale-houses at two of the villages for drinking and eating and also shoppes selling food in one.
Ye should be doing each section in the order I layethed them and, if ye be in good fettle, the full route be possible in one day. But ye may chooseth to take more than one visit or day to compleate all the route.
The first five sectiones all be multi-caches with three caches in each sectione. Sectione sixe be a single puzzyl cache which can only be founde when ye have gained all the clues from the first five sectiones. As all my money has long gone the hides are now mainly 35mm filme pots but there be also some slightly smaller micro-caches and there be some larger traditionalle caches that be able to take ye travel bugs and ye swappables. There be none of them there nano-cache types.
Ye will find a log to signe thy name in the last cache of each section and treasure if ye be First To Finde. There be also more treasure in the finale cache: There be a First To Find pin badge, an unregistered traveller (travel bug type, not a highwayman) and random collectable item - all be for the First To Find to keep as an award.
As I be a highwayman I do not leave clues to were my hydes be. Only the hinte for the firste cache of the firste sectione will be published, any other hintes will be in the caches and all will be encrypted! The first two caches of each section will only contain the co-ordinates and maby a hint for the next cache. The final cache in each sectione will have part of the code for the final cache (part sixe) and a clue for the firste cache of the nexte sectione. Ye will not be able to find the finale cache without first visiting all of the other fifteen caches.
Good luck and happy caching,
Jack
Due to the length of the hike, the difficulty level of some of the caches and a little of the terrain of this route it is recommended that young children only complete it as part of a group that includes more than one adult. I also recommend that you do not do this route on your own and it would be most enjoyable using teamwork (one section does need more than one person to get to a cache). Some caches will be impossible and very dangerous when there has been heavy rain or flooding and for this reason the route is not intended to be done in winter, but may be possible if water levels are low. You will need to climb trees, wade through running water, use tools and search in hard to reach places to get to some of the caches. Some caches will also need you to take great care not to drop them (You will know which when you find them). If you do accidently drop one please let the cache owner know as soon as possible so they can do something about it!
The route starts and finishes very close to the Natural Trust's Claydon House and there is a free car parking area on the road to the south of the house at N51 55.103 W000 57.391. You will pass close to many other caches along the route so there is a possibility of collecting further caches as you travel (but I'm not telling you which ones!).
If followed correctly about 95% of the route is on footpaths across fields and through wooded areas with most of these being little used paths, so you will need an up to date OS map to follow them as they may not be clearly marked or visible. I have tried to keep road crossings to a minimum but there is one very fast busy road to cross (twice) and other roads that can be dangerous, please take care.
Please note that although John Shrimpton was a real person there is no evidence that he visited any of the cache locations or left any money along the route.
A brief history about John Shrimpton can be found at:
http://www.exclassics.com/newgate/ng134.htm
Joint First to Find honours go to: Running Duck, mk rambling rose, Norfolk12