The signs can be made of different materials from fibreglass to wood, from forged steel to stone. They can depict anything from local industry to historical events. The tradition probably stated in Norfolk or Suffolk and has now spread across most of the country so cachers Smokeypugs thought they would base a series on them!
A little about the area:
The Village of Totternhoe is situated in the south west corner of Bedfordshire near to the Buckinghamshire and Hertfordshire borders in the lowlands of the Dunstable Downs & Chiltern Hills near to Whipsnade Zoo, Eaton Bray, Edlesborough and Stanbridge with the town of Dunstable about 3 miles away.
The village name has been recorded as long ago as 1086 when it was pronounced from 2 words and spelt ‘Totene’ ’hou’ meaning a ‘look out house’ and a’spur’. The ‘Knolls’ which form part of the village escarpment at one end had at one time been a fine Norman Keep and was considered a fine Motte and Bailey castle. The village is long and thin and separated into three parts: Lower End (towards Leighton Buzzard) is below the old fort, Middle End has a good way up onto the Knolls, but Church End (towards Dunstable) is where the village sign was erected on the recreation ground on March 24th 2014 and where the coordinates will bring you to. Be warned that there are swings and other playground facilities close by the vilage sign, so if you are caching with small cachers, (or even if you aren’t) you may want to allow extra time for extra curricular play!
While you are here it is well worth taking one of the footpaths up above the village for the views and the caches, where you will be exploring an area with an abundance of wildlife - the chalk hills and soil in this area of the village that forms part of the landscape harbour many different types of orchids, including the rare man orchid, cowslips, scabious and knapweed. There are many birds in the area which nest during different times such as skylarks, warblers, finches and buntings also butterflies such as the common and chalkhill blue, meadow brown and marbled white can be found Totternhoe Stone (known as Clunch) was quarried for many years and was used in Westminster and St Albans Abbeys, Woburn Abbey and the local St Giles Church (depicted on the village sign) but today is no longer – except for very small amounts to support the repair of these buildings.
Now to the Cache:
You will find all the information that you require by visiting the village sign (look carefully) and reading the cache description
A = Total number of Daisies.
B = Total number of ALL of the wheels visible on sign
C = The number of sides on the bench around the village sign?
D = The number of letters in the name (only) of the Saint that the church on the sign is named after - Church of St ______ ?
E = The Sign was erected on March 2?th 2014.
F = The Total number of green window shutters
The cache is located at –
N 51° 52. (A-2)B(C+3) W 000° 33.DEF
Happy Hunting!
If anybody would like to expand the Village Sign Series, please do. I would ask that you request a number for your cache first at www.villagesignseries.co.uk so we can keep track of the Village Sign numbers and names to avoid duplication.
Congratulations to Lujoco & Grumpalot666 and The Smokey Pugs on a rapid FTF
You can validate your puzzle solution with certitude.