U3A Vall Del Pop all clued up

ON Sunday, September 20, with the Tourist Office in Jalón as the starting point, it was a perfect temperature for a walking treasure hunt with 25 entrants, plus a couple of dogs ( who, since they couldn’t help solve the clues, didn’t count, but at the same time they didn’t have to pay the entry fee) setting off at a leisurely pace.

Marshalls were despatched to wait at strategic points and hand out additional question sheets ( photo of one Marshall perched on a wall caused many comments from entrants and public alike). Guess who it is – answer will be advised at the

General Assembly on Thursday.

Teams, varying from two to six people set off between 10.00 and 10.15, on two routes, with staggered starts to avoid too many people being together at one time.

The main clue sheets had a variety of questions, some using Spanish words, and at least one very obscure clue “Where would you find Pam” where, during the planning phase, we doubted anyone would find the answer. Amazingly enough two teams did find her. ( photo shows PAM the manhole cover – it makes you wander about what our coursesetters spend their days looking for!)

T he marshalls reported that potential pictures were difficult to obtain, in particular near the church where most images showed people staring up into the sky ( actually trying to work out the date the church was built) or scratching their heads trying to understand the questions or work- out where the next check- point could be found. Near the Higuera, cyclists and runners were encountered, perhaps leading to some of the comments mentioned earlier.

Teams returned to the end point ( back at the Tourist Office) or, to be more accurate, Casa Claudia, where the last marshall had positioned herself in order to have a glass of wine whilst waiting ( there had to be at least one perk to the job). Everyone was given 13.00 as the final time to hand in their answers.

There was a final tie breaker to answer in case of tied results. For respectable U3A members, you would perhaps not be surprised at how hard some tried to find out the answers, nothing was given away and marking was to be completed the next day, with results sent out by email and prizes to be awarded at the U3A General Assembly at El Cid on Thursday, October 1 to the first three teams.

The tiebreaker was vital, three teams tied for results with 66/ 68 possible correct answers and only the guess at amount of money in the jar determined the results. The winners were € 1.79 away from the correct amount, the second team € 2.17 and the third € 2.19. So close.

We are delighted to report that we raised € 200 on the day and these monies will go into the Goodwill Charity Fund for distribution later this year to nominated charities.

Many thanks to the people for taking part, and also to Penny, Teresa and Christine for their help in organising and acting as marshalls.

For further information on U3A Vall del Pop check our website www. u3avalldelpop. com.