There is a
public phone box in the car park. Make a note of the last two
digits of the number – 01865 3400AB
From the car park, cross the main road and pass through the kissing
gate next to the octagonal Toll House. Stroll up Rose Walk towards
the Abbey Church of St Peter and St Paul, one of the largest
churches in Oxfordshire, which stands on the site of a Saxon
cathedral built by St Birinus in the seventh century. Make sure you
leave yourself time to visit the abbey, where there is much to see
including two unique features, the Jesse window and a lead font
cast in 1170. Be aware that major restoration work is taking place
inside the abbey, and certain parts may be inaccessible at certain
times. In the summer months you can visit the Dorchester Abbey
Museum and then sample home-made cakes in the Abbey Tea Room. Both
are located in the medieval Guest House adjoining the Abbey. The
abbey web site at www.dorchester-abbey.org.uk
details its history and gives a lot more information, including the
opening days and times of museum and tea room.
Take a seat with Peggy to admire the view of
the thatched, half timbered cottage. Make a note of when Peggy was
born – 1CD9
You now need to make your way to N 51° 38.696 W 01° 09.665
Follow the gravel path between the tower and the guest house, which
will take you past the Cloister Gardens and bring you out in Manor
Farm Road. Follow this to the end, and turn right down the track to
The Long Bridge, which crosses the River Thame a meandering mile up
river of its confluence with the River Thames.
Once over the bridge you are in the Hurst Water Meadows, occupying
an island between the River Thame and the Overy mill-race and
mill-stream. The meadows usually flood in winter, which helps to
maintain the natural fertility of the soil.
More than 100 species of plants have been recorded in the meadow.
The variety of habitats provided by the pasture, the river, the
trees and scrub, and the newly created 'scrape' encourages many
wildlife species. Birds include tits, warblers, heron, kingfisher,
mallard and coot. Butterflies such as the marbled white, meadow
brown and various skippers are commonly seen in the long grass of
the pasture. Mayflies, the banded demoiselle and brown hawker
dragonfly are seasonally common. Grass snake have been seen, and
mammals such as field vole, fox, mink, weasel and muntjac, but
sadly, no water vole though they have been sighted nearby.
Further details and a map with a guided tour may be found on the
web site at www.hurst-water-meadow.co.uk.
Next to the kissing gate at the far end of
the bridge is a wooden post with two dates on a brass plaque. The
first of these is 19E1.
How many green-painted uprights support the rails (both sides) on
the bridge? Divide this number by E to give you
F.
You should now have all the numbers required to decode the location
of the cache, which is at:
N51° EC.BCF W001° AD.EAF
This is a 1½ litre plastic food
container, and originally contained: the log book with pen and
pencil, highlighter, small screwdriver, glue stick, insulating
tape, rainbow bubbles, colouring crayons and Swat Smurf TB
To complete your circular tour climb the style opposite the point
where you entered the water meadow, and cross the river at Overy
Mill. A short walk along the lane back to the main road, and then
across the river again on the road bridge will bring you back to
the car park.
As my employer has decided that it would be a good idea to
move the whole organisation to Bristol, the Phillimore's (Mad H@ter
and Muddy Legs) will be moving on to pastures new and some fresh
caches. Unfortunately this will mean that it will become difficult
for us to maintain our Oxfordshire caches, so we will therefore be
gradually archiving the majority of them. We shall start our
program of collecting the caches and archiving them in the new
year, but as we have one or two caches out there this will not be a
five minute program! If you would particularly like to find this
cache before it is archived please get in touch and we will try and
hold off archiving it.