Serpently... Multi-Cache
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Difficulty:
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Terrain:
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Size: 
(regular)
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The cache is located at Greenway Bank Country Park near the village
of Knypersley, about a mile south of Biddulph. The Park is managed
by Staffordshire County Council, to whom thanks are extended for
their kind permission to place this cache.
The co-ordinates given are for convenient car-parking, not for the
cache itself.
Until the 1870s, Greenway Bank was part of two country estates;
Knypersley Hall and the Greenway Bank Estate.
There are two reservoirs within the bounds of the park; the
Serpentine Pool (which was originally constructed as a feeder
reservoir for the Trent and Mersey Canal between 1781 and 1783) and
Knypersley Pool (built in 1825 when demand for water exceeded the
capacity of the Serpentine).Knypersley Pool still feeds the Cauldon
and thence the Trent and Mersey canal today. The Serpentine Pool is
notable for being the first reservoir to be built in Great Britain.
The lakes also form the natural point at which several small
streams join forces to become the River Trent.
Parking is available at N53 05.541 W002 09.592 but tends to fill up
rapidly at weekends; you may be able to park on the dam a little
further down the road, or at the Visitor’s Centre at N53
05.584 W002 10.038. Gawton’s Well, at N53 05.826 W002 09.201
is a tranquil place well worth a visit if you have time. The paths
can be muddy and wet in places.
The cache is an ammunition box containing a log book, a disposable
camera (please take your photo and log how many shots are left),
and the usual assortment of bits and bobs. To find it, you will
need to visit six locations in the park. All the locations are
obvious fixed features. If you take them in the order given, you
will enjoy a great walk around the lakes, (though the choice is of
course up to you!) and most of the time the water will be on your
right hand side! Until the cache itself, there is no need to leave
the paths. Tree cover may make GPS reception a little hazy, so
there is a clue and a couple of spoiler pictures should you need
them.
First, walk down to the dam for a fine view over the Head of Trent
valley. If the lake is high enough, there is a lovely cascade over
the spillway. Watch out for cars though! At N53 05.474 W02 09.408
you will find a year - this is Y
Now proceed to the following:
N53°05.726 W02 10.306 - the number of letters in the second word of
the Latin name for the tree species is A
N53 05.744 W02 09.808 - the date Gwen Hollins died is
H.I.JKLM
N53 05.736 W2 09.402 - the age Ron Llewellyn was when he died is
BC
N53 05.580 W02 09.317 - The year Ada Wood was born is X
Finally, walk to N53 05.726 W02 09.069. Count the stairs from the
obvious feature - this is Z
You will find the cache at N53 05.ABC W002 (H+I-J).K(X-Y-Z)
Additional Hints
(Decrypt)
Va n pnivgl haqre n ynetr ebpx, pbirerq jvgu fznyyre fgbarf. 5 zrgerf sebz n qvfgvapgvir gerr-fghzc (frr fcbvyre cubgbf)