MTB Trail Multi-Cache
Street Gang: sign giving clues has been replaced and final cache site is increasingly overgrown. Cache removed.
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Difficulty:
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Terrain:
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Size: 
(regular)
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A multi part cache introducing Woburn Sands Woods. Particularly suitable for Mountain Bikes
This Cache is an introduction to the beautiful pine woods around Woburn Sands and has been designed to be suitable for a mountain bike. While it can be done on foot, please bear in mind it is around 3.5 miles to the actual cache and a round trip of 6 miles to get you back to your car. Using a car to get to each spot is cheating and in any case you will have to do at least some walking in the end.
The woods have a sandy soil and drain very well after rain. They are also quite popular so please be aware of dogs, cyclists, walkers and horse-riders who all use the area. Be particularly careful on the narrower trails.
The woods can be freely explored on foot but if using a bike, (or horse), you are supposed to purchase a permit. Details are on the sign by the parking area, alternatively, day passes can be obtained from a Warden, if they are around.
The cache consists of 3 elements done in the following order
a) A micro cache consisting of a small Tupperware container which contains the Westing for the final cache
b) A clue in Bow Brickhill churchyard which will give you the Northing
c) The final cache itself.
The co-ordinates above are for parking which is a popular spot and on most days there will be quite a few vans and cars there. The first clue is the sign to the left of the gate. This has a brown arrow and a picture of a mountain bike on it. Once you have the location of the Micro, head through the gate and follow the various paths to the Micro cache which is at:
N 51 59.ABC
W 000 38.640
Where
A = The number of words in the 3rd line of the sign which starts with “Mountain”
B= A+2
C= Number of letters in the word which forms the top line.
The area beyond the gate is the mountain bike “Play Area” with some impressive jumps, trails and ramps. It is well worth a look but be careful as the some trails cross the path and the bikes move very fast. Keep dogs and children under close control.
Micro Cache
The micro is under some young trees and an approach "around the back" avoids the worse of them. Having found the Micro and noted the Westing head off for Bow Brickhill Church at
N 52 00.026
W 000 40.426
There is a ride which heads off in the right direction and this can be followed, however, a better route is the narrow “single track” about 10m to its right. This is excellent on a bike and is known as the “Trek Trail” after the group of Trek riders who built and maintain it. After passing a car park and going along another ride, you should find yourself at the junction of a sandy road. From here much the best route is to follow the bridleway opposite rather than the more direct tarmac road. Once again there is excellent single track to the right.
Follow this with the golf course on your left until the ground starts to drop away down the hill. Here turn left either along single track or along a sandy ride. This turning point is around N 52 00.105, W 000 39.810. Continue until you reach the road which is in a steep cutting with the church opposite. On the way you will pass close to the cache, Keynes Overlook, (Bucks) GCC896.
At the church you are looking for the following headstone which is in the main churchyard and fairly obvious as it is a Commonwealth War Graves Commission headstone. These are pale white Portland Stone with a rounded top. It is the only headstone of this type.
Guardsman T.L. Barden who died on 23rd Feb 1943
The Northing for the final cache is below using T.L Barden’s serial number 261DE4F.
N 51 59. DEF
As you leave the churchyard, turn right and 20m down the hill there is a footpath off to your left which will lead towards the final cache, keeping the golf course on your left. There are fine views over Milton Keynes from the cache area though fast growing trees are rapidly obscuring the view.
Once you have reached the final cache you can go a more direct route back to your car but expect the total distance to be around 6 miles.
The final cache area is becoming more and more overgrown and it may be easier to cross the fence closer to the final location than use the stiles which have some bramble beds between them and the cache, however the bracken seems to be winning. I have upped the Terrain rating with this in mind.
Additional Hints
(Decrypt)
Zvpeb naq Znva ner haqre cvyrf bs ybtf