A resurrection of one of my earliest caches, reborn as a Church Micro.
The cache is hidden in the vicinity of St. Mary's Church, High Offley. The cache is not hidden in the churchyard itself, but on an adjacent road, a little way away from the church.
The church itself is ancient, it was built from local sandstone at the end of the eleventh century, and is therefore over 900 years old. The two upper stages of the tower, however, are newer, built in 1667.
The views from the churchyard (through which runs a public footpath) are extensive, especially to the south, which offers spectacular views over Staffordshire and even south Shropshire. Amongst the landmarks that can be seen from here on clear days include the Wrekin, the Stiperstones, the Long Mynd, Wenlock Edge, Caer Caradoc and the Welsh Hills beyond.
The churchyard is always open, and as of 2013, the church itself is now often opened in the daytime, although this may only be during the summer months - I'm not sure if they plan to open up during the winter. Visitors are encouraged - please sign the visitors book if you venture in.
The choir holds concerts in the church twice a year - usually in June and December.
From a personal point of view, this church holds special significance to me as it is my local church, and is the church at which I was baptised and confirmed. A lot of the gravestones in the churchyard bear my relatives' names, and my parents were married here. Also, my dad winds the clock up, sings in the choir, and leads the bell ringers (I'm learning, slowly)...
Parking is not possible right next to the cache - please don't try this as a "cache and dash". I recommend parking in the church car park at N 52.49.960 W 002.19.348 and walking down the road.
A note about the Church Micro series:
“If anybody would like to expand to this series please do, I would just ask that you could let Sadexploration know first so he can keep track of the Church numbers and names to avoid duplication.
There is also a Church Micro Stats & Information page found via the Bookmark list”
Please bring a writing implement.