Skyline Vertigo! Multi-Cache
TheOldfields: Time for this one to disappear.
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A 5km circular walk around the University of Bath along part of the Bath Skyline walk. Definitely not suitable for pushchairs or toddlers!
Suggest you park in the pay and display Park and Ride car park here or park on the road (free) near the RSPCA Dogs Home here. Anyway, it makes no difference as it's a circular walk!
The best route from the Dogs Home to the first clue at Sham Castle is to cross over Convocation Avenue and walk along a residential street (The Avenue) heading west - you'll have to use a footpath at first to get onto it. When it meets the main road turn a sharp right heading north. Once in the University grounds (after 100m or so) turn left and walk along the path (it has a 7' high stone wall on its left) that leads to a footbridge which you cross over.
So by now, whether you parked in the car park or near the Dogs Home, you're getting within a few hundred yards of your first clue at Sham Castle. The coordinates given for the start of this multi-cache is Sham Castle.
Once here note the answer to this question - "When was Sham Castle built?". Your answer is a four digit number, abcd. Ralph Allen built this "castle" so as to have a nice view from his town house in the centre of Bath! Whilst here you might like to do the Wombles' geocache, "Sham Castle" (GC8DEC) which incidentally was our first find.
Now follow the Skyline Walk clockwise around Claverton Down heading north at this stage, aiming for a stile here:
N 51 23.(abc)+110 W 2 19.(c-d)(b-d)(b)
If you want a waypoint en route then aim for the huge TV transmitter mast! There are some fine views to be had from just a bit past the mast - in fact four other geocaches are "visible" - "City lights" to the north, "Brown's Folly" to the east, and two in Bathampton, the village at the foot of the hill...
Once at the stile, count the number of carved arrows on the nearby post. This is answer e.
Now follow the path into the woods in order to find the final location of the geocache:
N 51 23.(e x 24) W 2 19.(e x 3)3
(NB. coord format dd mm.mmm - ie. e >=5)
Once nearby you'll soon understand why I've called this cache "Skyline Vertigo"! Be very careful when climbing the steep slope... The cache itself is an approx 6"x4"x1" plastic sandwich box. Edit 6/1/2010 I've moved the cache to a nearby but slightly less obvious hiding place about 10ft to the (Edit 11/08/2014 - changed the desc from "left" to "south") south of the original location
Once you've found the cache continue on the Skyline walk and at approx N 51 23.060 W 2 19.206 bear left and you'll emerge from the woods onto a beautiful field with the university visible on your right.
Follow the obvious path through into the next field then at N 51 22.550 W 2 19.095 for a bonus point try to identify what the slope/track is used for!
From here follow the Avenue west towards Convocation Avenue...
Have fun!
Additional Hints
(Decrypt)
Oruvaq fbzr ebpxf ng gur sbbg bs n fznyy gerr nobir naq gb gur yrsg bs gur "iregvtb" ebpx
Treasures
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