This cache was placed during the Essex
International Jamboree 2008. It was close to, but not on
the Jamboree campsite.
The actual cache is a medium-sized Tupperware box placed close
to the shore of the Walton Backwaters, which is a very important
RAMSAR site. Ramsar sites are wetlands of international importance
designated under the Ramsar Convention. The Walton Backwaters is a
wild and beautiful area consisting of a 5000-acre natural saltmarsh
archipelago of creeks and islands, which also contains the Hamford
Nature Reserve.
The cache location is best approached along Island Lane or by
walking along the shoreline from Kirby-le-Soken Quay (where there
are a few roadside parking places).
You may wish to combine it with other caches along the coastal
path – Twizzle (GC1EBTG), Three Keys
but no Locks! – Kirby (GC1EBVH), Three
Keys but no Locks! – Beaumont (GC1EBW5),
Three Keys but no Locks! – Landermere
(GC1EBWG).
It is called "Secret Water" because this was the location of the
eighth book in Arthur Ransome's best-selling Swallows and Amazons
series of children's books, published in 1939 and called "Secret
Water". The book is set in and around Hamford Water, The Twizzle
and Kirby Creek, and brings the Swallows and the Amazons together
with a new group of characters - the Eels and the Mastodon. Ransome
used to sail around the Backwaters in his yacht “Nancy
Blackett”.
Arthur Ransome's Secret
Water
The Essex International Jamboree
2008 was attended by over 10,000 Scouts and Guides
camping at the event and around 4,000 day visitors. The theme of
the Jamboree was conservation issues, including protecting the
environment and the plight of endangered species of animals. The
Jamboree was supported by over 2,000 adult Scout and Guide
volunteers.
Essex International Jamboree 2008 –
Aerial view of the campsite
"There comes a time in
every rightly constructed boy's life when he has a raging desire to
go somewhere and dig for hidden treasure."
Mark
Twain
A Knight's Quest for hidden
treasure!