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Read Thread: Cambridge, England

Cambridge, England
Board: Country: United Kingdom
May 30, 2007 5:57am
Thread (disabled) Board
Hello UK boxers!

We would like to share letterboxing with some friends in Cambridge. According to AQ, there is only one letterbox there and only a few more within 50 miles of Cambridge. Are you all aware of any other publicly available clues in that area that I can share with them?

Thanks!
Amyrica
Re: Cambridge, England
Board: Country: United Kingdom
Reply to: #95514 by Amyrica
May 30, 2007 7:12am
Thread (disabled) Board
Hi Amyrica,

I am afraid Cambridge is not really a British Letterboxing area, although there are one or two dotted around the place. The only place you would easily find any clues for that area is:-

http://www.ian.kirkpatrick2.btinternet.co.uk/page1.htm (scroll down to Cambridge)

Some of these may not be there, so I wouldn't have thought they would be good ones for newbies to start with.

Sorry I can't be more help,

YT
Re: Cambridge, England
Board: Country: United Kingdom
Reply to: #95528 by The Yorkshire Tortoise
May 30, 2007 7:27am
Thread (disabled) Board
Thanks for the info, YT!
A
Re: Cambridge, England
Board: Country: United Kingdom
Reply to: #95528 by The Yorkshire Tortoise
May 30, 2007 8:42am
Thread (disabled) Board
Just looking at this page tells me I'm gonna find NO boxes when I come swimming your way this november...I can't even read the clues... I did figure out what an "OS Landranger Sheet" is...(thank you Jeeves!) and I read widely, so I know a stile (somtimes spelled style in the clues) is one of those ladder things to use to climb over fences or walls with... but I'm pretty sure a "trig" doesn't refer to trigonometry...because in the clues it's used as a noun... "there's a trig at so many degrees"...

less boxes but perhaps if I stick to the clues her on aq written by americans. or at least in american english, I'll find a few...

night writer, totally freaking out...
Re: Cambridge, England
Board: Country: United Kingdom
Reply to: #95554 by Romana
May 30, 2007 9:10am
Thread (disabled) Board
I read widely, so I know a stile (somtimes spelled style in the clues) is one of those ladder things to use to climb over fences or walls with...


Well that word is in the AQ glossary anyhow--I would hope you knew what it meant! =) That's an American word too! *nodding*

-- Ryan, who speaks fluent American, but not so much English....
Re: Cambridge, England
Board: Country: United Kingdom
Reply to: #95554 by Romana
May 30, 2007 12:12pm
Thread (disabled) Board
Quote I did figure out what an "OS Landranger Sheet" is...


Well done, but to confuse you again you will be better off with an ''OS Explorer Map''. The Grid Ref's are the same for both of course :-)

Quote .because in the clues it's used as a noun... "there's a trig at so many degrees"...


lol. They are easy to find once you know what they are. I have a Cootie (English name = Parasite) which is really about Bench Marks, but the second paragraph explains Triangulation Pillars a bit. More to the point there is a photo of a trig point :-)

http://www.atlasquest.com/lboxes/clue/index.html?gBoxId=19219

Quote totally freaking out...


English clues on the whole don't tell you how to get to the start of clues, you are expected to look at the map and work that out for yourself. Don't freak out though, we'll help you, :-)

YT
Re: Cambridge, England
Board: Country: United Kingdom
Reply to: #95514 by Amyrica
May 30, 2007 1:45pm
Thread (disabled) Board
Hi Amryrica

You might not have realised it but a small village near Cambridge is obviously one of the secret letterboxing centres of the world! If you don't believe me try this link http://www.drydrayton.net/letterboxclue.asp

I see the boxes were last checked in March so the list should be pretty accurate. I can't vouch for any of these boxes having not visited the area for about ten years, well before I started boxing.

Hope these will be some help.

DM
Re: Cambridge, England
Board: Country: United Kingdom
Reply to: #95625 by Dilton Martian
May 30, 2007 2:12pm
Thread (disabled) Board
Quote try this link http://www.drydrayton.net/letterboxclue.asp


Wow, brilliant DM where did you find that one? What else have you got up your sleeve?

