Whilst on holiday in Charmouth we enjoyed doing the '...Calling' series and so wanted to develop this type of cache back in our home area. This links on from our other caches including; Poulner Calling (GC66FT3), Rockford Calling (GC6N5JC) and South Gorley Calling (GC6N5JV). We often geocache with our children and their grandparents, and so wanted to develop a series that has easy parking and good facilities nearby.
Unfortunately BT no longer allow geocaches in or on their phone boxes, so this one is located a very short distance away. It is a small hanging screw top container and you will need your own pen (and possibly tweezers as well!). There is plenty of parking nearby. We also highly recommend the R.S. series around here, particuarly if you have children, as there are lots of unusual caches in it!
Fascinating Fact: This area was used extensively during WWII by the RAF and you can still see evidence of this if you continue south of here past Sopley Primary School.
Just to the west of the road you will see a white building which was a Ground Controlled Interception (GCI) radar station. Its purpose was to detect, locate and track enemy aircraft and provide inland radar coverage for Britain. Initially a mobile station, by 1943 it was a permanent fixture with rotating aerial array, transmitter equipment stored in an underground bunker, operations block, emergency back-up power supply and guard hut. In 1946 RAF Sopley was re-classified as a master GCI station and reserve Sector Operations Centre.
In the early fifties RAF Sopley was built near the village as a domestic camp and used by the MOD until 1974. In the late 70s and early 80s it was used to accommodate refugees from Vietnam. The site is now known as Merryfield Park.
Ripley was also the location of RAF Winkton, an Advanced Landing Ground, which operated during 1944, and which returned to agricultural use in 1945.
Congratulations to Beltane Walk for FTF :-)