Smugglers' Road is an ancient ridgeway which gives superb views in all directions. It was used by smugglers landing in Christchurch harbour to move their cargo to Southampton. So other "caches" may have been hidden over the years - but with tea, tobacco or rum rather than fridge magnets!
The original stage 1 was placed to give a circular walk of about 2 - 3 miles from the Smugglers' Road car park N 50 50 119 W 001 44 020. The lower parts of the heath may be quite boggy in parts. The paths can be steep and the whole area is quite exposed if it's windy or raining. Not suitable for wheelchairs or buggy's.
As we approach the 20th anniversary of placing this cache, its time to update it. The black pipes that have been the basis of the calculation all these years are now very overgrown and hard to count. So the coordinates now take you to a telegraph pole, the nearest one to the Smugglers Road car park.
You are looking for an 8 digit number on a silver strip of metal:-
5A00ABA2
substitute the numbers on the strip for A and B
The cache is place at N50 50 5(A+B)9 W001 43 3A3
The best route to the cache is to keep walking past the telegraph pole up the adjacent hill. You will find the start of the "road" footpath. From the "road" you will have the option, after about 3/4 mile, of a footpath that takes you down then up towards the cache. Or just stay on the road and loop round.
If you don't want to walk much, the cache is placed only about 200 metres from the car park at Verley Hill, N50 50 665 W001 43 436
Cache placed in line with Forestry Commission guidelines, negotiated by the GAGB committee. Please read before attempting this or any other New Forest cache.
Enjoy… But then PLEASE LEAVE WELL HIDDEN, Thank you.