Note: during the summer this cache is likely to be much harder to find and retrieve due to undergrowth at the final cache location. The D/T ratings reflect the average difficulty of the cache - during high summer it might be Diff: 3; T: 3. Shorts and sandals are not advised during summer!
The church:
St Margaret, Sotterely is located on the private Sotterley estate. The church is late Norman in origin and has lots of interest, including brasses and memorials to the dead of the First World War. It's a special sort of place that's hard to get to and so is well worth a visit if you're up for a bit of a walk. You can read a lot more about the church at the usual places on the internet.
Access:
To access the church you will need to walk across the estate. Access is by permissive path only and can only be used to access the church (which is handy, because you're going to need to do that). The path is around 1 kilometre long and you'll have to head back the same way. The church building may or may not be unlocked during the day, although you won't need to get inside to find the information needed to find this geocache.
Note that the only time it is possible to drive to the church is to attend a service. The Hundred River and Wainford Benefice website has details of these which seem to happen in most months as well as on obvious special occasions. Please do not attempt to drive on to the estate at any other time - the sign at Waypoint 1 should make that obvious anyway.
You should note that the walking route may be muddy or wet, especially during the winter. It also involves some walking on a country lane, so care needs to be taken. On the estate itself cows may be grazing so dog walkers and those who find cows a problem might want to give this cache a miss at those times. Shooting may also be taking place during the season.
Parking:
Parking is slightly tricky but there is usually space for a car or two at the waypoint marked. A sign does suggest parking at the village hall but I've often found the gate to be locked. Take care not to block entrances. You could also try parking at Sotterley Mortuary Chapel - where I have another church micro. This is about a kilometre south of the estate entrance and involves walking on the country lane to get to the first waypoint.
The clues:
The final coordinates for this cache will need to be calculated using N 52 24.ABC E 001 3D.EFG after you've visited seven waypoints.
Waypoint 1 - N 52° 24.513 E 001° 36.296: Sotterley estate entrance
The Sotterley estate is a private country estate that dates back to the medieval period, although the modern house was built in about 1745. The church you'll end up visiting is on the estate but you can only drive to it if you're attending a service. The notice boards at the estate entrance make that obvious.
The notice board to the left (the north) of the entrance has a phone number at the bottom of it (not the one with the vicar's name on it). Add together the final two digits of the phone number. This is C
Waypoint 2 - N 52° 24.554 E 001° 36.273: Footpath entrance
A stile marks the entrance path to access the church. The walk is about a kilometre each way and the way can be quite rough in places. Boots would be a good idea.
There are various signs around the first tree inside the estate. Find the Notice to Bird Watchers and make a note of the last but one digit in the phone number on it. This is D
The walk is marked by signs - the OS symbol for a church with a tower. You can usually see the next sign from where you're standing, certainly on the way there. The waypoints will help of course... In September 2021 a fallen tree was blocking the view of the very first sign - so head towards that and you should quickly get on the right path.
Waypoint 3 - N 52° 24.632 E 001° 36.472: Bridge
The estate here is an SSSI with particularly important lichen on the oaks. The first bridge you come to has two of the walking route signs on it. The bridge has a handrail on one side.
Count the number of vertical posts which support the handrail. This is F.
Keep following the signs to reach the church. Don't be tempted to take a short cut, it's quicker to follow the path. There's another stile and one more bridge to cross before you get there and you'll get some good views of the hall across the lake as well.
Waypoint 4 - N 52° 24.631 E 001° 36.872: Churchyard sign
As you enter the churchyard a sign is obvious under the trees.
Count the number of letters in the last word on the sign. This is A.
Waypoint 5 - N 52° 24.628 E 001° 36.869: Gravestone
The first grave you come across is that of Abraham Sayer and his wife Harriet. It has a splendid inscription at the bottom and is easy to find - none of that rummaging around the graveyard needed.
Add together the two digits in Abraham's age when he died. Take just the units from the sum - this is G (so, if the age was 89 the sum would be 8 + 9 = 17 and you'd use the 7).
Note that there are two graves to two different Abraham Sayers in the graveyard. Do make sure you have the right one! The coordinates should make it obvious, as should the inscription at the bottom of the stone.
Waypoint 6 - N 52° 24.610 E 001° 36.886: Church windows
Walk around the south side of the church itself. From the outside a number of shields are clearly visible on the window glass.
Count the obvious shields (like the ones knights would have used). This is B.
You could of course, go inside the church if you wanted to but there's no need to do so to find the clues here.
Waypoint 7 - N 52° 24.616 E 001° 36.858: Bench
Near the church porch is a bench - this is outside the porch. The bench has something inscribed on it in the obvious sort of place.
Count the number of words on the inscription. This is E
The final cache
You now have all the numbers you'll need. Plug them into the formula N 52 24.ABC E 001 3D.EFG to find the final coordinates. There's even a handy place to sit in the church porch.
You can check your solution using certitude if you're in any doubt.
Your next job is to walk back to the road the same way you came, from where you should be able to find the way to the cache easily enough. The path back is harder to follow in my experience, and both the bridge (WP3) and the access stile (WP2) are tricky to spot from inside the park. I'd suggest using the waypoints to help you out here.
The physical cache is on the smaller side of regular. It is not, of course, on the Sotterley estate and there should be no need to venture onto church property of any kind to find the container or to cross fences or hedges on to private land - the way should be obvious enough I hope. You may need to be aware of the usual hazards: mud, thorns and nettles...
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For full information on how you can expand the Church Micro series by sadexploration please read the Place your own Church Micro page before you contact him at churchmicro.co.uk
See also the Church Micro Statistics and Home pages for further information about the series.
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