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Welcome to Scalpcliffe Woods, a local nature reserve in the Stapenhill area of Burton-on-Trent. The area has been designated as a nature reserve for some time but recently has undergone some improvements and a new group has been formed named "Friends of Scalpcliffe Woods" with the aim to protect, enhance and maintain the site. I noticed some new information boards had been put up so what better to do than add some FYI caches based on them?
Special thanks to the Friends of Scalpcliffe Woods and to the Open Spaces team at East Staffordshire Borough Council for their kind permission to place these two caches in the woods. Please respect the posted information regarding use of the woods (you will need to read the information boards anyway) and the bye-laws.
Access to the woods is possible either from Stapenhill Road (enter by the kissing gate to the left of "Rider House") or at the top of Elms Road after all the houses on the right hand side (but before entering the cemetery) and the two caches could be done in either order. The terrain for this one reflects an average of the different possible approach routes and underfoot conditions at the time of placing but be aware there is a very steep slope between the two final locations which could be slippery when wet.
The posted co-ordinates will take you to another information board about the nature reserve. You can either collect the information from the board at the posted co-ordinates, or use the identical board near the trailhead off Elms Road (see additional waypoints). The cache can be found at N52 4A.BCD W001 3E.FGH where:
A = the number of things to do or not to do in the woods that are denoted with an icon in a red circle
B = 1 + the number of letters in the first activity or "feature" of the woods mentioned
C = there is a "typo" in one of the things to do (or not do), see clue for A. Let x be the incorrect letter (as shown on the board) and y be the correct letter, then C = x + y after converting letters to numbers in the usual way. Careful, some people appear to be trying to correct it themselves ...
D = the sum of the first digits of the two fines for damaging a tree
E = the number of letters in the country mentioned in the law related to tree preservation
F = the first digit in the shortest telephone number given on the board
G = the third digit in the shortest telephone number given on the board
H = 1 + the ratio of the minimum and maximum fines stated for damaging a tree
The checksum of all the digits in the final co-ordinates is 59.
I hope that you find this an interesting variation on the caching experience. For a full list of all FYI caches in the series, please go to the series’ very own website http://fyigeocaching.co.uk where you will be able to access a Bookmark list.
If you know of any interesting / informative Interpretation Boards (I'm sure you do!), and would like to contribute to the continued expansion of the FYI series, you will also find placement guidelines there, as well as a Contact Form to apply for a series number. Alternatively, you can contact the CO and Series Owner, FYI_Geocaching, either via the Geocaching website, or at fyigeocaching@outlook.com