The route starts and finishes on The Ladies' Walk that runs along the southern edge of Andover. It was laid out in 1785 and is part of the pre-Roman track known as the Mark Way. In 1863, 121 trees were planted along its length to commemorate the wedding of His Royal Highness the Prince of Wales (who later became King Edward VII) to Princess Alexandra of Denmark.
Some of the caches along the route also form part of the Andover Orbital Loop (AO).
We didn't want to create a loop of film pots so there are a variety of cache sizes and shapes. One is a multi cache where there are two ways of finding the final location, one being easier than the other although it will add about a third of a mile to the overall distance you walk. Some are standard clip lock boxes, some are micro tubes and there are also a few novelty caches. We hope you enjoy the walk and the views that you will see along the way.
The paths are pretty good, although the byway from number 6 along to number 7 is often used by cars and motorbikes getting to "The Plantations" where you may see all sorts of motorbike activity occurring (lots of noise and excitement I guess). It therefore can get a bit muddy and you need to watch out for vehicles passing here.
There is also one short stretch between numbers 8 and 9 that occasionally floods. This is, however, passable with care along the edge of the path.
Obviously in winter there is likely to be some mud around, so suitable footwear is advised.
There is one stretch of minor road between 13 and 16 so please take care especially with dogs and children. The road is fairly quiet, but number 16 is near a farm so you may encounter farm traffic here.
You'll also encounter the A303 twice, but at both points you'll be using a tunnel under the road. You'll just have to put up with the noise as you get close to the A303.
Suggested parking if you want to start at number 1 is at N 51° 12.315 W 001° 27.966 where there is often space for 3 or 4 cars. From this parking area cross the road and follow the track up to the left of the road that goes up to the nearby hotel.
If, however, you want to walk the entire length of The Ladies Walk in one go you can park at N 51° 12.630 W 001° 27.405 and start at number 25. From this parking area walk along the road towards the new tunnel and turn up the tarmac path on the right.
There's also a pub nearby this parking spot for those who wish to either celebrate after 27 (or more) finds or drown their sorrows after too many DNFs.
This cache is also in the Andover Orbital (AO) series.