Captain Cook's Co-ords (Bucks) Mystery Cache
Captain Cook's Co-ords (Bucks)
-
Difficulty:
-
-
Terrain:
-
Size: 
(regular)
Please note Use of geocaching.com services is subject to the terms and conditions
in our disclaimer.
This cache is now maintained by marsden29 though the credit for the idea and the original setup goes to Dan Wilson.
Hidden in Chalfont St.Giles, Bucks, this cache will take you to the site of a little known monument to Captain James Cook.
To complete the cache you will visit three locations all within 1½Km as the crow flies. The walking route is about 2¼Km mostly along a fairly quiet country road.
The route to the first location is described in detail below. Here you will find the clue that will give you the second location. There you will find a further clue to give the location of the cache itself, a walk, sometimes muddy, of couple of hundred metres.
So, off we go......
Head for the coordinates posted at the top of this page. You are looking for The Vache, a large country residence which is on Vache Lane, the B4442 which runs from Chalfont St Giles to Little Chalfont. The entrance is at N51° 38.239 W0° 33.671. Park considerately near here on one of the roads opposite.
The Vache is a private residence and there is no public footpath running across its land to the monument. However the owners have been kind enough to permit people wishing to view it access by foot on a clearly marked path. Please show respect whilst visiting. I'm afraid that dogs are not allowed into The Vache, and please do not drive into the grounds. Please only attempt this cache during daylight hours.
It takes about 15 - 20 minutes to walk to the monument. I'm afraid that the route is not wheelchair friendly. After about 400 metres on a tarmac drive you will come to a green and white sign by a metal gate directing you to follow a curving and sometimes muddy path through trees. You will not be able to see the monument until the last moment, a nice surprise and one of the most interesting places that I have had the pleasure of visiting while Geocaching. A real gem of a monument tucked away where few people will visit.
Take a little time to explore the monument, in particular carefully climb the ladder onto the roof for an all round view. The house you can see is The Vache. Originally it was the family seat of the Fleetwood family. In 1660 George Fleetwood was found guilty of the regicide of King Charles I in January 1649, and although his life was spared, his estate of The Vache was confiscated and given to the then Duke of York, the future King James II. Subsequently the site had several owners until it became an army camp during World War II. After the war it served as a training centre for the then Coal Board, eventually being acquired by the present private owners.
To work out the location of the second clue look at the inscription on the monolith inside the monument. Somewhere on it you will find VAL MAXIMUS Lib(A) Cap(B)
Substitiute A and B in these 'equations' to get the latitude and longitude for the location of the second clue.
North 51° 3(B+1).(B+A+1)(A*2)(A) West 0° 3(A).(A+B)(½ofA)(B+1)
Make your way to this second location. The distance from the monument is about 2¼ Km. Be careful walking on the road, it is quite quiet but narrow. If you drive you will be able to park close to the second clue.
At this location you should find a small fenced enclosure.
On the enclosure is a telephone number - 08000 FGHIJK
The final cache can now be located at:-
N51°37.(F+G)(J-F)(H+K) W000°32.(F+G)(H+I)(G+I)
Good luck & Happy Hunting!
Additional Hints
(Decrypt)
Va n snyyra, ebggra, gerr fghzc.