Nothing to do with 80s music, or with cards really, but this cache will force you to take a closer look at the famous Deck of Cards houses in Cobh town. It is a simple multi with a couple of stages and the final a short walk away. All perfectly do-able if you are here for the day on a cruise ship.
A deck of cards on a hill. Of sorts.
A Short History
West View, aka The Deck of Cards, is a gravity-defying row of candy-coloured houses stacked on a very steep hill. Probably the most photographed scene in Cobh and maybe the most photographed street in the entire country, the terraced houses are overlooked by St. Colman’s Cathedral and offer some of the most beautiful views this part of the world has to offer. They were built in 1850 and are called the Deck of Cards because, as the locals joke, if the house at the bottom fell down, all the others would pile on it, just like a deck of cards (Though I've been a local myself for 40 years and I have never once heard this anecdote). The engineering and architecture involved in their design and construction really is quite something - those Victorians knew what they were doing.
Hopefully this cache will give you a chance to look at the deck of cards from all angles at the three stages and gain an appreciation for them.
The cache
You start this incredible multi-adventure at the most famous social media related viewing point of the deck of cards. Thats right, you are standing looking straight at an old brick wall, and unless you are unnaturally tall you won't be able to see anything. This fact confuses many tourists, who walk around looking for that famous viewpoint which is obviously easy to access. Well, it isn't. Stick your camera up over the wall.
If you come off a cruise ship to find this cache, I'm always interested in knowing which one, as I can see them from my kitchen window.
Stage 1: Posted Coordinates: You'll see a telegraph pole, with a number on it beginning in F. Let the last digit of the number be A.
Stage 2: The little park at N 51° 51.107' W 8° 17.739': Here you'll see a grey stone with a bird in white and a small Irish flag. How many people is this dedicated to? Let this number be B.
Stage 3: Starting at N 51° 51.154' W 8° 17.736': You'll be standing at the top of the Deck of Cards. Walk down and count the number of houses in the line. Don't include the ugly garage at the bottom. Let this number be CD.
Final location: Calculate using the following formula. As per geocaching tradition, work left to right and no BOMDAS!
N51º 51.(A-D-C)(B)(D+D+C) W008º 17.(B+1)(A-1)(D+D+C)
References:
- https://www.visitcobh.com/shop/things-to-see/west-view/walk-up-the-deck-of-cards/
- https://www.locationscout.net/ireland/8112-deck-of-cards-cobh-ireland