Welcome to King's Wood
Situated next to Rushmere Country Park, King's Wood Nature Reserve is a beautiful area of ancient woodland. It forms part of the largest area of deciduous woodland in Bedfordshire, and can be traced as far back as the 15th Century.
Themixture of light sandy and heavy clay soils supports a diverse range of species in close proximity, with birch, sessile oak, bracken and heather in the sandy areas, and ash, pedunculate oak, hornbeam and dog’s mercury on the clay area.
The site is also noted for its small-leaved lime, a locally rare native tree believed to have been the dominant tree in the original wildwood, and there is also the largest population of lily-of-the-valley in the county, with woodland butterflies including silver washed fritillary, white admiral and purple hairstreak.
Scattered throughout the wood are signs of the woods history. You'll find old sheds scattered round, a few old abandoned cars (see the waypoint for the location of some) and a pet cemetery which this virtual will take you too. No one quite seems to know the history of the cars or cemetery, there's stories of there once being a road towards King's Wood House (on the far side of the wood) where cars used to be repaired but I think the mystery of the cars adds to the uniqueness of the wood.
At the published coordinates, you will find a group of pet headstones tucked away. These date from the 1930s-1950s and are the pets of either a former gamekeeper or the former owner of the house. This spot is also an amazing area for bluebells, it's well worth a visit in spring to see the display. It's a beautiful, tranquil spot. Please stick to paths, especially during bluebell season to avoid trampling them.
The paths can be quite confusing in the woods, in waypoints we've added coordinates for 2 of the paths into the wood. It can get very boggy in the woods so wellies or sturdy walking boots are highly recommended. Paid parking is available at the Stockgrove side of Rushmere Country Park.
The cache
To log this cache, simply:
1. Locate Hugh's headstone. What is the date on it? (Month and year). Please message us with your answer (feel free to log as soon as the message has been sent)
2. Upload a photograph of the area to the log, you do not need to be in it. A picture of a four legged friend, your caching name, or just a photo of the landscape is fine as an alternative.
Cache placed with permission of The Greensand Trust
Virtual Rewards 4.0 - 2024-2025
This Virtual Cache is part of a limited release of Virtuals created between January 17, 2024 and January 17, 2025. Only 4,000 cache owners were given the opportunity to hide a Virtual Cache. Learn more about Virtual Rewards 4.0 on the Geocaching Blog.