Mitcham Obelix Traditional Geocache
greenmealie: Sadly I am unable to maintain this cache as I am out of the country and my son has moved to Tassie. It was great to be part of this cache and am sad to have to have archived it.
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Difficulty:
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Terrain:
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Size: 
(small)
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The Cache is hidden in the area of a carved granite stone (Obelisk)
in commemoration of George Parker Bidder 1896. Watch out for the
casual stroller.
I have placed this cache in the Mitcham Common where it will be
maintained by my son, who is also a geocacher and lives nearby. I
will be able to monitor it on line many miles away in Africa. The
cache is a transparent sealed plastic box clearly marked with a
Goecache green label,and includes a log, rules, pencil,and two
small trinkets! 500,000 years ago, Mitcham Common formed part of
the river bed of the River Thames. Since then the course of the
Thames has gradually altered, exposing gravels that were initially
colonised by grasses and other Flowering Plants. Over time, woody
species slowly overwhelmed these early colonisers, developing a
loose scrubby vegetation that became denser until woodland had
developed. Early humans were responsible for clearing trees and
suppressing their regeneration by grazing cattle and cutting turf
and timber for fuel. In the late 19th Century these practices
ceased and woodland was allowed to regenerate. This process allowed
a succession from grassland, through a series of intermediate
stages, to woodland. The river gravels are well drained and
strongly acidic, leading to a hostile environment in which plants
have to withstand occasional drought and nutrient deficiency.
However, considerable areas have acquired foreign soils during
landfill programmes, whilst ploughing for agriculture during World
War II and numerous pipe laying programmes have brought trapped
nutrients to the surface. The result is a patchwork of soil types,
each providing different plant and animal habitats. As the
grassland reverts to woodland, the various stages in this process
create further habitats. The Seven Islands pond is the largest of
all the ponds on the common, and was created as the result of
gravel extraction during the 19th century. The most recent pond to
be created, Bidder's pond, was created in 1990 and named for George
Parker Bidder.
Additional Hints
(Decrypt)
Whfg bss gur cngu, arkg gb n ynetr gerr ng gur onfr bs n pyhzc bs gerrf.