Dummer Lane - Oakley Traditional Cache
Please note Use of geocaching.com services is subject to the terms and conditions
in our disclaimer.
Oakley is located just to the West of Basingstoke and is said to be the largest village in Hampshire. It is made up of the villages of Church Oakley and East Oakley. The cache is situated on the path which parallels Dummer Lane. The road is quite narrow and busy and the path is much safer. It is currently a bit overgrown but not impassable. Hopefully a few cachers using it will help to change this.
The roads through the village are narrow and quite busy so please park with consideration and take care when walking on any of the roads. For a Cache and Dash, park at Bulls Bushes Copse (N51 14.262 W001 11.219). To access the path, look for Bull’s Bushes Cache… To do the Circular walk you could also park here and pick up the walk in the middle or park in the layby in the village (N51 14.957 W001 10.713).
The Cache is a small click lock container. The paths are quite easy to follow but maybe wet. The path across the field can be difficult when recently ploughed. The path by the lane was quite overgrown but not impassable. Shorts are not recommended, the brambles are quite vicious!
Circular Route - assumes Oakley Pond as the starting point but could be picked up anywhere.
The cache can be combined with many others in the area and a circular route can be taken by turning R down Rectory Road at the T junction. After a few yards look out for the footpath sign on the left opposite the Old Post Office (note the grey GR post box on the front).
Follow the path and set off clockwise around the field. After a short distance, you should see a path bearing off right diagonally across the field (visibility depends on the state of the crop). It comes out at roughly N51 14.572 W001 11.169. Walk down the field towards the railway line. Emerge CAREFULLY onto the road.
Take great care. The road is narrow and a very busy rat-run. You will need to walk a hort distance on the road under the railway bridge. Look out for a stile on the right. This takes you onto a path which parallels the road. It is quite overgrown and obviously needs more use but is far, far safer than walking up the road. Follow the path when it bends right with the road then comes out at a stile as the road bends left again. At this point you are on the Wayfarers’ walk and can pick up some of the WW cache series.
The follow the WW track away from the road towards a small copse which it by-passes. Continue to follow it as it drops down to an underpass under the railway line. Go straight up the hill on the other side until you come to a cross-paths.
At this point, leave the WW (which goes straight on) and turn right. Follow the track along the edge of the field then diagonally across the next field to a gap on the hedge. Go through the gap and after a few yards you will come to a bench where the tracks fork. The bench has been placed to commemorate a dog called Basil. It is a great place to sit and look at the views down to Oakley Church and across to the radio mast at Hannington.
Take the left fork towards the church. Follow the path past the church and out onto the road. Turn right on the road (again take care as it can be quite busy) and head up past Oakley’s second Pond and back to the main Pond.
All the tracks are reasonably well defined but some of them can be muddy so wear suitable footwear. There are many caches either on or very close to the route. These include (at date of writing):-
The Pond - Oakley
The Old Post Office - Oakley
Dummer Lane - Oakley
Wayfarer's Walk - Noushies Tea Party (off route)
Wayfarer's Walk - Bulls Bushes
Wayfarer's Walk - Going Under
Wayfarer's Walk - No Wires??
Wayfarer's Walk - Cheesedown Farm (off route)
Wayfarer's Walk - Zeppies Chuffer
Alex’s rest stop - Oakley
Basil’s Bench - Oakley
The basic walk is about 2.5 – 3 miles but can be extended or shortened to suit.
Additional Hints
(Decrypt)
Haqre n gerr fghzc ba gur biretebja cngu cnenyyry gb gur ebnq – zvaq gur fgvatref!
Treasures
You'll collect a digital Treasure from one of these collections when you find and log this geocache:
Loading Treasures