Directions from Parking to Cache 1
Carry along from the parking location along the private road (Look to your left at the b&b and you will see the purple cow!) until you reach the footpath sign. Carry on up the side of the field and grab cache #0. Carry on up along side the field and at the top you will come to a footpath sign where you enter the woods. Carry straight through the woods and the cache is on the left.
Bulrushes
Location Information
"Rowney Wood Ramble" takes you on a 4.2 mile picturesque stroll through Forestry Commission owned Rowney Wood in Debden, Essex for 14 easy traditional Geocaches. Permission to place caches here has been kindly granted by the Forestry Commission. Whilst we were waiting for permission to be approved in the woodland, another cache was published there which you can also grab on the way through: Georgina's Secret 2 This cache is further off of the path than the caches you will find in this series, however it is on route.
Map of the trail
This large ancient wood has been extensively replanted with blocks of Norway Spruce, Red Cedar and Scots Pine, with scattered standards of mainly Pedunculate Oak. It is home to many creatures including deer, owls, pheasants, butterflies and various other bird species. If you visit the area in the late afternoon/evening you're very likely to spot some deer (As we did when we first went to check the area for our cache trail, particularly in the field areas). There are also many wild blackberry bushes, damsons, various berries, crab apples, and even a full apple tree along this cache trail. If you visit at the right time of year you may also see some wild flowers growing in the woods including Oxlip (Primula elatior), Dog's Mercury (Mercurialis perennis), Bluebell (Hyacinthoides non-scripta), Tufted Hair-grass (Deschampsia cespitosa) and Meadowsweet (Filipendula ulmaria). So grab your camera, or binoculars if you're feeling twitchy, as there may be some good opportunities to use them. We'd love you to upload photos to your logs if you see anything whilst out on the trail!
The walk takes you from Deynes Road in Debden for a short stoll along a well maintained path along a field before you hit the woods. After going up through the woods, you will then exit it and follow the footpath through the fields onto the road and continue down the very quiet 'Pebbles Lane' (There is no need to walk down or cross the busy main road, you just have to cut across the grassy verge so it is suitable for children) before passing back into the woodland and past a spot where the River Chelmer flows. On the final stretch you exit the woods for the last time and pass along the side of it, before continuing down that same stretch along the fields that you walked to enter the woods back to Deynes Road.
Trail Information
To ensure that no damage can be done to the woodland, all of the caches placed inside Rowney Wood are purposely very easy hides. You do not need to stray from the path more than a few paces to find these and the hints provided should in most cases lead you to the exact spot. There is no need to stray into the woodland.
Summary
Parking: Parking is along Deynes Road. There is no particular spot, just find somewhere that is available and not causing an obstruction. A possible place is (N51 58.679, E000 16.015). Do not drive through the gate up to the start of the footpath, it is a private road.
Starting location: Footpath post at the end of the private road (N51 58.717, E000 16.165).
Distance: Approx 4.2 miles
Time to complete: Approx 2-3hrs
Total Caches: 5 micros, 6 smalls, 2 regulars, and 1 small that is slightly different to everything else!
Terrain: Very flat. Some patches may get quite muddy after heavy rainfall. All of the walk is along well maintained footpaths apart from one short stretch along Pebbles Lane which is a very quiet road with little traffic. Despite there not being any stiles or obsticles along the trails I wouldn't say it's a perfect trail to ride a bike along. Although the paths through the woods are quite flat, those along the fields may be a little bumpy!
Logging Etiquette: Geocache hiders sometimes go through a great deal of planning to place their caches. As a result, they'd like to hear your feedback on whether you liked or disliked any aspect of the hide, or if you feel that some cache maintenance is required. Single word, acronym, or emoticon logs may be easier when you have a lot of caches to log, but it doesn't tell the hider or other finders anything about your adventure (or lack thereof) in finding the cache. Please keep this in mind when entering your log.