Fruit, Veg and Lavender Traditional Cache
Professor Xavier: As the owner has not responded to my previous log requesting that they check this cache I am archiving it. Please note that as this cache has now been archived by a reviewer or HQ staff it will NOT be unarchived.
If you wish to email me please send your email via my profile (click on my name) and quote the cache name and number.
Regards
Ed
Professor Xavier - Volunteer UK Reviewer
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This is the first cache in the series of 4, leading to the last one in Queen Mary’s Park. Others are 'Queen Mary's gate near The Old Chapel', 'Hanging around in the Park' and ' Swagger's Woodland Hideout'. There are still 4 in the series and I've replaced the final one, with a harder to find geocache as the larger container kept getting removed. As a result, I've had to remove the competition, but I hope you enjoy finding them all anyway.
This is my first attempt at setting up caches and I wanted to do a short route around my local area. This is a fairly easy route, nice and easy for children, which could be done on foot,bike or scooters (for most of it anyway). Even with children I’m sure you’d get them all done within an hour or so, once you’re near the first one.
As the last 2 are in the park, you could easily take a picnic or games to play on the field. If you wanted to extend the route, you could always start with another cache near the Carshalton Beeches railway station (GC2C5HW) and even continue over to Oaks Park.
There is an easy route along Sussex Road, then up the wide footpath past Stanley Park School, towards the first cache, which would be good for children on bikes/scooters. Alternatively, you can park around the streets close to the station or near the first cache and set off from there. It’s up to you.
This first cache is located on the way to the Stanley Road Allotments.
Due to the huge resurgence in popularity of allotments, there is a waiting list for this site and you will see a real array of plants, sheds and colours when you visit the cache.
Visit the website (visit link) to find out more, including the Lottery Funding that helped to build the Hut, Open Days held and all the people involved if you fancy having a go.
In addition, if you look to the East over the allotment site you will see the Carshalton Lavender which was set up to recapture the past when this area was the ‘lavender capital of the world’. Around 1900, blue fields of lavender could be seen all over Wallington, Carshalton, Waddon and Sutton. Lavender was used for scented bags, floor and furniture washes, as a disinfectant, to preserve linen from moths, and for remedies. Lavender was also used in recipes such as lavender jam, honey and custard.
Three acres of disused allotments have been transformed into lavender pastures in the London Borough of Sutton. The changes at the site, which was formerly subject to fly tipping, were originally initiated by environmental organisation, BioRegional Development Group, with help from a partnership of other organisations and volunteers. They all collaborated towards the regeneration of the environment and community.
The harvest has been a popular attraction since 1999 with the flower crop growing larger every year. In 2001 an ingenious harvesting solution was found in the form of a small scale “Heritage Harvester”. The fabulous contraption was custom built from scrap and recycled materials by an engineering team from Cranfield University, led by Dr James Brighton, consultant engineer to Channel 4’s "Scrap-heap Challenge” and “Junkyard Wars". The Heritage Harvester was specially designed to harvest narrow rows of lavender without damaging the plants, and demonstrates good re-use of materials from second-hand agricultural machines, a rotator and a quad bike.
The cache is a small plastic container (similar size to an old film container), containing a logbook.
Additional Hints
(Decrypt)
Orsber gur 2 terra pbzcbfg ovaf. 111-112 naq lbh pna frr gur pebff ba gur puhepu ebbs gb gur Rnfg.
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