Cache From The Mint Traditional Cache
ForsdykeFinders: No time to maintain and appears lost.
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Difficulty:
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Terrain:
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Size: 
(small)
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Woodland Cache just off main footpath from Debden to
Abridge
The container is a medium sized lock lid container concealed in
woodland not far from the Bank Of England Printing works which is
the theme for this cache (cash..get it!).
We have furnished the cache with a number of coins and would be
good if people added to it on each visit so dig out your old
Pesetas and Drachmas. There is space for small TB's.
Parking is only possible evenings Mon-Sat in Langstone Rd but is
okay on Sunday and you can park quite close to the security barrier
then continue on foot.
I have indicated an alternative parking spot which is next to the
junction at the top of Oakwood Hill.
Following Langstone Rd, keep the printing works on your left till
you see a paved path leading off to the right.
Following this will take you to the cache.
If you follow the path alongside the M11(after diverting into the
woods to bag the cache), it will take you over the M11 and along to
Abridge where there are a couple of pubs for refreshments before
heading back.
I am fairly sure you could also do the route by mountain bike if
you dont mind the odd stile.
Bit of history about the printing works...
The Bank of England has issued banknotes since it was founded in
1694 and today all Bank of England notes are produced by De La Rue
Currency, a subsiduary of De La Rue plc, situated at Loughton in
Essex. One of the aims at every stage is to ensure that the note is
as difficult as possible to counterfeit. Some images are engraved
by hand into metal plates, whilst others are created using a
Computer Aided Design (CAD) system and are drawn onto film by a
laserbeam. When finished, the images are duplicated many times onto
printed plates ready for the presses. Specialised inks used to
produce the notes are also manufactured on site; approximately 85
are required for the four denominations.
Banknote paper
The paper for Bank of England notes is made by a specialist paper
manufacturer. It is manufactured from cotton fibre and linen rag,
which makes it tougher and more durable than the more common wood
pulp paper. Using copious amounts of water, the cotton is broken
down into individual fibres and reformed into reels of paper of the
quality required. The watermark design is engraved in wax and, like
the metallic thread, the image is incorporated into the paper at
the manufacturing stage.
The banknote printing process
Currently three printing processes are used in the printing of
banknotes.
• Offset Litho
• Intaglio
• Letterpress
Offset Litho – the printing plates transfer the ink to the paper
via an intermediate offset roller. This process is used to print
most of the front and back of the note except for the portrait of
Her Majesty the Queen, the lettering and the numbering. Offset
printing involves a number of separate plates with different
colours superimposed in close register to produce high quality
clearly defined images.
Intaglio – this process is used to add the portrait of Her Majesty
the Queen and the raised print on the front of the note. The ink
rests in grooves engraved in the printing plate. When the plate
comes into contact with the paper the ink is forcibly ‘drawn’ from
the plate onto the paper under very high pressure. This produces
the raised print which is one of the characteristics that gives
Bank of England notes their distinctive feel.
Letterpress – this process is used for the cypher and serial
numbers on the front of the note. Ink is transferred onto raised
letters and digits which are then printed onto the note.
Additional Hints
(Decrypt)
1. Haqre ynetr snyyra gerr pybfr gb cbaq
2. Pybfr gb jurer oenapurf wbva gur gehax