Skip to content

Chalk Pit Capers Traditional Geocache

This cache has been archived.

perfunctory butcher's: Sorry to report this one is missing, visited today and it's hidey hole has been compromised and there was no sign of the cache.
There appears to be a lot of activity with beer cans, alcohol bottles and litter around the place so with sadness and after 12 years we are archiving this one.

More
Hidden : 5/10/2006
Difficulty:
4 out of 5
Terrain:
3 out of 5

Size: Size:   small (small)

Join now to view geocache location details. It's free!

Watch

How Geocaching Works

Please note Use of geocaching.com services is subject to the terms and conditions in our disclaimer.

Geocache Description:

A peacefull place spot on the outskirts of Lewes, with great views and plenty of things to investigate, including a local public house and restaurant and a hidden railway!

There is plenty of parking available at the following location:
N50.52.640 W000.00.398
which is adjacent to a small park if you have children with an excess of energy.
If parking here, please take extra care as the main road can be busy at times.
You will not need to cross the road to complete this cache.

To start your walk, make your way up the pavement, following the main road to:
N50.52.844 W000.00.456
where you should leave the road for the countryside.
There are many paths that will take you to the cache, you may want to investigate them on your return.

Your final destination has high and steep edges, being an old quarry, but you will not need to do any climbing.
You will also be rewarded with some spectacular views over the valley to Offham and Hamsey.
Although not considered dangerous, if you have small children, please keep an eye on them. The cache is nowhere near any drops so the children can help you look.

The cache is a small greenish drinks container located somewhere within the upper chalk pit.

This is a very popular place for local children to play and walkers to walk, please ensure you leave the cache exactly where you found it and well hidden. You will need all your stealth undercover abilities to retrieve this cache at busy times as you will be quite visible from above and to the sides. As we have already had three local caches 'discovered' and vandalised, please be as careful as you can.

When you have completed this cache, how about making your way down to the local Public House (The Chalk Pit Inn) where you should start looking for the remains of what is possibly the oldest railway in Sussex. It was opened in March 1809 by William Jessop to carry chalk and lime down the hillside to barges on the nearby canal and from there on to Newhaven Harbour. The funicular railway ran under the road down a 60deg slope. Two side-by-side tracks were used and the wagons were linked via a large wheel at the top. The weight of the full wagons decending on one track pulled the empty ones back up the hill on the other track. This railway was used until 1870 when the pit was closed but the tunnels are still visible today.
Please take extra care if you wish to cross this road as it can be fast and busy at times.

The cache is hidden so well because of the way we hid it, so please take time to re-hide it exactly as you found it.
Above all, have fun, when you find it you will wonder why it took you so long!

Finally, remember you will not need to do any climbing, the cache is NOT in or up the sides of the chalk pit.
It can get slippey around the cache in the wet as you will be walking on moss ;-),
so please take care
.

Additional Hints (Decrypt)

Yrnir ab fgbar ha-ghearq vs lbh jvfu gb punyx hc guvf fhpprff!

Decryption Key

A|B|C|D|E|F|G|H|I|J|K|L|M
-------------------------
N|O|P|Q|R|S|T|U|V|W|X|Y|Z

(letter above equals below, and vice versa)