A group of cachers have gathered together to place caches along The Hertfordshire Way; a 194 mile circular route along public rights-of-way within the County of Hertfordshire. Rather than caches at every 0.1 mile we have tried to put together interesting hides with cool Bonus Caches.
Leg 3 stretches from Willian to Codicote for 11.8 miles. As you walk the path collect the information you need to find the Bonus Cache at waypoints along the route. We advise that you bring sturdy boots for very muddy terrain and a high visibility vest with you because a couple of short sections require walking along the road.
The Hermit of Hertfordshire
Cache Details
James Lucas was an amiable, eccentric landowner who was well-educated, had studied medicine and was a good conversationalist. However his mother's death, in 1849, greatly accentuated his eccentricities. He became a complete recluse, and barricaded himself into his home.
He refused to administer his mother's will, in which he inherited the family estate at Elmwood House near Redcoats Green, Hertfordshire, and deferred burial of her for three months. He developed a paranoid fear of his relatives. He locked himself in his mansion and allowed nothing in the building to be touched. The house sank into a dilapidated and decaying condition. Lucas became known as "The Hermit of Hertfordshire" and lived solely in the kitchen, sleeping on a bed of ashes and soot. He went naked except for a blanket; enveloped in which he used to appear at his windows. He never washed and his hair grew to waist length. He lived on bread, cheese, eggs, red herrings and gin. His house became infested with rats and he kept his food in baskets hung from the ceiling to protect it from them. He always kept a gun at his side.p>
The hermit communicated with the world only through an iron grille and employed two armed watchmen who lived in a nearby hut. He was, however, quite willing to receive visitors; mostly tramps and children, but increasingly the well-to-do, who came to engage him in conversation. Charles Dickens visited him and described him in his essay "Tom Tiddler's Ground" under the pseudonym ‘Mr Mopes.’
Parking is very limited in Titmore Green, but a small car park can be found in the vicinity of the trail head. The field near the cache may contain sheep or other animals, so please control any dogs and be careful of the electric fence if it is in place. You might find the cache more easily if you are tired.
This cache should not be done at night.
Bonus Waypoints
The following Bonus Cache waypoint can be found close to this cache or en route to the next cache.
BonusF - N51 55.477 W 000 14.290 - The fire hydrant marker has moved and changed. Use F=23.
To the Next Cache
From Ground Zero, continue along the track, following signs for the Hertfordshire Way and turning right at the large house. Pass some fields that may contain horses, but make sure you have your wellies as this section was very muddy when setting the caches. The trail continues across several fields, but remember to take the left-hand path when the track splits. Your walk may be acompanied by the sound of gunfire from the local shooting enterprise.
Read more about the Historic Geocaches Campaign