The Armchair Treasure Hunt Club
Pearl Hunt: Zee Zumerset Puzzle

Zee Zumerset Puzzle was published in the October 2003 newsletter and was written by Charles Affleck and Steven Shipp. The hunt is based around Ordnance Survey Landranger sheet 182: Weston-super-Mare. Edition C1 Copyright 2002.

The hunt offered a genuine cultured pearl to the first finder and a clue to a further hunt to the first and all subsequent finders. This hunt is one of four English regional Pearl Hunts.

Each regional hunt works independently but every club member who solves a regional hunt may visit the location and dig up a clue to the master hunt: The Gold Pearl Hunt - which offers a gold pearl buried somewhere in mainland Britain. Each of the four regional locations hides a different clue.

The first person to solve each regional hunt and visit the relevant location will find a white container buried in the ground. They may keep the cultured pearl but must leave the Master Hunt clue and container for others to find.

Amazingly, club superbrain Martin Dennett cracked this one within a week of its publication and after his customary failed first trip (!), found the pearl at 10:10am on 1 November.

Additionally, an artificial pearl and crystal oyster were awarded to the next club member (who also had yet to win a Club Hunt) to find the container. The club's resident puzzle setter, Ann Hughes claimed the artificial pearl, and her first club victory at 14:20 on 15 November. She just pipped club regular Harry Hazell to the spot - arriving just an hour before him.

Subsequent solvers are still able to visit the location. Members who could not visit the location but who otherwise solved the hunt could submit a written grid reference to claim the relevant Master hunt clue.

Club members can follow online discussions on this hunt on the club bulletin board.


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