This cache is located on the site of Stanford Mill which stood
on the River Ivel. This part of the river was the River Ivel
Navigation which linked Shefford with the Great Ouse and the canal
network at Biggleswade. The mill has long gone and the only
reminder of the canal are the remains of the lock. There has been
local talk of reopening this canal section but the cost would be
very high.
The area has been opened up to the public and is used by a lot
of local dog walkers. It is a a nice quite spot by the old mill
pond and if you sit for a while you may even see a kingfisher wizz
past. Keep you eyes on any small children you have with you as the
banks into the mill pond are quite steep. Don't worry about your
dogs, it appears to be the local dogs' swimming pool.
The cache is located very close to the old lock but you do not
need to cross the fences that protects it edges.
If you want to stretch your legs and have a walk of about a mile
park at N52 02.631 W000 17.652 which is Church Street in Clifton.
Drive pass the church and at the crossroads carry straight over,
the road is marked as a “No Through Road” but there is
a small car park for about six cars and room to turn around. The
road is quite narrow so watch out for pedestrians. Once you park
simple follow the clearly marked footpaths or your GPS.
However, if you just want to log a quick cache park at N52
03.270 W000 17.675 which is Mill Lane in Stanford. Again another
“No Through Road” that gets a little bumpy, with a
small car parking area that the locals use. Once you park up follow
the road around until you see a footpath sign on your right marked
“Langford 1 Mile”. Follow this over the bridge straight
to the cache. If you do park here you should be able to do the
cache and be back within 15 minutes.
If you take the short route, there is a trig point very close.
You can alamost drive right up to it down the little lane that it
sits beside. The lane is used by local fisherman and you can turn
around quite easily at the bottom.
Cache is a small plastic box about 3” x 3” x
6” in a green plastic bag and contains a few small items with
the log book.