BRVP Matchstick Men Traditional Cache

This is series of geocaches which will introduce you to the local history of this popular area.

The above cache is at the published coordinates. Please bring a pen. Depending on the time of day it can be a very high muggle area or almost no muggles at all. Paths can get a bit muddy when wet

Water, Rock, Wood and Fire

Northwest of Willington village, the Willington Complex of fishing lakes is a peaceful place of leisure fishing, walks and wildlife. But back in the 1980s, the site crashed, thrummed and banged with gravel extraction, as heavy trucks and machinery wove the soundscape.

Go back to the 1950s, and you’d be strolling among the poplar trees of Matchstick Wood which were planted here to make matchwood. By the time the trees were full-grown, the industry had moved on and matchstick wood came from Scandinavia. The trees were felled to mine the gravels beneath for cement and building materials.

Travel further back in time to the Neolithic, over 4,300 years ago, and you might witness the burial of a young woman. She was buried in a grave within a square compound enclosed by a bank and ditch. Mourners laid her on her side with her knees up to her chest and placed a red deer antler in the grave with her.