Millfields Park #4: Community Orchards
The cache, a small click-n-lock camo-container, is hidden at ground level at the eastern edge of the Millfields Park (south) area, where the community orchards are located, adjacent to the River Lee.
The nearest parking to reach the cache location is on Chatsworth Road - around N 51 33.563 W 0 2.849 would be closest to the entry point for that area of the park.
The orchards are in 3 sections - see maps in Gallery. The Southwold and Rushmore Orchards (closest to the cache) were the first with planting of some 50 old or rare varieties of fruit trees (see Gallery photos for some examples) done by Southwold and Rushmore school children on 11 & 12 February 2009. The Valentine Orchard (further to the west) community planting of such varieties followed on 14 February - Valentine's Day (see photo in gallery - taken from a sign at the site). This voluntary work was supported by Hackney Parks Department and the Arboricultural Unit. The project was delivered by Russell Miller, arboriculturalist and Tree Musketeer.
Many of the fruit tree varieties planted have wonderful names like:
Apple (Malus pumila): Anglesey Pig's Snout a Welsh cooking apple), Merton Joy (a yellow eating apple streaked with red)
, and Ashmead's Kernal (Malus domestica - a drab yellow/gold apple with a unique pear drop flavour)
Pear (Pyrus communis): Beurre Hardy (a dessert pear)
Nectarine and Peach (Prunus persica): Lord Napier (a nectarine grown in UK), Amsden June (a white-fleshed peach)
Damson (Prunus insititia or damascena):
Abergwyngregyn ( a Welsh damson plum variety rescued from single ancient tree on the edge of the Menai Straits).
See Gallery for photos.