The cache is not at the stated coordinates.
The York, Newcastle and Berwick (Y,N & B) railway opened the station in Hovingham on 19th May 1853 on it's route between Malton and Thirsk, just to the east of the Hemsley - Malton road, what is now the B1257.
The railway company changed the station name to Hovingham Spa on 1st October 1896 in an attempt to generate more business as the local landowners, The Worsley Family, were keen to promote the village as 'a place of considerable resort and spa'.
When the station opened it had a low level single platform on the southside of the line, with a two storey brick built stationmaster house, a goods yard and warehouse. In 1865 the Y,N & B railway became part of the North Eastern Railway, the platform was extended at the standard height above the railhead of 2 foot 6 inches. Hovingham Spa station was one of five station on this line that had a two level platform. The section of platform in front of the station building remained at it's original height to accomodate the windows which would have had their sills at platform level if it had been raised.
Passenger traffic was heavy in the early years, behind only Helmsley and Kirbymoorside, but it declined severely in the 1920's resulting it closing to regular passenger services on 1st January 1931. Summer excursions plus Football specials trains still called at the station until the early 1960's, the last one being a Sunday school excursion to Scarborough.
For a small station Hovingham Spa had a reasonable goods yard, timber felled from the nearly Worsley Estate left the village by rail as well as livestock, grain and farm produce. The size of the goods yard expanded over the years.
The heyday for goods came in the 1950's when it handled great quantities of limestone from the nearby Wath quarry. The goods facilities had been extended in 1948 to allow for high level loading of the limestone into the railway wagons. By the limestone business statred to decline in 1960 as the need for limestone to line steel furnaces came was no longer required.
The station finally closed to all railway business on 10th August 1964.
The Cache
The stated coordinates are what was the public entrance to Hovingham Spa station, it's now a private residence please do not trespass on the property.
Approx. 100 yards/metres south of the stated coordinates the B1257 crosses over Marr's Beck. On the southern end of the eastern side of the brdge is white oval plate displaying three letters and three numbers, use the convention A=1, B=2 to convert the letters to numberic values.
The cache can be found AB.CD metres away at a bearing of EFG.HJ
A - value of the third letter
B - value of the second letter subtracted from the value of the third letter
C - half the value of the third letter
D - a third of the value of third letter
E - value of the first number plus the value of the third number
F - value of the second number
G - twice the value of E
H - value of the first number
J - Twice the value of B
This is a Letterbox cache please leave the stamp in the cache, it is not a trade item.
About SideTracked Caches
This cache belongs to the SideTracked series. It is not designed to take you to a magical place with a breath taking view. It's a distraction for the weary traveller, but anyone else can go and find it too.
To find out more about 'SideTracked Series' of caches click here