Polo Loop #1 Traditional Geocache
rupertmh: Been a blast creating and managing this series, but due to moving away no longer able to maintain, so archiving - with thanks all!
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Size: 
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A triangular route of some 3.5 miles, taking you from Stratton into the stunning Bathurst Estate and the Cirencester Polo Club, then back via Daglingworth to the start (or equally you can park at Daglingworth and pick up the route there) all via public footpaths.
For an extended walk you may consider parking in Cirencester (Cecily Hill) and walking the 1.5 miles to #4 (and back!) but remember the Cirencester gates close at 5pm (not applicable if parking at the waypoints).
With an ambition to lay a series before this year was up (2015) a rare break in winter drizzle saw me out running today with a rattily backpack dropping off this triangular series of 12 caches.
The route holds some meaning as is a regular running training route (particularly earlier this year when training for a daft Sahara ultra-event) but the route also takes you past some of Cirencester Polo Club's outer polo pitches, a club where polo has been played since 1894 (visit link)
The first leg includes a gentle but persistent 200 ft climb, with views looking back towards Cirencester as the reward.
On the final leg of the triangle, there are small stretches of narrow footpath, that can become quite muddy and slippy in winter (caches #9 to #11; **update 1/1/16, see note on #10 - ankle deep water just now at #10, wellies recommended!) so good walking boots and possibly a stick could come in handy. Although far fewer dog walkers on this leg, the footpath is also harder to see in parts, so an OS map to fall back on advisable (although you wouldn't go far wrong navigating cache to cache picking up the footpath signs, given the three fairly straight sided triangular legs).
The caches are located on what should be obviously prominent features, and will hopefully be relatively easy to find when combined with the hints - to allow for a speedy circular walk.
Although some caches have been hidden near prominent dry stone walls, none are within or on any wall so no need to touch or disturb any (apologies for the somewhat overly descriptive hints on these occasions, done to avoid disturbance - and to make amends for a couple my dumb earlier hides in this series!)
Dips and bends have also been used, to give you a little more cover when searching on otherwise fairly straight legs - and the containers range from small clip lock boxes in camo bags, to small camo micros (tethered, pen required).
The first part of the second leg (#4 to #7) does get busy in the summer on polo match days - the upside being some sporting entertainment as you walk, but can be busy with horse boxes and cars travelling along the same public bridleway - so you may prefer to take to the grass (pedestrians and horse riders are invited to use the entire Bathurst Estate, subject to conditions on the main entrance signs, and whilst the Cirencester gates close at 5pm, this doesn't affect the footpaths you will be using for this series).
For the downward slope (#7 and #8) The Bathurst Estate asks walkers to please stay on the track to avoid walking on the grass verges (planted with tufted grasses for ground nesting birds).
Polo Loop cache #1 is located near the point where there is a noticeable animal path intersection with the public footpath (deer crossing).
Additional Hints
(Decrypt)
Vil pynq gerr (yrsg/fbhgu) bs gur cngu, qrre cngu pebffrf, fubhyqre urvtug, va gur vil - pnershy bs gur gubeaf!