Quainton is a village with a population of around 1300. It has 2 churches, a school and a public house. Only a few years ago there were 7 pubs, but that is no longer so.
The name Quainton (formerly known as Quainton Malet) is derived from the old English cwen tun, meaning Queen’s estate. The queen it refers to is possibly Edith, wife of Edward the Confessor. It is known that Edith had manors in the area, and Edward had a palace at nearby Brill.
Holy Cross & St.Mary parish church is 14th century. Close to the church are the Winwood Almshouses, built in 1687, these being a terrace of 8 cottages which are still inhabited.
Quainton is probably best known for the 70ft high windmill which is prominent above the village green. Built in the early 1830’s, it was derelict for most of the 20th century, until it re-opened in 1997. Although Quainton has a railway station, it is no longer used for passenger services. Occupying the site is Quainton Railway Centre, a working steam museum with one of the largest collection of locomotives, rolling stock and memorabilia in the country.
Some information for Quainton Quandary may be looked up online, but for most it will be necessary to walk the route. It is possible to use a car or bike, but some answers will only be possible on foot. The cache can only be reached on foot. A few waypoints are given, but for most answers, the information is there to be seen by walking the route. The quandary ends on the village side of open fields. The GPS signal is not good around here and tends to point towards land on either side of where you will be, but the cache is not on private property.
It is recommended that you follow the order below:
Quandary 1. The two digit number on the telegraph pole at the top left-hand side of the village green = AB. Note that there are several numbers, but there are just 2 numbers on their own.
Quandary 2. Head to the east to the Village Store. The number of large fossil ammonite indentations on the wall = C.
Quandary 3. W1: Uphill from N51°52.516 W000° 54.922. There are 2 stones in the brickwork either side of the entrance. Add the digits of the year to make DE (i.e 1066 would make 13).
Quandary 4. W2: Near to N51° 52.514 W000° 54.879. There are large numbers in the brickwork: 1F22.
Quandary 5. Return to the village green. An easy one here! The pub is The George & (what?). The number of letters = G.
Quandary 6. At the bottom of the green, the post box number is HP22 28H.
Quandary 7. W3: Near to N51° 52.436 W000° 55.164. J is the first digit (of 4) on the top metallic plate on the telegraph pole.
Now you have all the information to calculate the final co-ordinates.
The cache, a screw top tube, about twice the size of a 35ml film pot, is at N51° 52.(A-B)(C+J)(E-C) W000° 55.(F-G)(D+J)(A-H). The total co-ordinates add up to 46.
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