Chess themed Geocache No.8 - BLACK QUEEN (Bucks)
Start by going to N51° 50.675 / W000° 36.169 where there's off-road parking at the foot of Ivinghoe Beacon, next to the B489. From here climb the path to your initial target, a white pawn around 800ft above sea level at N51° 50.532 / W000° 36.500. He has a message for you on the plate at his base. It's a four digit number proceeded by an S. We'll call this number ABBC. While you're way up here I'd suggest you do Pid's Beacon View - Round in Circles cache, which is just a short walk away. I also urge you to admire the view, if available. You can see the Black Queen from here, as well as the distant Black King and the White Queen on the horizon. In 1588 you'd have seen several of the chain of beacons warning of the approaching Spanish Armada from here, as well as being kept rather warm yourself.
Your second target is a brass plate on a wall at N51° 5C.(B-A)(B+1)(A+2) / W000° 3(B+2).(A+3)(B+2)C. To get here either return to your car or use the Ridgeway Path (which starts up here) and then a footpath that branches off it as you leave NT property. Once you've located the plaque you'll notice it's dedicated to the son of that blackest of British Queens, Victoria (1819-1901). The colour is synonymous with her because it's all she wore after the death of her husband Prince Albert in 1861 until her own death in 1901. The date on the plate in the format day/month/year is D/E/1DCF
The third location is at N51° 4D.DCB / W000° 3(E-1).(F+B)DB. Have a look at the information board on the way in. It makes for an interesting read.
Next to the door there's a large stone bearing the date 18GH.
Your final target, the Cache, is located at:
N51° 4D.(G-F)EH / W00° 3(E-1).(G-1)(A-1)H.
Happy hunting!
The cache originally contained:
1x Thing for getting crumbs and fluff out of your keyboard
1x Roll of sticky tape
2x Candles
1x Flyer for Stowe Gardens (Home to D&P's Secret Garden cache)
1x 1 Krone coin from my January '04 trip to Norway (Worth about 9p!)
1x 20c Euro coin. (Value unknown)
Plus the usual: Log book, pen, pencil, and cache note.
While you're in the area, I suggest you check (another vague Chess reference there. Did you spot it?) out Pid's
Beacon View - Round in Circles or Dan & Pid's
The Hole.
The first is a short walk and the second only a short drive away.
A small experiment - Please feel free to rate your visit to this cache out of ten in your log.