This cache is one of a series of 26, the Surrey A-Z, placed across the county by a team of 'Surrey Cachers'. The caches vary in type, size and difficulty, and each location has a different initial letter...
'N' is for Normandy.
The Duke of Normandy pub was at the above location. It was once my "local" but it was sadly demolished in 2020.
William the Conqueror (the Duke of Normandy) built Guildford Castle. So is there any connection between this Normandy and the Normandy in France? Unfortunately the answer is no.
The earliest mention of the name "Normandy" is from 1604 in the Court Records of the Manor of Cleygate that included the current parish of Normandy, where it mentions repairs to "Normandy causeway" - the road across the Common. It seems that Normandy at that time just referred to the area around what is now Normandy Common.
The question remains as to the origin of the name "Normandy". There are several references in the Cleygate records to a part of the Manor in the north and west "lately called Noebodies Common". Local historians have speculated that this "No Man's Land" was later corrupted to "Normandy".
The cache is hidden in a small piece of "No Man's Land". To help you narrow down your search I have measured the distance to the nearest part of Aldershot and the nearest part of Guildford. It is closer to Aldershot by one metre.
This cache was placed by Colincactus
Bonus Cache
Bonus numbers will be present in some of the caches in the series, collect these numbers as you will need to use them should you wish to find the series bonus '* - Bonus Cache - Surrey A-Z'