YT
Re: Cambridge, England
Board: Country: United Kingdom
Reply to: #95554 by Romana
May 31, 2007 6:25pm
Thread (disabled) Board
Night Writer, Look for Ukusa boxes when you're in England and "Bob's your Uncle." (sorry couldn't resist) Ukusa is an expatriot American and her clues ought to read like clues you're used to. I trained her in the USA method o' boxing!

Travel'n Turtle
Re: Cambridge, England
Board: Country: United Kingdom
Reply to: #95605 by The Yorkshire Tortoise
May 31, 2007 6:27pm
Thread (disabled) Board
Hello Yorkshire Tortoise. I read in your clues that those trig things are small concrete markers, that one in the picture looks like a building. How big are they? Inquiring Turtle's want to know!

Travel'n Turtle
Re: Cambridge, England
Board: Country: United Kingdom
Reply to: #96065 by Travel'n Turtle
May 31, 2007 7:22pm
Thread (disabled) Board
thanks for the heads up, oh well traveled turtle...

and I already knew I had an uncle bob ;-)

night writer
Re: Cambridge, England
Board: Country: United Kingdom
Reply to: #96068 by Travel'n Turtle
Jun 1, 2007 12:23am
Thread (disabled) Board
Quote I read in your clues that those trig things are small concrete markers, that one in the picture looks like a building.


lol. They are about waist height. It is amazing because you find them on all the highest land in the area and in the most remote and inaccessible spots as well as just sat in fields.

YT
Re: Cambridge, England
Board: Country: United Kingdom
Reply to: #96161 by The Yorkshire Tortoise
Jun 1, 2007 1:22am
Thread (disabled) Board
As a former land surveyor I can tell you a lot about trig. points. But (thankfully you might say) I will try to summarise in a few sentences. They are the corners of a series of hundreds of triangles which cover the whole of the country, hence the name triangulation points. Surveyors measured the angles between points to a very high degree of accuracy (fractions of a second of arc) and also the length of a couple of sides at opposite ends of the country. Then by using good old-fashioned trigonometry they calculated the position of each pillar. The pillars were then used as the basis for mapping the surrounding areas.

To get good, long-range lines of sight trig. points are located on hill tops and in open country. On the top is three-legged mounting plate, known as a spider plate, that a surveyor can mount a theodilite on. On one side of the pillar is a benchmark plate for vertical control.

Of course the introduction of satellite positioning, electronic surveying instruments and aerial photography has largely rendered the old techniques obsolete, but the pillars remain as very useful to hikers, letterboxers etc.

DM
Re: Cambridge, England
Board: Country: United Kingdom
Reply to: #96166 by Dilton Martian
Jun 1, 2007 8:08am
Thread (disabled) Board
Quote has largely rendered the old techniques obsolete


I'm impressed DM, somebody who knows how they are used! I would have loved to see them actually being used. I understand that some of the defunct ones can be adopted now in order that they can be maintained instead of going to rack and ruin.

It is benchmarks that really puzzled me for a long time, because you see them on lots of things as you are walking, from boundary stones to moorland crosses to walls. You also see them in towns. For a long time I thought they must be an ancient symbol because they are on ancient artifacts, but now I assume that it is because the modern(ish) engravers didn't consider what they where carving on.

YT
Re: Cambridge, England
Board: Country: United Kingdom
Reply to: #96255 by The Yorkshire Tortoise
Jun 1, 2007 12:55pm
Thread (disabled) Board
Quote would have loved to see them actually being used.


As a student I spent many hours, often cold and damp, on hilltops taking rounds of angles. I don't know if if they still teach the old techniques, but if they do there is chance you might come across a group of students from Newcastle out in the wilds of Northumberland or north west Cumbria.

Quote I understand that some of the defunct ones can be adopted now in order that they can be maintained instead of going to rack and ruin.


Not suprisingly there is a website for trig point enthusiasts where you can check on which points are nearby and the condition they are in. http://www.trigpointinguk.com/trigs/

Quote benchmarks ... you see them on lots of things as you are walking, from boundary stones to moorland crosses to walls. ... I assume that it is because the modern(ish) engravers didn't consider what they where carving on.


I think they are carved on ancient(ish) buildings because they were less likely to be destroyed. BMs are often carved on struchtures such as churches, town halls and bridges because they are easy to identify and are fairly permanent. Did you know that as well as the familiar broad arrow with a cross bar there are other forms of BM? Quite a common form in the country is a round headed bolt set into the top surface of a low wall or even a rock.

DM