'Beacon Hill' Traditional Cache
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Difficulty:
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Terrain:
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Size: 
(regular)
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This cache takes the form of a small grey ammo box. The contents are varied. The cache is wrapped in a hessian sack. For a longer walk the best place to park, is at grid SU 201 444, this will put you directly opposite 'A range'. If approaching from Bulford this will be on the right. If approaching from Tidworth it will be on your left. Park on the flat grassed area. Looking up the hill you will see two tracks. Take the right hand track, this will take you past the 'KIWI' monument, which is on route. Alternatively, the quick route, park in the layby off the A303, this will give a shorter & more direct route to the cache. Once on Beacon Hill its worth (on a clear day) stopping at the Trig point to take in the views of the surrounding Wiltshire /Hampshire area.
A handy track has now been cut close to the cache, avoids most of the nettles!
"WARNING - DURING WARMER CLIMATE BEWARE OF THE STINGING NETTLES. YOU ARE ADVISED TO WEAR FULL LEG COVERING ON THIS ONE (as i found to my cost)"
We have all grown used to maps to find our way around, most of which are the Ordinance Survey which cover the whole of the UK. As most people realise the OS actually make these maps by dividing the UK into larger grid squares. What is not generally known is that the start of this mapping process is called triangulation, which was started in Salisbury.On the A345, just outside salisbury (300-400M North to the entrance of Old Sarum) you will find a stone commerating this feat.The initial line was measured by a Capt Mudge in 1794 & was known as the 'Salisbury Plain Base Line', which was 6.93 miles long & is the basis for modern day mapping.Capt Mudge had a cannon cemented upright into the field so that the top gave a solid permanent base onto which he could mount his survey equipment. The top of the cannon is still visible to this day.The inscription on the stone reads: " In 1794 a line from this site to Beacon Hill was measured by Capt W. Mudge of the Ordinance Survey as a base for the triangulation of Great Britain
Additional Hints
(Decrypt)
Ragre gur jbbqrq nern sebz gur jbbqra cbyr va tebhaq, jnyx nccebk 36 fgrcf gb gur onfr bs n snyyra gerr. Gur nzzb obk vf uvqqra ba gur evtug bs gur gerr.