Swinley Forest and The Lookout
The SP caches are located in Swinley Forest (formerly Windsor Forest). This Scots Pine woodland is also home to The Lookout Discovery Centre (OS grid ref: SU E87718 N66058). Since September 2012 Car Park Charges have been introduced and you will have to pay to visit the hands on Science Exhibition within the Discovery Centre. It's best to arrive early as the car park gets quite busy. The Discovery Centre has science and nature exhibits, an adventure playground, gift shop, picnic area, coffee shop and tourist information centre. You can buy large-scale maps here. For more information see The Lookout website.
Terrain
There are many large, well-maintained paths throughout the forest. Some of the terrain is hilly, and some areas get wet and muddy in winter.
You no longer need a permit to cycle in Swinley Forest. Cycling is only permitted in marked areas - there are some purpose-built tracks throughout the forest, some of these are near where caches are so please be careful and aware. You can also hire mountain bikes at The Lookout, it may be an idea to call first to check availability and opening times.
What does SP stand for?
SP stands for Star Post. On a map of the forest you can see Upper Star Post and Lower Star Post, where many paths intersect.
The SP4 cache
This cache is best approached from the south. It is possible to approach from the north, but the hill is much steeper. The OS grid ref. of the attack point (see photo) is SU E88585 N64272. The cache is in a re-entrant, 16 metres down from the trail, keep an eye out for mountain bikers on the trail!
Orienteering jargon buster: An attack point is a nearby feature which is easier to find than the actual cache. A re-entrant is a contour feature. It is an indentation into the hillside or a valley, frequently sloping. Click here for more orienteering jargon.