Lock, Stock and Barrel (Berks) Traditional Geocache

The historic market town of Newbury was awarded its charter by Elizabeth I in 1596. Throughout the Tudor period Newbury was renowned for its part in the cloth trade. The Cloth Hall on the Wharf (c1626) still remains today. A grade I listed building it houses part of West Berkshire Museum.

By the early 1700s the town became a busy inland port with the completion of the Kennet & Avon Canal navigation and the Granary building on the Wharf. This grade II building also now houses the Museum and the history of the canal is the focus of one of the galleries. Admission to the Museum is free.

Today Newbury is a lively town with long and short stay parking, interesting shops and a variety of eateries. For more information about the town pop into the Tourist Information Centre, also on the Wharf.

There may be muggles about but you should be able to retrieve and replace the cache without drawing attention to yourself. The nearest car park is N51 24.097 W1 19.282 and costs 60p per hour.

The cache is a 35mm canister with a magnet and contains some souvenir cards so please take one.

This cache is 1 of 37 caches hidden along 19 miles of the Kennet and Avon canal between and Thatcham and Great Bedwyn via Newbury, Kintbury, Hungerford, Froxfield and Little Bedwyn.

GCNX4V Monkey March Lock
GCJTY7 Between Two Locks by Subarite
GCNX4N Widmead Lock
GCNX47 Bull's Lock
GCNV5Y Ham Lock by Alibags
GCNV6B The Narrowboat by Alibags
GCMRDJ Greenham Lock by Alibags
GCDAFC Along the canal (Berks) by Paul Blitz
GCK0K9 Lock, Stock and Barrel (Berks)
GCN79X Monkey Bridge by d&c
GCKA2W Guyer's Lock (Berks)
GCJCPG Canal Bypass by dogastus
GCK87H Benham Bridge
GCK8NP Hamstead Lock
GCK8NR Copse Lock
GCK8NV Dreweat's Lock
GCGGHW Shepherd's Bridge
GCMMBM Kintbury Lock II
GCK87T Brunsden's Lock
GCK87P Wire Lock
GCHGKY Hunger for this too (300 yards from the canal)
GCK87W Hungerford Lock
GCKYHA Marsh Lock
GCKYHC Cobbler's Lock
GCM1KV Picketfield Lock
GCQGK6 Between by The White Family
GCM3G2 Froxfield Lock
GCHRBT Something for Everyone by The Scooby Snacks + The Rangers of Ithilien
GCM547 Fore Bridge
GCM6V4 Little Bedwyn Lock
GCM6V5 Potter's Lock
GCM86J Great Bedwyn Lock
GCM86M Church Lock
GCN0PV Mill Bridge
GCN0R6 Beech Grove Lock
GCN0RB Wilton Brail Lock
GCJCBJ Crofton Beam Engines

The towpath is well maintained and suitable for cycling. There is a railway line running parallel with the canal with stations at Thatcham, Newbury, Kintbury, Hungerford and Great Bedwyn, so you could park at one station, walk the towpath finding caches and then catch the train back.