After eleven years of Geocaching it really is time to hide a few ourselves, so welcome to our first four hides.
This short series will take you down Hartmoor Road a route Ben walks often, very early morning for its beautiful views. It is 2.5 miles as a round trip number from one and back. There is plently of on street parking around number one, which is wheel chair accessable from Hillworth Road. #1 is the only one that I believe to be fully wheel chair friendly. The route is a steady gradient down hill by 115ft to #4, after Broadleaze Park (a road) the lane surface can become slippery when wet and can also be muddy in sections in the winter. Only number three is slightly off of the track so please dont scale the bank at number two.
History (from british history on line)
What is now Hillworth Road, runs westwards out of Long Street and then takes a sharp turn southwards and thereupon assumed the name of 'Devizes Sand Way' (1654) or 'The Sands Lane' (1736–7). This is now Hartmoor Road, (formerly Hartmoor) a name apparently taken from a small settlement in Potterne, recorded in 1424–5. It runs along the side of the old park, and was in the earlier 20th century no better than a bridle path. In 1654, however, it is clearly marked on maps and seems even in 1773 to have been nearly as important as the current main road to Potterne. It led to Whistley (in Potterne) and beyond, and from it other roads gave access to Whistley and Jordon's mills. No doubt when those mills declined the current Potterne road took its place. By 1970 Hartmoor Road, as it was then called, had once again been made up into a road. (Note: that from Furze Hill Farm, Hartmoor changes name to Furze Hill Lane, though I have been unable to assertain when this happened).
The Cache
Known locally as the hangings, the grassed area here is where Devizes Gallows were sited. Prisoners to be hanged were brought from the town up the footpath which now leads away to St Johns and St Marys church and the town centre. Ley lines also cross this grassy area, as a total sceptic I found that dowsing rods actually work!
This is a micro cache with no pen, it has been noted that some chachers have claimed a find though not signed the log sheet, which is a requirement of geocaching.com in order to claim a find.. You will need to bring your own pen to sign the log or take a photo of the log only and add to your found log. No signature or photo and sorry but your find will be deleted.
Congratulations to Geo Tigger for the first to find.
After successive absences due to muggle action, this cache has been a new container, hint and moved about 20ft down the path east of original host.
Happy geo caching.