The area, known as "Little Switzerland" for reasons you will no doubt discover, was notorious for smugglers who used it as a transfer place to hide their booty brought up from the south coast before moving it on to London, and beyond. You will be travelling in their footsteps, so keep a wary eye out for their contraband. Well before the smugglers, the Romans built a villa nearby and, even further back, you may come across an Iron Age fort.
This is the first of a series of four caches. Each of them should take at least 2 hours and the longest is a 4 mile walk (if you take the right routes), so I will be impressed when someone completes all four in one day! Even on a bike, it will be a good challenge. Please read the opening pages of each log book for the clues to the final cache of the series. The first three can be done in any order, but there is a logical sequence best appreciated (or most helpful) if done in the original order.
The above co-ordinates are for the designated car park. In this case it is the Starveall Corner car park. All these caches have been set with the kind help and co-operation of the landowners, so please use the official car parks.
For some of this series (as is the case with this "Pitch 1 …") there will be a cryptic (or just strange) clue which you can solve from your armchairs before coming out here. On others, do not be surprised to come across odd clues en route and, yes, you may have to go back a few steps or return to your armchair for more homework, but there is just the smallest chance that you could survive without the trip home - depending on which part of the British Library you have brought with you. Hints are scarse at the moment. There are at least a couple of themes running through the series (which may help you) and there may be a clupea harengus rubeus. If there is a signal, which can be 50:50 out here, you could always try using your "phone-a-friend". You have been warned!
GPS signals could be a little challenged too at times with both tree cover and deep valleys, so things are not designed to be easy for you. If you email us in advance of attempting this multi-cache, then we are quite happy to provide you with our mobile phone numbers for help if you should need it.
Each stage is within easy reach of a particularly good pub which may be useful to those of you who find consolation there. All pubs marked on the Explorer maps are well worth a visit and may require booking for food at a weekend.
Suggested equipment:
Good walking boots
Waterproofing (if there is even the slightest hint of rain)
WATER
OS Explorer Maps 145 & 146 (or OS Landranger 187)
Compass
Mobile phone
Good walking boots
WATER
Other references along the lines of the clues!
Anything else as you see fit
The first waypoint (don't leave home until you have solved it):
N51 Norwich . 356
W00 Eastbourne . 523
Park in Starveall Corner car park. The first section is tough on GPS signal, so if you can plot where you are going on an OS map too, that will help you.
You know you will be ending up at The Tower (or darker still "In the Shadow of the Tower") eventually. Log onto the National Trust website to see the opening times as it is well worth the climb to the top. You can see London pretty clearly on a good day. I think these opening times also reflect when you can buy tea & cakes from the tiny cabin at the foot, and that may be welcome too!
Another link with some details about the tower : http://www.odd-stuff.info/follies/leithhill.htm
Please, please be very cryptic in your comments, or email me directly, as it would be very easy to leave unintended spoilers in the logs (and pictures).
Most of all … enjoy this very special area!
This cache has been given the Top Cache Award by Amberel. We hope you all enjoy it, and thanks to Brambler for creating this cache.