A walk around

"There is nothing to do in Soesterberg"! That has been said many times in the home of PiepMuis. I agree that for teenagers there is not much to do. No highschool, no entertainment center. But is there really nothing to see in Soesterberg? Come and look for yourself!

History

Soesterberg probably originated near a crossroad, the road from to and the old post-road from Amsterdam to Arnhem and Cologne. In 1837 the village got its current name. In 1910 two car dealers from The Hague bought a piece of moorland to serve as an airfield. They founded a company, NV Maatschappij voor Luchtvaart, that was responsible for building a few experimental airplanes. When the comany filed for bankrupcy, the aviation division of the Royal Army took control. The small airfield became airbase Soesterberg, cradle of the Dutch military aviation.

After the Second World War, Soesterberg became a NATO base. For years it has been used by the United States airforce. In 1990 the squadron of F- 15 jets went to the Gulf War. After that war, the crews returned to the United States. As part of the reduction of the Dutch army, airbase Soesterberg was closed in 2008.

Although the airbase has been closed for a number of years now, there are many things that remind of Soesterberg as an airbase. The growth of Soesterberg during the years 1950-1980 was largely to home military and civilian staff from the barracks in the neighborhood. On many places in "the Flying Village" you will find traces of its past.

The trail

Attention: Every first sunday afternoon of the month, a protest is organised near a couple of waypoints. If that bothers you, please choose another day for visiting.

The length of the trail is about 7 kilometers (4.4 miles). Most of it can also be done by bicycle. About 700 meters is unpaved road, which can be muddy in wet periods. Parking your car is possible near the parking coordinate. At a number of waypoints you are asked to find the picture of an object you can find there. In that case, the answer of the question is the digit of the picture. There are more pictures than questions, so you will not need all of them.

Part 1: District Apollo

The trail starts in the Apollo district, better known as the American district. The first residents of these houses were American military families. The street names are based on space themes. The trail is, more or less, parallel to the sound barrier of highway A28. When the wind blows from the wrong direction, you can still here the rumble of the cars and trucks.

WP01: N 52° 07.094 E005° 18.174 Which picture do you find here? Write down the digit near the picture, that is answer A. WP02: N 52° 07.0AA E005° 18.(A-2)(A+6)8 You search for a rocket, which is quite applicable in this district. On the rocket you will find a lot of numbers. Add all these numbers. Add the digits of the result until you end up with a single digit (example: 359 --> 17 --> 8). That is answer B.

WP03: N 52° 06.(A+6)(A+B)3 E005° 17.(A*A)03 At this location you will find six numbers, two on a green background and four on a red background. Take from the red background the highest digit from the highest number. That is answer C.

WP04: N 52° 06.(B+C)(A+2)1 E005° 17.(C-A)A3 At this location you will find three different bicyle nodes. Take the lowest node number, and add the digits of the result until you end up with a single digit. That is answer D.

Part 2: Camp and the Kampweg

We leave Soesterberg now and walk to Camp Zeist. The majority of the camp is situated in Zeist and only a small part in Soest. The camp was constructed by French troops around 1800. During the first World War, it was used to take care of thousands of Belgian refugees. After the second World War it has been used by the US airforce. In 1999 a large part became temporarily Scottish territory, because of the trial of the Lockerbie terrorists. Today the Dutch government uses the buildings as a detention center.

Warning: the trail is along a road where cars travel quite fast. Watch children and dogs closely, and use the bicycle path as much as possible!

WP05: N 52° 06.C(B+3)D E005° 17.(C-2)(D/2)A Which picture do you find here? Write down the digit near the picture, that is answer E.

WP06: N 52° 06.833 E005° 17.806 You are near a Starfighter F-104, the eyecatcher of the Military Aviation Museum. The museum is still housed at Camp Zeist, but in a couple of months it will move to a new location on the former airbase. Just above the registration number is a name.

Corsair II: F = 3 Dusty II: F = 5 Globemaster II: F = 7 Thunderbolt II: F = 9

WP07: N 52° 06.842 E005° 17.871 Here you have a view of the entrance of the detention center (prison), formerly the Scottish Court. Which picture do you find here? Write down the digit near the picture, that is answer G.

Unfortunately, there is no safe path to continue. Walk back to the bridge over the highway. Via: N 52° 06.800 E005° 17.450

WP08: N 52° 06.EFA E005° 17.A(F-G)8 You enter Soesterberg again via the Kampweg. On the left side, you see a number of beautiful and sometimes not so beautiful mansions and villas. On the right is TNO Defence, Security and Safety, a research center. A bit further is the Center for Man and Aviation, part of the Dutch Airforce organisation. Military pilots are selected, examined and trained here.

