This multi cache will take you on a little walk which starts at the bottom of Steep Hill, you then go up the hill and take a walk round the outside of Lincoln Cathedral, past the Lincoln Imp before hopefully ending up at the cache where there will be a little stash waiting for you.
We expect the walk will take about 30 minutes if you don't make too many stops walking up the hill, but you probably will need to make stops so allow yourself about an hour. Co-ordinates are very jumpy given the proximity of the buildings so it will be a good idea to keep your eyes open for the required information, none of them should be too difficult to spot. The difficulty and terrain reflect the whole walk rather than just the cache location itself.
So we begin at the listed co-ordinates which are at the foot of Steep Hill on the junction of High Street and The Straight. Here you will find your first piece of information needed in order to end up finding the cache. You will then head on up Steep Hill stopping every so often to grab the information you need and hopefully giving you a little history lesson of the area while doing so.
You will then head to the Castle Square at the top of the hill and do a loop of the cathedral. A little bit about the castle and cathedral follows:
Lincoln Castle
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Lincoln Castle is a major castle constructed in Lincoln, England during the late 11th century by William the Conqueror on the site of a pre-existing Roman fortress. The castle is unusual in that it has two mottes. It is only one of two such castles in the country, the other being at Lewes in Sussex. Lincoln Castle remained in use as a prison and law court into modern times, and is one of the better preserved castles in England; the Crown Courts continue to this day. It is open to the public as a museum. Lincoln castle remains one of the most impressive Norman castles in the United Kingdom. It is still possible to walk around the immense Norman walls which provide a magnificent view of the castle complex, together with panoramic views of the cathedral, the city, and the surrounding countryside.
Lincoln Cathedral
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Lincoln Cathedral (in full The Cathedral Church of the Blessed Virgin Mary of Lincoln, or sometimes St. Mary's Cathedral) is a cathedral located in Lincoln in England and seat of the Bishop of Lincoln in the Church of England. Building commenced in 1088 and continued in several phases throughout the medieval period. It was reputedly the tallest building in the world for 238 years (1311–1549). The central spire collapsed in 1549 and was not rebuilt. It is highly regarded by architectural scholars; the eminent Victorian writer John Ruskin declared: "I have always held... that the cathedral of Lincoln is out and out the most precious piece of architecture in the British Isles and roughly speaking worth any two other cathedrals we have."
Lincoln Imp
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One of the stone carvings within the Cathedral is the Lincoln Imp. There are several variations of the legend surrounding the figure. According to 14th-century legend, two mischievous imps were sent by Satan to do evil work on Earth. After causing mayhem elsewhere in Northern England the two imps headed to Lincoln Cathedral, where they smashed tables and chairs and tripped up the Bishop. An angel appeared in the Angel Choir and ordered them to stop. One of the imps sat atop a stone pillar and started throwing rocks at the angel whilst the other cowered under the broken tables and chairs. The angel turned the first imp to stone, allowing the second imp to escape. The imp that turned to stone can still be found sitting atop his stone column in the Angel Choir. There are several stories surrounding what then happened to the second imp, one states that the escaped imp was turned to stone as it tried to escape the cathedral, and sharp-eyed visitors can spot it on a South outside wall which you will pass on your journey, see additional waypoint.
So, enough of the stories, time to make some of your own. Here is what you will need to do to find this cache:
The stages will lead you to areas up the hill and around the cathedral, at these stages you will find information needed to find the cache.
The cache can be found at N53° AB.CDE W000° VW.XYZ
All you need to do is trade the letters for numbers, here's how:
You will need to go to the listed co-ordinates which are at the foot of Steep Hill, here there is a sign on the wall stating how Steep Hill won Britain's Great Street, this happened in 20?2 but what is the missing number? This number is your A co-ordinate.
Now time to start the uphill walk to Jews House, here again you will see a sign on the wall, have a read and find the year that it was built, that year is 1?70. This time your missing number is your E co-ordinate.
The next stage takes you to the Mayor's Chair, a chance for a sit down after the exhausting hill climb, you will need to look for the sign and find what year the seats were erected. The last digit of this year is your X co-ordinate.
Hope you enjoyed your sit down but it's time to move again, this time to Harding House. This house was restored in 1?62. ? is your C co-ordinate.
Onwards to another house for this stage, this time you need to find the name of the house, it's a mans name. How many letters does this mans name have. This number is your Z co-ordinate.
Your next stage takes you to the castle gates where you will find a number of canons, the number of canons at the given co-ordinates is your W co-ordinate.
Across the square toward the Exchequergate, here you will see a sign telling of the West gatehouse from a certain century, this century has two digits, add them two digits together for your Y co-ordinate.
Time to walk around the cathedral to your next stage, you will need to find out how long it will take you to walk from here to Cathedral, Castle and High St. It's that easy. This number is your V co-ordinate.
A walk past the legendary Lincoln Imp is next, there is no information to find here but a photo of you with the Imp would be a brilliant addition to your log so take the time to say hello.
On to your next clue, this will lead you to a statue of a famous Lord, but he is not alone. You need to find out the total number of legs the statue figures have (assuming none of them had lost any legs at any time of their lives). This is your D co-ordinate.
And to your final clue, at the given co-ordinates you will see a number of shields on the wall. How many? This then should be your B co-ordinate.
You should now have all your numbers needed to replace the letters and work out your final co-ordinates to enable you to go and find the cache.
Good luck and we hope you enjoyed your walk around a little historic part of Lincoln.