The Saffron Walden Turf Maze is the largest publicly owned turf maze in England. It is in fact a labyrinth and is the largest example of its' type in the world. A labyrinth differs from a maze in that it only has a single, un-branching but highly convoluted path leading from the outside to the centre, with no dead ends.
The date of the original cutting is unknown, but in 1699 15 shillings was paid for re-cutting the maze. It was also re-cut in 1828, 1841 and 1859. In 1911 the chalk path was laid with bricks set on edge. In 1979 the brick path was relaid with bricks on their sides.
The maze is 35 metres in diameter and the path is 1500 metres (about 1 mile) in length. An ash tree once occupied the central mound, but this was burnt down during a Guy Fawkes celebration in 1823.
In order to log this cache message us with the answer to this question :- At the cache co-ordinates there is a green bench just to the north of the maze which faces towards the church. What is the inscription on this bench?
Optional tasks :- 1. Take a photo of yourself or your GPS at the maze. 2. Time how long it takes you to walk the labyrinth and add the time to your log.
Feel free to log once you have sent us your answer - no need to wait for a reply.
Virtual Rewards 2.0 - 2019/2020
This Virtual Cache is part of a limited release of Virtuals created between June 4, 2019 and June 4, 2020. Only 4,000 cache owners were given the opportunity to hide a Virtual Cache. Learn more about Virtual Rewards 2.0 on the Geocaching Blog.