Which picture do you find here? Write down the digit near the picture, that is answer H.

Attention: If you are going to take a closer look, cross the street carefully. Sometimes people are driving too fast here!

WP09: N 52° 07.H(A+G)F E005° 17.(B+G)C2 On the white sign with the burgundy border, it states the profession you can find here.

Vetenarian (Dierenarts): J = 2 General doctor (Huisarts): J = 6 Physiotherapist (Fysiotherapeut): J = 4 Dentist (Tandarts): J = 8

Across the road is the entrance of the former Officierscasino. It was built during the second World War by the Germans, and is one of only a few remaining buildings constructed during that time. Overground, it was used as a military shelter, in the basements there are bombshelters and an armory. After the war, Royal Dutch KLM used it as a boarding school, and the army used it as office and to house officers. It is private property now (no admittance), so we continue in a different direction.

Part 3: Direction Kerklaan

We leave the Kampweg behind us, which reminds of the past of Soesterberg until 1930. The district we pass now is built between 1950 and 1970, when a lot of houses were needed. Many streets are named after Dutch scientists and aviation pioneers.

WP10: N 52° 06.E(D/J)3 E005° 17.(D-C)C1 Which picture do you find here? Write down the digit near the picture, that is answer K. Via: N 52° 06.879 E005° 17.203 Use this to find the correct way to reach the next waypoint.

WP11: N 52° 06.DKG E005° 16.DAC You will pass sports-ground Kerklaan. Here football club 't Vliegdorp (the Flying Village) plays their home matches. One of the first ski-runs in The Netherlands is also located here.

Here you will find:

Red ball: L = 3 Blue road sign: L = 5 Green trash can: L = 4 Yellow artwork: L = 6

WP12: N 52° 07.047 E005° 16.738 Which picture do you find here? Write down the digit near the picture, that is answer M.

WP13: N 52° 07.GLM E005° 16.KDM At which time are you expected here? Add the digits, that is answer N.

Part 4: Rademakerstraat en Banningstraat

In earlier days, the road between Utrecht and Amersfoort, now the N237, was almost as straight as a line. The Rademakerstraat and Banningstraat were part of it. The Rademakerstraat is "the shopping center" of Soesterberg. Alongside the Banningstraat we will find a few estates.

WP14: N 52° 07.MC3 E005° 17.GHK Which picture do you find here? Write down the digit near the picture, that is answer P.

Attention when you cross the road to the next waypoint.

WP15: N 52° 07.261 E005° 17.128 You will find three years here. Subtract the lowest number from the median number. That is answer Q.

WP16: N 52° 07.304 E005° 17.286 You are in front of the fences of the estate Egghermonde. It is built in 1914 and is a monument. In front of the fence is a green object with a four letter word on it. Take the letter that comes first in the alphabet. Take the numerical value, and add the digits of the result until you end up with a single digit (example: X --> 24 --> 6). That is answer R. De Banningstraat crosses the Oude Tempellaan (Old Temple Avenue). In early days, these were alleys of 11 meters wide between the parcels, the pass-outs. The Oude Tempellaan has developed into a crossroad.

WP17: N 52° 07.4(R-N)R E005° 17.7RN When you look in northern direction, you will see a magical creature at the other side of the road. Maybe you must walk a few steps up and down to have a better view. Which magical creature do you see?

Green dragon: S = 0 Gold-colored phoenix: S = 6 Brown centaur: S = 3 Greyish unicorn: S = 9

WP18: N 52° 07.(R-M)(Q+H)6 E005° 17.(S-G)(L-N)0 Which picture do you find here? Write down the digit near the picture, that is answer T.

The stash

You will find the stash at N 52° 07.(C-M-N)(Q-J+L)(H+S- R) E005° 17.(D+M-B)(E-P+Q)(K+T-C)

Check: if you add the six calculated digits of the coordinate and get 26 as the result, it is time to start searching. The stash can be spotted with your hands on your back, digging is not necessary and also not permitted. The correct route to the cache is not via private property, but by paved and unpaved roads. Otherwise, you will not reach the stash area. On your way to the stash you will discover an unused picture. Please take your time to understand what it means, so you can keep your shoes clean.

Spoiler info: orgjrra yrnirf naq arrqyrf

Thanks to

The community of Soest, for the permission to place the stash. De Struijsvogels, Lizelot and White Tiger Team for having a test walk of this cache.

Sources http://nl.wikipedia.org http://www.4-5-mei.nl http://www.soest.nl