The Trumpet-Major was written by Thomas Hardy in 1880, and was his only historical novel. It is a mix of fact and fiction that takes place in the period 1806-1808 during the Napoleonic Wars, at a time when the threat of invasion was imminent and King George III visited Weymouth each year for his summer holiday. The novel is set in and around the area of Sutton Poyntz, and this walk, if starting at the reference waypoint, takes you past locations featured in the novel. To find out more about these locations, and to be successful in answering part of the cache requirement, you will need to locate the pamphlet titled 'A Literary Walk around Sutton Poyntz - The Overcombe of Thomas Hardy', which can be found in the book library phone box (see reference waypoint).
The location of this virtual cache will take you to the Northdown Barn ruins, as seen in the bottom left photo.
To be able to write a 'found' log, you are required to carry out 2 actions:
- Take a photo with the ruins in shot, holding something with your geocaching name and total finds on display.
- Message the cache owner via the website/app with the answer to what the Northdown Barn ruins used to be used for, apart from being a barn.
To answer question 2, you will require the pamphlet. As at the time of publish, no internet search will come up with the correct answer.
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Grab a pamphlet from this phone box. I suggest you leave the car here and enjoy a circular walk that will be just over 4km. There are two steep inclines at the two most vertical points shown on the map. Enjoy a rest on Margaret's seat when you reach the top of the second incline.
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Hopefully you choose a lovely clear day to enjoy the walk, and don't forget to take binoculars to savour the views.
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Search out the pamphlet 'Sutton Poyntz - A guided historical tour' to find the story behind the inspiration of the popular Cluedo geocaching series that was set in the village in 2020.
Virtual Rewards 3.0 - 2022-2023
This Virtual Cache is part of a limited release of Virtuals created between March 1, 2022 and March 1, 2023. Only 4,000 cache owners were given the opportunity to hide a Virtual Cache. Learn more about Virtual Rewards 3.0 on the Geocaching Blog.
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