Abingdon GeoCache Series
After our recently placed GeoCache Series at Great Western Park, Didcot, 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!
All our placed caches can be viewed at this public bookmark list: https://coord.info/BMFEC4E
Abingdon #223 - Abbey Fishponds Natural Reserve (Officially Known as Little Bridges # 3359 - Abbey Fishponds)
Abbey Fishponds Local Nature Reserve is a seven-hectare urban wetland oasis located in east Abingdon, Oxfordshire. Completely enclosed by residential housing estates, this mini wildlife haven is owned by the Vale of White Horse District Council and managed by the Earth Trust with the vital assistance of local volunteers.
Wildlife & Habitats
- Alkaline Fen: One of Britain's rarest wetland habitats. The site features unique calcium-rich springs that support rare flora like Southern Marsh-orchid and Intermediate Hookmoss.
- Radley Brook: A slow-moving stream cutting through the reserve that provides an ideal, interconnected habitat for a local population of water voles.
- Biodiversity: The reserve supports over 450 species of plants, mammals, birds, and insects. Visitors can frequently spot damselflies, dragonflies, smooth newts, and 21 distinct species of butterflies.
Historical Importance
The area gets its name from its medieval history; an earth bank running across the stream valley is believed to be the remains of a dam and causeway. Monks from the nearby Abingdon Abbey once used these large, engineered pools to breed and harvest fish.
Visitor & Access Information
- Opening Times: The reserve is free to visit and always open.
- Location & Access: Located between Radley Road and Audlett Drive. Entrances are fitted with restricted kissing gates to keep out bicycles and motorbikes. The formal volunteer meeting point is at the eastern end of Hadland Road.
- Terrain: Features a mixture of paved perimeter paths and unpaved interior trails that are lined with woodchips during winter. The interior paths can become incredibly muddy and waterlogged, making sturdy footwear essential.
- Site Rules: Dogs are welcome but must be kept on a lead to protect nesting wildlife. Cycling and barbecues are strictly prohibited. There are no public toilets or dedicated car parks on-site; visitors must rely on limited residential street parking.
About this Multi-cache
At the published coordinates, you will be standing in front of the little bridge. Please count the total number of wooden planks on the surface of this bridge (if more than one plank is at the same location, just count one). Let it be AB.
On either one side of the bridge, how many vertical metal posts are there? Let it be C.
Finally, please go back to the published coordinates and look for a red dog waste bin. There is a telephone number on the white sticker, which is 020 DEFG HJKL.
The final coordinates are some distance away at:
N51 ( D - C ) ( C - A - L ) . ( C + G ) ( J + L - A ) ( H - K )
W001 ( C - A ) ( C + L ) . ( E + K ) ( A - L ) ( A + G )
The checksum of all the digits in the final coordinates is 53.
Please also note:
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.
You do not need to cross any fence or enter any private land.
Thank you and enjoy GeoCaching!
FTF: Congratulations to smyth71 and Dumpster41 for their Joint FTF on 25 May 2026.
This cache was placed with the kind permission of The Earth Trust.
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.