Hawkswood Multi-Cache
stephencooke8: This one has been in situ a good few years but now its time to free up the area for something new.
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(regular)
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The above co-ordinates are for the car park at Haningfield Reservoir visitor centre the start of your quest. Open 9am - 5pm Daily
DOGS ARE NOT ALLOWED
There is only 1 cache to find but you will need to walk around the nature reserve to find the clues all of which are clearly visible on established footpaths, it is approx 1.5 miles should take you about 45 mins.
The cache is at N51 GF.KDC E000 LH.BEA
After you have got all the answers you need to relocate
The 2nd parking area is located at N51.PF.IJK E000.MH.NQO
The Visitor Centre is set in mature woodland overlooking the Hanningfield Reservoir and is the ideal place to start and finish your walk. The centre has full disabled access as does the Lyster Bird hide that is a short distance away.
Some 100 acres of mixed woodland at the south-eastern end of Hanningfield Reservoir. At least 30 acres of this, Well Wood and Hawk's Wood, is ancient in origin. Ditch and bank boundaries, dating back centuries, mark the extent of the old coppice and some remnant of the original hornbeam community survives. There is a great diversity of wildlife, with many species indicative of ancient woodland habitats. The show of spring flowers, in particular bluebells, yellow archangel and stitchworts, is not to be missed.
The reservoir is an SSSI and the whole Water Company area around the reservoir has statutory designation as a bird sanctuary. The spectacle of 80,000 swifts, swallows and martins feeding over the water during peak fly hatches is just one of the delights for the summer visitor, although most people will probably associate the reservoir with large numbers of waterfowl. Gadwall, tufted duck and pochard are three of the important breeding species and year-round coot numbers are of national significance.
Much of the reservoir can be scanned from the hides, with especially good views over an island that is popular with wildfowl and a raft provided for terns to nest.
The conifer plantations are gradually being thinned, followed by underplanting with native broadleaved species, hazel in particular. Woodland glades are being created, linked by grassy rides, and ponds are being rejuvenated. Coppicing of neglected hornbeam stools has begun again.
Additional Hints
(Decrypt)
haqre n gerr
Treasures
You'll collect a digital Treasure from one of these collections when you find and log this geocache:
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