Join us at Hatfield Forest where the National Trust will be running a tree identification course for event attendees plus a survival skills course for children. We will also be providing scavenger bags for children for a scavenger hunt so that they can learn about nature and the environment while attending the event. Dogs must be kept under control in the forest, particularly around cattle.
Look closely and you may spot some deer in the forest
Hatfield Forest, in Takeley, is a fine example of an ancient royal hunting forest. Henry I created the 1000+ acre forest at around 1100 with royal hunting rights in place into 1446. Through history it has been owned by everyone from commoners to kings!
Whether you fancy a short stroll or a long ramble, Hatfield Forest is full of trails to follow. Along the footpaths inside are many Geocaches including those hidden and maintained by the National Trust. The Doodle Trail is a series of 7 regular sized caches hidden along the paths to take visitors on a journey through time to learn how the forest has changed through the years. The series will also take you to the remains of the ‘Doodle Oak’, an ancient tree which started growing in about AD 950. There is also the National Trust’s Woodland Trail and Run Around’s Forest Finds series inside Hatfield Forest. More recently, the Run Around's Ramble series was placed inside the forest. This 8 cache series is full of some of the most inventive caches you will ever find and is guaranteed fun for all the family. There will also be a new series of caches placed around the forest for the event so that local cachers also have some new caches to find as well. Bike hire is available in the forest so that you can make sure you're able to visit all of the fantastic caches inside.
There are some very unique and well crafted caches hidden around Hatfield Forest. There is a logical way into all of the containers and they MUST NOT be forced open. Forcing these containers open will damage them and spoil them for other visitors to the area.
The forest is full of squirrels leaping from the ancient trees
There will be a charge of around £5 for parking in the forest (free for National Trust members) so we encourage car sharing for this event. The road outside of the forest is double yellow lined. If you park along this road it is highly likely that you will receive a parking ticket.
Make sure you log your will attend and maybe you'll get a nice treat at the end!
(Subject to availability)
Hatfield Forest,
Takeley,
Bishops Stortford,
Essex
CM22 6NE
Between 11am and 3pm on Tuesday 28th July 2015