The SGCB series is both for everyone and Scouts working on their GeoCaching Badge (leaders see OSM for activity info). There are 6 caches and whether you start at Crossways or from Burbush car-park, they are best done in an anti-clockwise direction to save more than a little back-tracking. It’s about a 3.5 mile walk round the series from one of the parking areas. The views from Dur Hill Down on a clear day go for miles.
“This cache is on Forestry Commission land and has been placed in accordance with the GAGB – Forestry Commission Agreement. As part of this Agreement, it is not permitted to seek the cache during the hours of darkness”.
The New Forest was proclaimed a royal forest in about 1079 by William the Conqueror. There were few maps then and navigation would have been by using features, ‘by the river’, ‘pass the village’, or ‘along the ridge’. No GPS then! One feature that was used was Bronze Age Barrows (burial mounds) as they were often on high ground and distinctive.
Barrows were useful when setting boundaries and the one here was used in the earliest recorded boundary of the New Forest. The boundary here at Lugden Barrow turned north towards Knave Ash Barrow.
There is also a boundary stone on this barrow which has been marked by the Ordnance Survey as a Bench Mark where they measured the height above datum (sea level).
The barrow here is vague now and is on the far side of the fence. Please don't explore.
The Cache
Look at the fence post at the co-ordinates (it's the corner one). How many lines of horizontal wires are wrapped around the post (ignore the ones near the ground that don't wrap round).
Take 4 away from the number of wires, this is A
Take 1 away from the number of wires, this is B
The hide is at N50 48.4A8 w1 43.9B5