Bicknacre Foot and Bike Trail 1. The Fairy Tree Traditional Cache
Dixie Lily1: I've moved away from the area so cannot maintain it. I'm pleased so many people have managed to do the trail. Dixie Lily1 x
Bicknacre Foot and Bike Trail 1. The Fairy Tree
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This is the first cache on a trail along bridle ways in Bicknacre. It is family and dog friendly and can either be done by foot or bicycle. The whole trail should take about an hour. The hides have deliberately been made to be quite easy to find as the emphasis is on getting the family out together to enjoy a walk or bike ride. Beware the paths can be very muddy in winter or after heavy rain. This is a popular area for dog walkers, joggers and horse riders so plenty of muggles around.
Near to the geocache site you will see hawthorn. Hawthorn is the most common hedgerow shrub and if a farmer has a single hawthorn on his farmland he sometimes won’t cut it down. They believe it is bad luck to do this as these trees are under the protection of the fairies and, if the ‘fairy tree’ is killed, the fairy might seek revenge.
Over 200 plant-eating insects depend on hawthorn. The ecological value of the tree is very high because it provides protection and food for many animals. The bark is greyish brown and has a lot of small scales. Take a closer look whilst you are looking for the cache and in the nooks and crannies of the bark you might find a lot of insects and tiny plants making their home. The flowers are white and appear in May. The fruit is dark red with one seed and they are important winter food for birds like dunnocks, blackbirds, thrushes and bullfinches and some of our winter visitors like redwings.
If you want to spend more time in the area the trail is right next to Thrift Wood, 48 acres of ancient woodland leased and managed by the Essex Wildlife trust.
Visit: Essex Wildlife Trust to find out more about Thrift Wood.
This cache is a nano. It is hidden at the start of the bridle way (it is not hidden in the hawthorn!) and you will need to bring a pen with you and some tweezers to retrieve the log.
If you park at the entrance to Thrift Wood you may wish to do the trail in reverse order, starting at the final cache in the series.
Other Caches in the Series:
Bicknacre Foot and bike Trail - 1 The Fairy Tree (New):- GC2XA4A
Bicknacre Foot and Bike Trail - 2 The Witches' Briar (New):- GC2ZE6W
Bicknacre Foot and Bike Trail - 3 The Magnificent Oaks (New):- GC2ZE7B
Bicknacre Foot and Bike Trail - 4 The Coppiced Hornbeam (New):- GC2ZE7F
Bicknacre Foot and Bike Trail - 5 Ditch and Bank (New):- GC2ZE7R
Additional Hints
(Decrypt)
Yrg gur fvta or lbhe thvqr naq ybbx ybj.
Treasures
You'll collect a digital Treasure from one of these collections when you find and log this geocache:
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