The 55th Parallel Mystery Cache
Pie Man: The cache has been going for 16 years now and a few of the links and clues don't work anymore. Time to put it to bed. Thanks for visiting.
-
Difficulty:
-
-
Terrain:
-
Size: 
(micro)
Please note Use of geocaching.com services is subject to the terms and conditions
in our disclaimer.
The cache is hidden somewhere along the South Shields section of the 55th Parallel, which cuts through the town from coast to river. South Shields is situated at the mouth of the River Tyne and boasts many attractions including sandy beaches, amusement parks, the Catherine Cookson Exhibition and the Arbeia Roman Fort.
There are 3 Checkpoints you must reach, all on the 55th Parallel. (Don’t worry too much about the route you take. You could even take the car if time was an issue). The more adventurous amongst you will want to follow N55.00.000 as close as possible, through bushes, buildings, down back lanes, through the Asda car-park and across railway tracks. This is not recommended and is not necessary, although you will pass the cache on the way. The day-tripper will want to pass the three checkpoints by parking on the sea front, walking through Marine Park, down Ocean Road and King Street to the Market Place, crossing the road to the ferry landing and walking a few hundred yards downstream to meet up with the 55th Parallel again. But any geohacker worth his salt will want to glean as many clues as possible from the Internet before setting foot in the town. The co-ordinates of the checkpoints, plus spoiler photographs of the required clues, can be found on the geocaching.com website. You may even find the co-ordinates and spoiler photograph of the cache. The above co-ordinates are for a lamppost on the sea front. Please feel free to log a waypoint further east on the beach, where the 55th Parallel first hits the UK. Definitely no surfers! There is a Pay & Display car park close to the lamppost between two pubs, “Sundials” (GC65F4) and “Diners Club” (GC5329). There is also free parking in Beach Road at N55.00.000 W001.25.058. Checkpoint 1. Find "Sundials" (GC65F4). Check the time. The time = A o’clock. If you find the physical location, the sundial has been replaced with Big Ben. A = Big Ben time + 3 Checkpoint 2. "Old World Originals" (GCBCF9). Speed Bumps for how many yards? BCD. Checkpoint 3. "Octagon Buildings" (GCAA48). Another lamppost, this time outside someone’s house. The one you want starts with an A and ends with a 2. Make a note of the numbers - EFG2. The 55th Parallel heads off over the river and ends up who knows where? I’ve got no idea. I’ve covered my section, the rest is up to someone else. To find the cache, you need to find N55.00.000 W1.2(A+B-F).E(C-G)(D+E) The cache is a 35mm film canister whose co-ordinates and spoiler photograph were logged as a locationless (reverse) cache by a native of South Shields. Sadly locationless (reverse) caches have now been archived, but are able to be viewed by searching for the waypoint. If you fail to find any of the clues on this web site, then you should allow at least 3 hours to find this cache on foot and return to your car. From the river, keep to the footpaths as there is a fence at the top of the grassy hill. [Best to head to the right when looking at the silver galleons]
Additional Hints
(Decrypt)
Hfr gur vagrearg gb svaq gur anzr sbe n angvir bs Fbhgu Fuvryqf. Lbh pbhyq nyfb ybbx ng TP5379.
Svir zrgerf fbhgu sebz gur cngu, ng gur raq bs gur jnyy.