Newbury GeoCache Series
After our recently placed GeoCache Series at Great Western Park (GWP) (cache #1-11, 14, 17-19, 30-32, 35, 38, 60-61, 80-81, 84, 104-106), Didcot (cache #12-13, 15-16, 20-25, 29, 33-34, 41-42, 44-45, 47-48, 53, 59, 62-63, 66-67, 69-79, 82-83, 90-103, 107-112, 117-119, 121-129, 137-141, 146, 163-164), Harwell (cache #26, 36-37, 43, 46, 54-55, 58, 68), Chilton (cache #27-28, 85), Sutton Courtenay (cache #39, 64-65), Milton (cache #40, 49-52, 56-57, 151-153), Upton (cache #86-87), Long Wittenham (cache #88-89), Hagbournes (cache #114-116), Kingsgrove (cache #120, 130-132), Compton (cache #133-134), Appleford (cache #135-136), Newbury (cache #142-145, 147-150, 159-161, 165-166), Drayton (cache #154-158), and Richmond (cache #162), we decide to place a few more caches in other parts of Didcot and surrounding villages, in order to honour local heros, and to reflect our rich local history, stories and heritage. We hope you will enjoy these new caches and may also learn something new when you are caching, thank you!
Newbury #167 - Monkey Marsh Swing Bridge (Officially Known as Little Bridges # 3334 - Monkey Marsh Swing Bridge)
Monkey Marsh Swing Bridge is a notable landmark on the Kennet and Avon Canal located in Thatcham, Berkshire. It is situated just east of Thatcham railway station and level crossing.
Key Features and History
- Location: The bridge crosses the canal near Monkey Marsh Lock, which is one of only two remaining turf-sided locks in Great Britain and is designated as a Scheduled Ancient Monument.
- Operational Status: It is a manual swing bridge used by boaters to navigate the canal. Historically, it has been noted as being stiff to operate, occasionally requiring significant effort from single-handed boaters.
- Restoration: The bridge was restored during the broader reopening of the Kennet and Avon Canal in the late 20th century.
About this Multi-cache
At the published coordinates, you will be standing at the north end of the swing bridge. Next to you are several fingerposts sharing one pole, directing public footpaths and bridleways. How many yellow arrows are there in total on these fingerposts? Let it be A. And how many blue arrows are there in total on these fingerposts? Let it be B.
Now walk to the left side of the swing bridge, where you will see a two-digit bridge number on the side of the bridge, just below the bridge surface. Let this number be CD.
Then please walk on the swing bridge to cross the River Kennet from north to south. At the south end of the bridge there is a blue sign on the railing, which tells the bridge operating instructions. How many instructions are there in total on this sign? Let it be E.
And on the same blue sign, the number of letters in the first English word of the first instruction is F. And the number of letters in the last English word of the last instruction is G.
The final coordinates are a short distance away at:
N51 ( ( A + B ) / C ) ( B - ( C / D ) ) . ( D + ( A / B ) ) ( D / E ) ( F - ( B / D ) )
W001 ( C / D ) ( F - ( B / A ) ) . ( C / E ) ( E - ( C / B ) ) ( F + G - E )
The checksum of all the digits in the final coordinates is 40.
Please also note:
When approaching the GZ there may be some barbed wires, so please take extra care. You will be doing it at your own risk.
Please bring your own pen, and open & close the cache lid carefully so the cache and log book can survive longer. You might need a tweezer to help retrieve the log paper.
Please also replace exactly as found due to obvious reason, and please be careful with the possible thorns, stinging nettles, and overhead tree branches! Long sleeves, trousers, and gloves are recommended.
Thank you and enjoy GeoCaching!
FTF: Congratulations to letstry1 for their FTF on 13 April 2026!
The Little Bridges series was started by Stanthews in 2009 to highlight small footbridges in remote parts of Wiltshire. Since then, the series has been expanded by others all over the country and starting to spread fast. There is a stats listing, so you can see how many Little Bridges you have found, you can find it here: - Little Bridges Geocaching Series (littlebridgesseries.co.uk). If you would like to add to the series, please go to this site, on the tab Get Involved click number request and fill in the form. To qualify, the bridge must be a foot bridge too small for vehicles, please make sure your title exactly matches “Little Bridges # xxxx then the name” including spaces so it will get picked up and added to stats list.