Don’t Spoil the View No 2 Traditional Cache

This is one of two caches that follow on a previous theme of air shafts, canal tunnel ones this time. Log only please bring own pen. Pull in opposite cache so suitable as a quick park and cache..
 
 

From this vantage point you will have a grand view of numerous spoil heaps created from the sinking of the shafts for the Thames and Severn Canal Sapperton Tunnel. They are easily located by the stand of mature trees that grow on the mounds of soil. You will also have a wonderful view of Hailey wood and Hailey farm. These spoil heaps are evident along the route of the tunnel as it passes through Hailey wood, walkers are welcome (but the land owner declined having caches to mark out the tunnel route)... see paragraph at bottom..

A toatl 24 shafts were sunk along its length (1 was abandoned), to provide multiple work faces, the deepest of which was 244 feet (74 m) the two you are looking at would be in the deepest section of the tunnel. These were then linked up creating a headway which could then be opened out to the full bore. Gunpowder was extensively used in the sections of the tunnel which passed through rock.
The sheer feat of this mammoth excavation is remarkable considering the depth and the tools of the day.  
The tunnel was opened on 20 April 1789 after five years of construction. It has no towpath; boats were propelled through the tunnel by legging. There were some defects in the workmanship, causing it to be closed for ten weeks after only a year, while repairs were carried out. For more info visit http://www.cotswoldcanals.com

Why not take a walk through the Hailey Wood (opening times 8am-5 pm daily) and you will discover more of these shafts, which some are still open air shafts but are protected with high fencing to stop deer falling to their death as unfortunately the dog of the land owner did not that long ago!.. But please take care none the less.