People have suggested to bring a sharpie to sign the log, or a felt tip with fairly dark ink
This 80 hectare reserved is located on the north eastern outskirts of Guildford. The wetland area supports many birds, amphibians and insects whilst the lake is important for birds and fish. Visitors can walk along footpaths and boardwalks, through mature woodlands of oak, ash and horse chestnut. Bluebells and Red campion can be seen in the spring and honeysuckle in the summer months. Visitors to the cache in this wonderful reserve can enjoy all that this.
Riverside Park straddles the A3 from Burpham to Ladymead. It is owned, managed and funded by Guildford Borough Council with special emphasis on nature conservation and habitat creation. Since its conception in the late 1970s the Park has grown as additional parcels of land have been acquired. The main body of land was acquired in the mid-1980s. The lake and meadow around it were by-products of gravel extraction during the construction of the new A3 Guildford by-pass. At this time conservation work was carried out to preserve the wetland habitat to the north of the A3 and the boardwalk was constructed to allow public access to this area. Since then conservation work has also been carried out to preserve the wetland habitat to the south of the A3
Conservation is an ongoing process. Recreational pursuits are encouraged within the site. Activities such as dog walking, picnicking, jogging and bird watching are catered for through the provision of picnic sites, footpaths and recreation areas. However, fishing is prohibited as is kite flying, due to overhead cables. The Park consists of four main habitats: meadow, wetland, open water and woodland.
Meadow Grass covers the majority of the Park and provides a habitat for a wide range of flora and fauna. Current management involves different mowing regimes which encourage this diversity. In some locations informal paths are cut through the grass sward.
Wetland These low lying areas are permanently marshy with occasional flooding in the winter months. This habitat is especially important due to its rarity and its ability to support a diverse range of birds, amphibians and insects. To retain this habitat, it is necessary to remove invasive trees such as willow, which dry the marsh, and regularly to clear out the water courses to eradicate the build up of silt. A boardwalk has been provided to guide people through the least sensitive areas of wetland.
Open Water The majority of open water in the Park is contained within the man made lake in the centre of the site. This is an important habitat for birds and fish, with bird species and numbers fluctuating throughout the year due to the influx of migratory species.
Woodland There are two main areas of mature woodland. They contain mainly Oak, Ash and Chestnut. Sensitive placement of footpaths and a boardwalk have allowed a wide range of flora and fauna to flourish and grow undisturbed while retaining access through the woodland.
Brochure on Park
The cache is a 1.5 litre food container which has got a few items in and a makeshift log. It is not on the A3, you do not have to get very near the A3 at all.
You can park at the Spectrum, and go under the A3, or park at the car park at the north end of the park.
Please favourite it and leave feedback about it and possibly if you have any other ideas for a series of geocaches in the guildford area.
Please take photos of yourself with the cache.
We really enjoy the anecdotes and experiences from visiting our caches so we'd rather not see simply 'TFTC' or :-)
As you are in the area you may want to also visit some of the other caches in the 7 Wonders of Guildford series
These are (or will be) the other caches in the 7 Wonders of Guildford series
- The Chantries
- Pewley Down
- St Martha's Hill
- TBC (if anyone wants to give me some ideas that would be appreciated
- Stoke Park
- Riverside Park
- TBC Somewhere along the River Way (probably near Shalford)
I have obtained permission from Guildford Borough Council to place this cache.