To find the cache you will need to take a walk around the town, gathering information on your way. The digits collected will lead you to the final location. The cache was placed in the coldest spell of bad weather we have had for years [see photo] and snow was 10 inches deep around the cache site. Car parking at the local supermarker or local pay and display car parks which are well signed .
I would suggest that you complete the stages in the order given but you can in actual fact start from wherever you like and in any order if you so wish. The final cache location is probably not that easy to locate unless you are familiar with the area or have a good map !
Dogs are not allowed within about 75m of the final location but the area is quite so it will be safe to tie up your mutt for a few minutes.
N51°1 B. C D E W000°1 G. H J K
STAGES -
1] Tunnel N51°14.297 W000°12.355 Old steel sign 7m in. Number of 'proper' words = B
2] Donkey Passage N51°14.281 W000°12.367 A number of special interest minus 421 = D
3] Black Hole N51°14.310 W000°12.541 On padlock, half of first number = E
4] Keep N51°14.373 W000°12.467 Number of words on green sign minus 16 = H
5] Pyramid N51° 14.316 W000°12.494 Number of bolts on left hand side of gate securing it to the wall, minus 1 = J
6] Castle N51°14.314 W000°12.425 Last converted Roman number minus 5 = G and C. You need to be at the lower level (if you struggle with roman numerals, try looking on the other side)
7] Old Mutt Corner N51°14.139 W000°12.304 Number of letters in mutts name +1 = K (3rd from left when facing road - the Fox Terrier)
The castle grounds are a public park. The park in 1777 Richard Barnes as a private garden. Was opened to the general public after William Wilson the vice president of the Royal Horticultural Society out the grounds with a variety of new species including Giant Redwood / Wellingtonia [Sequoiudendron ] and the Cedar of Lebanon [Cedrus Lebani] The castle was probably built by the De Warrennes in the 11th Century and consisted of an inner ward with an outer ward created in the 13th Century, surrounded by wet and dry moats. None of the original stonework survives but the earthworks and cellars are impressive as is the Baron Cave. In 1216 the French captured the castle and in 1347 the castle became the property of the Earls of Arundel. Around 1550 James Foxe, author of ‘The book of martyrs’ described the Protestants who were martyrs in the 16th Century. During the Civil war the Earl of Holland briefly held the castle until 1648 when it was garrisoned by parliamentary troops. By 1663 the castle was still standing but decayed and the remains were demolished in 1777. The 17th century Castle Cottage is the oldest building in the grounds and stands next to the gate house.
The castle was heavily fortified by the home guard during the last war and ‘Dragons teeth’ and anti tank cubes can be seen in the grounds. Today some interesting species can be seen in the grounds including Common spotted orchids and Star of Bethlehem. Kingfishers and Dragon flies can be seen around the moat. The Barons Cave Reigate has many caves, mostly as a result of sand mining. Part of the Baron’s cave was used as a cellar for Reigate Castle. A hidden door can be found at the lower entrance in Castle Grounds which might have been used to carry out surprise attacks on invaders.
The Baron’s cave was so named because it was believed that King John’s Barons held a secret meeting in the caves before demanding the Magna Carta. This local legend is however untrue. Tunnel Road The tunnel opened in 1823 and is the oldest road tunnel in Britain. Lord Summers built the tunnel as part of the turnpike [toll] road from London to Brighton. It was built to encourage coaching traffic and to provide ease of access to the caves for the storage of wine and beer. In more recent times they were used to store ammunition during the First World War and as Air raid shelters during the Second World War. The Wealden cave and mine society arrange tours during the summer. www.wcms.org.uk and I can vouch for a really interesting tour. The cobbled passage way by Crown Cottage was thought to have been created for the donkeys to carry sand for local mining works. The headstones are for the pets of the owners of the Reigate Priory in the park.
GeoCotch has has kindly provided the following linkies on Reigate Caves Link to Caves