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While exploring a cave near my house, I found a small safe. Aside from some rust, it doesn’t appear to be that old. I have reason to believe there’s something valuable inside, but I don’t know the combination. There’s a poem engraved on the side that may be the key. Can you help me solve it?

This Google Earth Treasure Hunt is a little different from my last two. Instead of hopping from location to location, you’ll need to find one specific place on Google Earth. And you DO need to use Google Earth. I can’t guarantee the results if you use Google Maps Satellite View or other map software. Also, keep in mind the real place may have changed since the satellite image was taken, so go by Google Earth.

Once you pinpoint it, use the additional hints in the poem to work out the seven digits of my combination lock. I’m hoping for riches!

Here’s the poem:

This lock will open for those who
can brave the turns of English yew
The shortest route* to tower find
inside the longest of its kind
When paths diverge, record a score
where left is 1 and right is 4
And when four paths present to thee
the inside ones, mark 2 and 3
To open safe and riches win
the 7 numbers, enter in

*There may be multiple solutions, but only one is the shortest route in distance.

This is a cross-post from my puzzle blog, the link to which you can find in my profile.

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I think this is describing

the main hedge maze at Longleat Safari Park, which is apparently the world's longest hedge maze (measured by total length of paths? I don't actually know) and is made of yew trees. If I am reading the model shown in Google Earth correctly, the required turns go 1111411

as seen here

enter image description here

(with my apologies for its untidiness and the not-very-helpful black scribbles and dots and things which are artefacts of the solving process).

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  • $\begingroup$ Congratulations, Gareth! You solved it! And your solve image looks almost exactly like mine! $\endgroup$
    – Tony Youngblood
    Commented Jan 21, 2018 at 0:29
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    $\begingroup$ Btw, all the hedges in the Longleat maze are "yews." $\endgroup$
    – Tony Youngblood
    Commented Jan 21, 2018 at 0:30
  • $\begingroup$ I actually thought I'd said that in my answer -- though in fact I see I didn't :-). I'll add it. $\endgroup$
    – Gareth McCaughan ♦
    Commented Jan 21, 2018 at 1:53

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