Clambering with the Classics #10 Mystery Cache

Welcome to the 'Clambering with the Classics' series of caches.

The brief is fairly simple - find the answers to the questions below and then go find the cache. However, as is often the way though the practicalities may not always be quite so easy! This is the final cache of the series and you will have needed to complete the previous nine to obtain the co-ordinates for this cache.

The Intention

The idea behind this series of 10 caches is to create a series that combined two of my favourite pastimes (other than caching) - reading and clambering round at height (in this case in trees), and to cover all the 4.5 terrain points too with a progressively more difficult series of questions/clues, all of which are based on a 'classic' book. And when I say 'classic' I mean within popular boundaries (nothing too high brow here) - this will of course be subjective to the individual, but I hope you will agree all the books are in some way 'classics', whether well established or modern. ***The difficulty rating will be based only on the questions/book, as the terrain for each will be broadly similar, at 4.5, as each will involve a decent tree climb (not the one in the side pictures - that's just a random tree I have photographed) to get the physical cache.***

The first eight in the series can be done in any order you wish

The Challenge

So far you should have worked out eight books, one for each of the first eight caches, and then got the first 'bonus' cache (number 9).

The Terrain and Cache

As mentioned above, each in the series before this final bonus is rated as 4.5 on the terrain side of things due to the fact that each cache is in a tree which will need climbing to get to the cache (because to claim the cache you need, or at least one person in your party needs, to actually get to the cache and sign the log, not just see the cache).

So here's the safety bit - just because I have placed the caches in the trees does not mean that that tree is safe to climb, only that I was happy to climb it when I placed it. If you arrive at GZ and you think it is not in your capabilities to get up and down, or you do not have the correct equipment (and/or not know how to use it!) then walk away - the decisions to climb (and therefore the consequences) are entirely your responsibility. Please also remember that branches can break or get weakened over time, rain or wet branches will make things slippery and winds will all increase the difficulty/danger.

Having said all of that I had great fun setting these caches up so I don't want to put you off at all - but you alone take responsibility for your own actions as I cannot take responsibility for them.

Right, that's the formalities over with!  Onto the fun.

The Bonus Caches

This is the final cache (and 2nd bonus) which you will only be able to attempt after solving the caches numbered 1-8 AND the 1st bonus (no. 9) before this AND climbed all the trees because you will need to make a note of each tree that you have climbed. As such it attracts a cumulative 5/5 D/T rating.

The Questions

For simplicity the term 'common name' is just that - the standard UK name, and the term 'Latin name' refers to the scientific name or genus of the tree - and I shall only use the genus, so for instance, if the tree is a Norway Maple only the genus for maple (Acer) is needed, not the full name of Acer platanoides. Similarly only the word 'maple' is needed for the common name. So:

N51 then:

1. A = Tree number 3 - the number of letters in the common name.
2. B = Tree number 1 - the position in the alphabet of the first letter of the common name.
3. C = Tree numbers 5 and 9 - The total number of letters in both names of tree 5 and the common name of tree 9. Divide this total by two.
4. D = Tree number 7 - the number of letters in the common name minus the number of letters in the Latin name.
5. E = Tree number 8 - the total number of vowels in both the common and Latin name.

W002 then:

1. F = Tree number 2 - add together the position in the alphabet of the first and third letter in the Latin name.
2. G = Tree number 6 - the number of letters in the common name, minus the number of letters in the Latin name.
3. H = Tree number 9 - the position in the alphabet of the first letter in the common name minus the position in the alphabet of the last letter in the common name.
4. I = Tree number 5 -  the number letter L's in the common name plus the number of consonants in the Latin name.
5. J = Tree number 4 - add together the number of letters in both the common and Latin names, then minus the postion in the alphabet of the last letter in the common name.

So, a straightforward substitution in the formula N51 AB.CDE W002 FG.HIJ gives you the position of the cache. Any problems, then please do contact me

You can validate your puzzle solution with certitude.

Permission for this cache kindly given by the Woodland Trust. 

I really hope that you enjoyed this series as much as I enjoyed setting it!!