Scenic Both Ways, N51°.41.998:W002°.22.581 is a traditional small clip lock box with logbook and a few goodies, in a camo bag placed in the hedgerow on Elstub Lane. Looking east from the cache site, three hills, outliers from the Cotswold escarpment, can be seen. From left to right, Cam Long Down and Cam Peak are both designated Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty whilst Downham Hill has a gruesome history.
Cam Long Down, viewed from the air looks rather like a boomerang and whilst heavily wooded on its slopes, is bare and grassy at its summit. Cam Peak resembles a miniature volcano and there are numerous legends concerning its creation, the most popular of which is that the hill was inadvertently made by The Devil. The Devil, whilst wheeling a barrow full of earth intending to dam the River Severn, met a cobbler carrying a bundle of old shoes. The Devil asked, “How far is it to the river?” The cobbler replied, I have worn out all these shoes travelling to here from the river”. The devil promptly tipped out his barrow on the spot, creating the hill. Other legends suggest that it is actually an extinct volcano. Of course, the reality is more mundane. The hill is covered in fern and short grass; quite atypical of the area’s flora. Given the lack of trees to protect it from the elements, the underlying limestone has simply eroded very evenly. Cam Peak is a very popular destination for kite flying in the summer and tobogganing when there is sufficient snow in the winter. In 1898, the Rifle Volunteers (a forerunner of the Territorial Army) set up a firing range on the southern end of Cam Long Down. The volunteers fired from the top of Cam Peak at targets called butts. A red flag flew on the Long Down to warn passers by. The range was closed in 1950. Both hills are on The Cotswold Way.
Downham Hill is distinguished by the avenue of trees at its summit. It was the site of an isolation hospital to deal with the plague of 1665 (Bubonic Plague or The Black Death) and later, smallpox victims. During the drought of 1976, the dried earth revealed many rectangular outlines believed to be mass graves. However archaeologists and medical experts believed these should remain undisturbed. All three hills are relatively accessible and offer tremendous views over the River Severn. Each has its own geocaches too. For the less mobile, there is a viewpoint on nearby Crawley Hill N51°.41.325:W002°.18.344, to which you can drive, with glorious views over the hills. Nearby on the same road is a long barrow, Hetty Pegler’s Tump and a mysterious, unfinished neo - Gothic mansion, Woodchester Park (free parking for National Trust members)
To the west is a view over the Vale of Berkeley, the Severn valley and the hills of the Forest of Dean. On clearer days, the mountains of the Brecon Beacons National Park can also be seen in the distance.
You are advised not to drive north along Elstub Lane as there are no passing places or anywhere to turn a vehicle. There is plenty of parking in Tyndale Road/The Crapen N51°.41.841:W002°.22.707. The area is popular with dog walkers, so stealth may be required. This is one of three caches by the Plumtree Custards. If you would like to visit a number of caches, including two more placed by us, then visit Berkeley View, GC1T1WB, N 51° 42.024:W 002° 22.956 and URC Church Micro GC3AH48, N 51° 41.812 W 002° 22.744. Other nearby caches include SVDB #99 to 101 by mutchie.