GC1PG8D Bystock Pools (Multi-cache) in South West England, United Kingdom created by The Freelanders

This cache has been archived.

The Freelanders: We are really sad to be archiving this cache after 16 years, but think it has had its day 😟
There is no longer any feasible parking anyway near the start or end of this multi and no easy way to rework the order of waypoints. Very few visitors, too, these days, and a bit of a battle through the under and overgrowth to find it!
We brought home the container complete with it's original logbook (from the days when cachers wrote proper logs!) 🙂

GC1PG8D ▼

A cache by The Freelanders Message this owner

Hidden : 4/4/2009

Difficulty:

Terrain:

Size: Size: small (small)

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Geocache Description:

A walk of about a mile around the Bystock Pools Nature Reserve near Exmouth, managed by the Devon Wildlife Trust.

The following is taken from their website:
“Most of the reserve forms part of the East Devon Pebblebed Heaths Site of Special Scientific Interest and includes heath, grassland, woods, boggy areas and a small man-made lake.

A network of obvious paths allows access on foot to most parts of the reserve (please try and keep to paths). The ground is quite rough in places and the paths often follow the tops of narrow raised banks to avoid boggy areas.

Over the last few years extensive restoration work has been carried out to clear invasive birch, willow and pine from the valuable heathland communities. Ling, bell heather, cross-leaved heath and purple moor grass predominate in these areas together with areas of Sphagnum bog with marsh violet and bog pondweed. The surrounding woodland is mixed, together with some stands of planted conifers.

The pools support important populations of dragonflies and damselflies, with emperor and golden-ringed dragonflies a common sight. Holly blue, grayling and speckled wood are just a few of the many butterfly species present. Bird life is plentiful with typical heathland species such as stonechat present throughout the year and Dartford warbler seen occasionally. Dormice are present in the woodland and scrub."

The above coordinates are for the gated parking area at the northern end of the reserve with space for a number of cars.

Jan 2020: Please note that the car park is now closed to the public. There are a few places to pull in further along the lane, and pedestrian access is still available at this gate as well as a new entrance that we found just down from the start of the footpath at N 50 39.342 W 003 22.269. The larger parking space is just past the entrance to this path

To find the cache you will first need to visit the following locations on a circular walk around the reserve. There is no need to leave the main paths between each stage.

1. N50 39.205 W003 22.292
Number of Union Jacks on the gate times two = A

2. N 50 39.115 W 003 22.156
How many Xs make up the gate? = B

3. N50 39.040 W003 22.065
How many benches at the view-point? = C

4. N50 39.076 W003 22.192
How many steps up after the bridge? = D

5. N50 39.041 W003 22.227
What single digit number is written all over the bird box? = E

6. N50 39.193 W003 22.336
How many grooved planks on the final section of the boardwalk? = FG

The cache, a small clip-lock box, is hidden outside the reserve at:
N50 39.FDE W003 22. BC(G-A)

When you’ve finished if you would like some refreshments, there is a Café and toilets at the garden centre, just 1 mile away towards Exmouth at N50 38.879 W003 23.909.

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