GC28DHW Park Hearne (Traditional Cache) in London, United Kingdom created by mbtkz

This cache has been archived.

mbtkz: Unfortunately this cache has indeed gone missing. It was difficult finding a replacement hide for it the last time it went missing [B)], so we have now sadly decided we will have to archive this very old cache [:(]. Thank you to all who have found it over the last decade [:P] or so.

GC28DHW ▼

A cache by mbtkz Message this owner

Hidden : 5/15/2010

Difficulty:

Terrain:

Size: Size: small (small)

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Geocache Description:

This is a cache placed on the edge of Ruislip Lido near to where the hamlet of Park Hearne used to be. It is in a woodland dell approximately 50 feet away from the tarmac path that encircles the lido. The cache is a plastic lidded container wrapped in an orange sock (for extra weather protection), containing a log book and swaps. It is guarded in its hidey hole by a piece of bark.

The cache ‘Lido’s Lair’ (by Jo and Andrew) used to be nearby. Sadly it has been lost and thus archived, so we thought we would set up a new cache in the same area in the hope that it will last as long (if not longer) as that original cache. The lake area of Ruislip Lido used to just be dry scrub land set in a shallow valley, where the residents of the hamlet of Park Hearne lived. However when the Grand Junction Canal was being built in the early 1800s a water supply was needed to feed the canal. It was decided to build a reservoir in Ruislip with a 7 mile long feeder channel to take the water all the way to the canal at Hayes. The remains of some of this feeder channel can still be seen today. As such the residents of Park Hearne were told to vacate their homes, which were then knocked down, and the basin filled with water to make the current lake. The water for the reservoir and feeder did not come from any natural waterways - it was just the run off of local floodwater. Unfortunately this floodwater turned out to be polluted from slurry in the nearby fields, thus causing it to contaminate both the canal and the local drinking water supplies. Therefore the reservoir stopped being used to supply water to the canal in 1851, only 35 years after it started. Today the canal (now called the Grand Union Canal) is fed by the River Colne and the River Brent. The canal could have been fed from these rivers right from the outset but local millers did not want water to be diverted away from their businesses. Hence the residents of Park Hearne were evicted, and their homes demolished, merely to appease the powerful business men of the day. There is a pay and display car park at the end of Reservoir Road (gets busy on summer weekends) which as at June 2021 is @ £5, or there is a free section if you are eating/drinking at the pub, or if you are a Hillingdon card holder. Alternatively bus H13 from Pinner/Ruislip stops here. If you plan to reach the cache from other directions, be aware that your route may be blocked by the miniature railway. There are two access points: the level crossing and by Woody Bay station. Whilst at the lido you can have a drink/meal at the pub, spend some time on the beach, watch the bird life on the lake, walk your dog, enjoy the child's play area, or take a ride on the miniature railway. And of course you can visit all the other local caches. FTF congratulations go to TrainSPLOTer.

Additional Hints (Decrypt)

Va onfr bs gjb-gehaxrq gerr whfg qbja fybcr - fvqr jvgu gur fxvaal qrnq gehax (frr fcbvyre cubgb)

Decryption Key

A|B|C|D|E|F|G|H|I|J|K|L|M
-------------------------
N|O|P|Q|R|S|T|U|V|W|X|Y|Z

(letter above equals below, and vice versa)

This cache has been archived.

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Park Hearne Traditional Geocache

This cache has been archived.

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