A Place to Relax Multi-Cache
The Hamsters: 'A Place to Relax' has now been in existence for just over 10 years and we feel that it may now be time to call it a day and archive this cache. It is not without some sadness that we do this, but it sometimes proves difficult to carry out our maintenance duties. Also, we should note, that the hint '..a feeling of Christmas arriving early..' should now be altered to Christmas has definitely arrived!
May we take this opportunity to thank everyone who has visited this cache over the years. It has been a pleasure to read your logs....well at least 99% of them! [:D]
Thank you once again, and keep your eyes skinned....we might just find another location for a cache!
The Hamsters.
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Difficulty:
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Terrain:
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Size: 
(regular)
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A pleasant walk around one of the most picturesque lakes in the Forest of Dean. An ideal place to take children for a picnic on a summer's day.
Mallards Pike Lake is situated a short distance off the road at an easily accessible location in the Forest of Dean. To get there follow the A48 which runs between Chepstow and Gloucester along the banks of the river Severn. At Blakeney take the B4431 (marked Scenic Route) towards Parkend. Mallards Pike is signposted as a right hand turn into the forest approximately three miles from Blakeney. (OS Grid Reference: SO637095)
The lake is in a beautiful location, surrounded by pine trees and a path which is suitable for those with pushchairs. Along the path are occasional wooden benches for you to sit and watch the various ducks and geese swimming past. There is a reasonable car park provided at
(N 51 46.861 W 002 31.731), along with toilets and a barbecue/picnic area. Regrettably, however, the Forestry Commission has recently decided that they should charge £3-00 for this facility. Sorry!
Note: After the main area there is extra parking a little further on with a lake view and some spaces for disabled only.
The cache is an airtight plastic food container which is wrapped in a black bin-liner and hidden under dead leaves and twigs. It contains the usual items such as a notepad, pen, pencil (plus sharpener) and a laminated information sheet. However, at the time of hiding it also included: balloons, modeling clay, wooden glider, calculator keyring, a small box, a CD and a disposable camera with flash.
We thought that we would make our first cache reasonably easy but with one simple clue to solve, just for fun.
The cache is to be found at the following location: N 51 46.84y W 002 31.x30 Where the value of 'x' and 'y' can be found by answering the following question:
At location: N 51 46.956 W 002 31.619 you can sit and enjoy the view. What two qualities of life did Jim Pennell value most? The number of letters in each answer will give the values of 'x' and 'y' in the cache location.
Due to the tree cover the location of the cache itself is approximately 40' off the path from these co-ordinates. If you start to get a feeling of Christmas arriving early, then you are getting close. The location of the cache itself is well concealed and so providing you are quiet, you will be able to investigate the cache without being seen.
Additional Hints
(Decrypt)
[Hint 1]
Gur nafjre gb gur pyhr vf 'crnpr' naq 'unezbal'. Vg pna or sbhaq ba gur obggbz yrsg-unaq-fvqr bs gur orapu nf lbh fvg ba vg.
[Hint 2]
Gur pnpur vf gb or sbhaq bss gur cngu gb lbhe yrsg - nffhzvat n pybpxjvfr jnyx nebhaq gur ynxr. Oruvaq fbzr Puevfgznf gerrf. Frnepu arne gur fghzc.