Swamp of Despair

(or perhaps the Slough of Despond?)

Located in the Lee Valley Regional Park next to the River Lee (or Lea), Sewardstone Marsh includes Knights Pits, where the cache is placed to the north. 

Knights Pits, a former gravel pits were in-filled with water and are excellent for dragonflies including the Small Red-eyed Damselfly, a relatively new species within the park. Woodland surrounding the pits is home to a variety of birds including Great Spotted Woodpecker and Sparrowhawk. Long-eared Owl have recently used this area in winter months, although they can be very difficult to spot. In summer Nightingale can be heard and occasionally seen in the dense scrub, listen out for their melodic song. There is also a substantial rookery, the residents of which raise a cacophony when assembling at dusk. Hobby can be seen hunting over the grassland and along the woodland edge. In winter the wet grassland of Patty Pool Mead is a good place to see Snipe which feed in the damp  grassland. Water Vole can be found in the ditches that cross Sewardstone Marsh and scrub clearance has taken place to improve the habitat for this endangered mammal. 

The cache is an old ammo box and is a short scramble through the undergrowth along an overgrown path from the main north-south footpath. It can be muddy underfoot and a tangle of brambles and nettles in the summer months, so take care if wearing shorts.