Kents Bottom Quarry Loop
This route is a favourite local walk which will take you about 1 - 2 hours depending on your pace and how long each cache takes you to find! There is a mixture of terrain which is mostly on Footpaths and Bridleways with some short sections on country roads and through the village.
In the winter, and after heavy rain, some sections can become waterlogged and muddy so wellies would be the recommended footwear!
This this a trail of 8 caches in a variety of containers. None of the containers are in walls and none require anything to be dismantled to retrieve. Specific tools are not required for any cache, but you may find a pair of tweezers useful for some logs. You need your own pen or pencil as there aren't any in the caches. For cache 6 - the tube does not come out of the containner, and you unscrew the lid use the end of your finger or thumb. They are all on the footpaths or bridleways, or in areas of open access land.
Some times of the year you may come across cows or sheep on the route, but they are usually quite friendly!
There is a short section of country road between caches 7 and 8, taking you back into the village of Yatton Keynell. The road isn’t a particularly busy one, but people can drive quite fast at times. Please take care.
The trail leaves the village immediately at the beginning but concludes by passing the village shop (soon to also be a cafe) and the village Pub should you wish to stop for refreshments after your walk.
If you would like to know more about the history behind the name of this loop of caches, please visit the village website which has a summary of the history of the area including the Kents Bottom Quarry (disused) that this loop passes through. (https://www.yattonkeynell.com/about-the-village/history-yatton-keynell/)
A brief description of the route, cache to cache is below.
From parking to cache 1: Leave the car park onto Biddestone Lane, cross the road and follow the opposite footpath through the field.
From cache 1 to cache 2: Take the footpath broadly opposite to where you came out of the last field, which starts on a gravel driveway to the right of a house. Turn left part way down the driveway after the next house, towards a small gate.
From cache 2 to cache 3: Continue down the obviously worn track towards the downs, as you pass through the third gate since the gravel drive you enter open access land for the next part of the trail.
From cache 3 to cache 4: Towards the end of the valley the trail turns to the right and through a gate. The next section is a Bridleway so you may see a horse or the odd cyclist. Walking through the gate to the left would take you towards Long Dean and Castle Combe, a slightly longer walk for another day.
From cache 4 to cache 5: Continue on the clearly trodden path, passing Kents Bottom Farm and partly down the farmhouse driveway until you see a small pedestrian gate. You’ll now cross a busy road, take care, onto the next footpath almost directly opposite, just slightly to the right.
From cache 5 to cache 6: Continue past the lake on the right hand side of the field to the next stile. There is a very short walk (approx 20 metres) on a very quiet road, to the next stile on your right.
From cache 6 to cache 7: Follow the well worn path through two fields until the final stile before the road back into the village.
From cache 7 to cache 8: Take care as you walk down this short section of road. There is about 300m without a pavement, but you can walk on the grass verge. Follow the The Street back into the village. You pass the pub and shop.
From cache 8 to finish: Continue until you reach a Footpath down the right hand side of the Doctor’s Surgery to take you back to the village hall car park.