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Bowden Lane Well - CELF Well Dressing 3 of 9 Multi-Cache

This cache has been archived.

La Lunatica: Unfortunately there has been no response to my earlier log.
Therefore I am archiving this cache.

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Hidden : 8/13/2013
Difficulty:
2 out of 5
Terrain:
2 out of 5

Size: Size:   micro (micro)

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Geocache Description:

Chapel-en-le-Frith annual well dressing is held on the first Saturday in July and runs for a week . It is one of the largest well dressing events in the Peak District. The first stage of this stepped multicache will put you in sight of the location of the Bowden Lane 'well' if you arrive during well dressing week. Having worked out the final location you will have a walk of about 220 metres to find the cache.

This is one of my favourite well dressing locations although to my knowledge there is no actual well here.

The listed co-ordinates will take you to a place where you can receive a 'call'. Look for a number that will have been used for that call. You want the last 6 digits of that number they will be A to F (A the first of those, B the second, C the next so on until you have F the last number).

The co-ordinates of the cache are N53 19.(E-D)(B+C)(E-B) W001 54.(F-D) E (D-C)

You can check your answers for this puzzle on GeoChecker.com.

Photographs from www.welldressing.com with kind permission of Glyn Williams

Historical Background to Well Dressing

The Celts worshipped water spirits and the custom of ‘well flowering’ or ‘well dressing’ is said to have developed from their practice of honouring the water spirits with flower garlands and tree boughs at springs and water courses. Tissington in Derbyshire is the first documented well dressing (1615) however this is a much more ancient tradition.

Before the advent of piped water, villages in the Derbyshire and Staffordshire White Peak area relied on spring water bubbling up from the limestone, and the practice of thanks giving for the continued flowing of the springs and wells became formalised in well dressing on an annual basis. In the 20th century there was a resurgence of the practice of creating flower pictures and placing them around the towns and villages in historic and significant places as well as springs and wells.

The tradition for the decoration nowadays is to use flower petals, mosses, leaves, beans and seeds pressed into clay which has been mixed with water and salt and is contained in wooden frames. Each village has its own techniques and devises its own themes from year to year.

Here in Chapel-en-le-Frith the practice of well dressing has only been going since 1995 with just 2 wells, one at the Town Hall forecourt and one at Hearse House. The annual event brings many tourists to the town. There had been over 20 wells in Chapel-en-le-Frith but only Nanny’s Well survived. However most of the sites of the current well dressings are based on the former existence of a well in the vicinity. The annual event brings many tourists to the town.

Find out more about well dressing here

Additional Hints (Decrypt)

Gur pnpur vf 'pnhtug' va gur vil ba n gerr nobhg n zrger uvtu.

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)