THIS CACHE IS CURRENTLY A MICRO as the original has gone awol. It's still discoverable in the micro form and we will have the original back in place as soon as we can.
A small cache hidden near the Southease Swing Bridge, which crosses the River Ouse.
Make your way to the 19th century swing bridge to search for this ‘attractive’ cache.
LOCAL INFORMATION
The Southease Swing Bridge
The Southease Swing Bridge crosses the River Ouse to the East of the village, connecting it with the nearby railway station. The bridge was constructed after the canalisation of the River Ouse below Lewes in the 1790’s (to create the Lower Ouse Navigation), to accommodate farmland severed off by the work. The current structure was designed by Henry E Wallis of Westminster and dates from 1880.
The bridge has been fixed in place since 1988. Before this it was operated by hand and designed to pivot on a central support to allow the passage of masted vessels. This was one of the ways chalk was transported from the quarries in Lewes. It is the only 19th century opening bridge remaining between Newhaven and Lewes, and was granted Grade II Listed Building status in 2009. As well as being an important historical structure, the bridge remains an excellent view point for the annual Lewes raft race (www.lewes-and-district.roundtable.co.uk/table-pages/lewes-to-newhaven-raft-race/).
DISCOVERING MORE
The cache location lies on the intersection of several Public Rights of Way, regional and national trials.
Firstly, the South Downs Way National Trail runs from Winchester in the west, to Eastbourne in the east (http://www.nationaltrail.co.uk/south-downs-way). The South Downs Way crosses the Southease Swing Bridge, before passing by the Itford Farm YHA, crossing the A26 and heading up Itford Hill, which forms part of the Firle Escarpment SSSI – a nationally important area of chalk grassland, rich in flowers and butterflies.
Secondly, the Sussex Ouse Valley Way is a 42 mile trail that broadly follows the River Ouse from its source near Lower Beading, to its mouth at Seaford Bay (www.sussexousevalleyway.co.uk/index.htm).
Finally, the Egrets Way is a cycle trail aiming to link the villages of the Lower Ouse Valley, connecting Lewes with Newhaven. Whilst the entire trail is not yet connected and open, certain stretches of the route are, including the section from Southease to Rodmell (ovcnet.ning.com/).
TRAVELLING SUSTAINABLY
Southease station is the closest train station to explore this area.
You can cycle to this geocache, access to the area is via the South Downs Way.
Nearby points of interest:
- Monk's House, historic home of Virginia Wolfe
PERMISSIONS
Thank you to the Environment Agency for permission to place this cache.