Monthly Mid-Week Meet in Sussex #202
This month's meet will take place at The Royal Oak – Poynings
from 6.30pm - 9.00pm on Wednesday 17th June 2026
The address of the pub is:-
The Royal Oak, The Street, Poynings, BN45 7AQ
*** IMPORTANT NOTE ***
This pub operates a strict reservation and table allocation scheme. Please log a "Will Attend" before 18:00 on Monday 15th June stating the number of people in your party and if you plan to eat. Attendees logging after this time or that just turn up on the night may or may not be able to sit with the rest of the group.
Event Details
The pub serves food at a reasonable price and food is served until 8.30pm. We have a back room area reserved - turn right at the bar and go through to the back, and then up the stairs - due to the stairs this may not be suitable for wheelchair users. For more information and example menus please visit their website.
Please refer to the additional waypoints for details of the large car park. The entrance is immediately to the right (East) of the pub building. Once on this roadway, please do not park on the immediate right, these spaces are reserved for local cottages, instead continue to the end and turn right into the main car park.
About the Venue
This quaint country pub might look inviting on the outside, but inside it is one of the most haunted locations in Sussex. Within its historic walls lies a story of betrayal and ghostly hauntings, the Royal Oak is said to be home to a spirit known as The Old Man, believed to be the ghost of a former landlord. Patrons have claimed to see the figure of an elderly man sitting at the bar, staring into space. In addition, objects move mysteriously, and the chilling sound of heavy breathing can be heard in the night.
Poynings village probably originated in Saxon times in the 8th– 9th century and remained primarily a sheep farming community until Victorian times when Brighton became a fashionable resort particularly after the rail line from London was completed in 1840. The Devil’s Dyke escarpment became a popular excursion from the coast with a train to the Dyke from Hove opening in 1887. Less well known was a funicular railway constructed on the steep north slope (1889-1909) allowing visitors direct access to Poynings. The present Royal Oak Inn was built around 1861 to cater for the influx of tourists and during the first half of the 20th century there were at least four touristy tea gardens in Poynings. Today Poynings has reverted to a sleepy village with the occasional walker from the Downs.
About these Events
These monthly mid-week cache events in Susex have been running since 2008 (with the exception of the pandemic restrictions) and have become solid fixtures in the diaries of cachers across the South East. New cachers or irregular attendees are always particularly welcome.
The events are scheduled to take place on the third Wednesday of each month, each time at a different location across Sussex and hosted by a different cacher or caching team. Anyone who feels the urge to host one of these events, and ensure it gets to your area, please contact Flookfinders through his profile and he will sort out a month for you.