Finally, here is my first geocache placed with my children on my son's birthday. My son and I checked out this lovely hidden nature reserve and thought it was a perfect place to hide a geocache. Take some time to enjoy this quiet spot and discover the hidden paths and mixture of open heath and peaceful woodland.
This is the smaller part of the once larger Bovey Heath found over the other side of the road, made famous by a Civil War battle in 1646. This is a Site of Special Scientific Interest and has been threatened and severely reduced since the 19th Century when China clay mining began. It comprises of lowland heathland which has reduced in area to around 16% of its original coverage - most of that reduction has been in the last century. It is considered a 'priority habitat' by the Government's Joint Nature Conservation Committee and is defined as such in the UK Biodiversity Action Plan. Locally, Bovey Heathfield has reduced by an estimated 95% in size over the years, with just this patch and another DWT-owned fragment at nearby Chudleigh Knighton Heath remaining from a habitat that once covered the whole of the Bovey Basin. Of course, this is a man-made habitat and is odd in that it can only exist with man's continuing influence. The heath would simply turn to scrub if left to its own devices, and is a strangely artificial environment. However, many species have come to depend on this: Ground nesting birds such as stonechats, linnets and skylarks rely on it, and migratory species like the Dartford Warbler7 can be spotted by the lucky twitcher. Reptiles thrive in the patches of open ground; the skin of a sand lizard was found on Bovey Heathfield in the summer of 2005, which is a rarity for this uncommon, coast-loving species. Indeed, if confirmed, this would be only the second site in Devon to record it. Insects and butterflies thrive, with many dragonflies flitting above the summer pools and wet areas, and the rare silver-studded blue butterfly has been recorded here. Among the rare insects are the Kugelann's ground-beetle, the bee wolf wasp burrowing into the sand, and bog-bush cricket. There is even a colony of narrow-headed ants - unknown south of Scotland except on neighbouring Chudleigh Knighton Heath - which was found 20cm from a motorbike track in the 1990s, removed to Paignton Zoo for study and returned to the site in 2004. In short, this is a true haven for dozens of species. Records of species on the heath are improving, largely thanks to the efforts of volunteer wardens to take great pride in 'their' reserve.
CACHE PLACED WITH KIND PERMISSION OF DEVON WILDLIFE TRUST
You can find more information about this reserve via the following link: http://www.devonwildlifetrust.org/reserve/Bovey+Heathfield/. Please be aware of the changing nature of the terrain in this reserve as it may become muddy after periods of rain. Try to stick to paths due to the nature of certain species in the reserve so there's no surprises for either humans or wildlife. Please keep any dogs on leads and a close eye on wandering children due to the possibility of encountering adders. This cache can be accessed on one side only by car and on the other side by a brand new cycle path. Oh...and Happy birthday Miles! The picture in the gallery shows a very lovely place to sit and take in the tranquility of this lovely reserve. There are a couple of treats for the FTF - badge, mini beer glass, toy and a Japanese 5 yen coin which are traditionally handed out on New Year's Day. Good Luck! Congratulations to dartmoor strider for being FTF so soon after the cache was published!:)
Urnq urvtug.