IKB (Isambard Kingdom Brunel) was quite an extraordinary man, not unlike his father who was also and Engineer of note, and was knighted for his work. IKB's lifetime achievements make for very interesting reading. Rather than provide volumes of information here on the cache page, where all you want to know is what you need to do, and where do you go to get it, I would urge you to follow the link provided, which gives a summary of his work, and will also give you the answers to questions 3 and 4. Link is here http://www.ikbrunel.org.uk/index.php?id=4
So, why did we wait until now to release this Virtual cache - We wanted it to mark a landmark of our own achievements, and that is filling our D/T grid five times, something that we accomplished on 13th June 2018 (the date this cache was placed), and has taken a huge amount of planning and travelling, but has provided immense fun and satisfaction along the way. Something we think we share with IKB and 'his' bridge which commemorates his achievements. As this Virtual cache was an unexpected 'gift' from GCHQ, we wanted to try and meet certain criteria in placing it, and we decided that it should -
Be accessible to all
Be based around our hometown
Have an interesting link to some local history
Provide an element of education
Provide some great views
We hope that you enjoy your experience, as this will mean we have met our expectations. There is also a Museum dedicated to Isambard Kingdom Brunel located at the site of the SS Great Britain, another of his magnificent designs, and which is not too far away from here.
So, in order to claim a 'Found it' log, please message us with your answers to the following 4 questions and add the appropriate photo to your log.
1. At what time was the Foundation Stone laid by the Marquis of Northampton on 27th August 1836 (Plaque at virtual stage)
2. What colour are the four very large plastic nut covers that protect you from hitting your head as you walk along the footpath on the central part of the bridge? (mid point on both sides of the bridge)
3. In what year was IKB appointed as Chief Engineer to the GWR (Great Western Railway)? (Use the link provided)
4. In 1838, how many days did it take the SS Great Western to sail from Bristol to New York? (Use the link provided)
5. Please post a picture with your log of either yourself (does not have to be your face) or your GPSr device, which includes a backdrop view taken from the bridge on the day of your visiting this Virtual cache (Please do not post pictures of the wall plaque)
Please feel free to claim your find at the same time as messaging us.
PLEASE USE THE 'MESSAGE THIS OWNER' link at the top of this page and NOT the email service as this is not always monitored and may result in your log being deleted.
We will check all answers and photographs and contact you if needed. Regretabley any logs that do not fulfill the above requirements will be deleted.
Happy caching
Virtual Reward - 2017/2018 This Virtual Cache is part of a limited release of Virtuals created between August 24, 2017 and August 24, 2018. Only 4,000 cache owners were given the opportunity to hide a Virtual Cache. Learn more about Virtual Rewards on the Geocaching Blog.