Galley Hill is deep in the heart of smuggler
country. The Bull Inn at Bulverhythe (by the 'Pirates Ahoy' cache)
was THE place to plan your smuggling activities and acted as the
Job Centre for smuggler recruitment in both Bexhill and Hastings.
The coast here was remote and desolate, and the only habitation was
the occasional lonely inn and the Martello Towers, built in the
1800s, initially to keep a look-out for Napoleon's forces, but
later a useful base in the fight against smugglers. The smugglers
were very popular locally. People were no happier paying taxes then
than they are today and the proceeds of smuggling brought income
into the impoverished countryside.
On this trail, however,
we're going to follow the events of one fateful night - Friday,
3rd. January 1828 
Galley Hill was the site
of Martello Tower number 44, built around 1808, on part of the
headland now destroyed by coastal erosion. As the threat from
Napoleon receded, the Martello Towers were used by the Coast
Blockade - the forerunner of the Coastguard - to try to control the
smuggling that was rife in the coastal towns.
There were two other
Martello Towers nearby, the only other constructions on Bexhill
beach at that time. One stood where the de la Warr pavilion stands
today, and another stood near the current Marina / Sailing Club. It
was from this Tower that a pistol shot rang out at 1 am that
fateful night: the watchmen there had seen smugglers unloading
goods from a French boat anchored just off the coast and raised the
alarm. The Coast Blockade officers garrisoned on Galley Hill rushed
out to challenge them. Thus began the series of events that was to
lead to death and transportation, in the 'Battle of Sidley
Green'
NB: IF YOU WANT TO KNOW MORE... There's a
'Smugglers Trail' noticeboard beside the Coastguard House - we will
be following part of the Bexhill Smugglers Trail that's signposted
throughout the town. Bexhill Museum has some excellent resources
and archives and The 'Discover Bexhill' website is also very
good.
The other caches that contain clues for the
Bonus cache are:
Clue B = 'Bexhill Smugglers 2 - The Race Is
On' (GC22D45)
Clue C = 'Bexhill Smugglers 3 - Sea Road
Rout' (GC228DF)
Clue A = 'Bexhill Smugglers 4 - Soldiers'
Graves?' (GC219Y2)
Clue B = 'Bexhill Smugglers 5 - Gathering
Forces' (GC22DB3)
Clue C = 'Bexhill Smugglers 6 - The Battle
of Sidley Green' (GC22DB8)
BONUS CAN BE FOUND AT - N50 51.A B C - E000
28 {B+C} C A
The bonus cache is a walk of just over 1/2
mile away from the 6th cache in a lovely area.
DON'T FORGET TO NOTE CLUE A before you leave this cache
