Come and join us at the monument on Coombe Hill near Wendover
for the final event of the Geolympix 2012 Mega Cache week. The event will be on
Wednesday 25th July and run from 7pm until after sunset (9.03pm).
We won't quite be able to see the Dreaming Spires from here, but it's a
wonderful vantage point with the potential for a spectacular sunset.
This is the ideal opportunity to catch up with fellow cachers you've met during the week of the Geolympix Mega, and take your leave before heading home. The monument is a short, easy stroll from the recommended parking, and although not paved will be suitable for wheelchairs unless it's been very wet.
The suggestion has been made that you might like to indulge in some 'hill-top games' while waiting for the sun to go down. The wide open, grassy space lends itself well to kids’ football or frizbee throwing, and if it’s windy it’s an ideal place to fly kites. So bring your own kit and equipment and show off your particular prowess! Whatever you choose to do, please do it with respect for others and safety in mind, as there may be a good crowd in the area.
Don’t forget that if it’s wet and windy, you really will need some decent weatherproofs up there!
If you want to make a full day's caching of it before attending this event, there are 36 caches within a two mile radius of the monument, with 21 Traditionals including England's oldest surviving cache (GC171) (which you pass very close to between the parking and the monument), 5 Multis and 10 Puzzle caches, one of which is a night cache less than half a mile from the parking area (this one will require some research in advance to determine your start point). There is a Bookmark List of all 36 caches here.
But for those of you who would prefer to retire to the pub after the Closing Ceremony rather than go night caching in the glorious Chiltern beechwoods, a number of us will be adjourning to The Shoulder of Mutton at Wendover, just a three mile drive from the car park (child waypoint R1 for your GPSr, postcode HP22 6EJ for your satnav).
Please note that the pub will not be part of the loggable event - for that you have to attend and sign the log at The Monument on Coombe Hill.
History and background: Coombe Hill Monument was erected in 1904, with funds raised by public subscription, in memory of 148 men from Buckinghamshire who died during the Second Boer War. It is one of the first and largest examples of a war memorial erected to honor the names of individual men who fell whilst fighting for their country.
The monument is an iconic Buckinghamshire landmark and a Grade II Listed monument. At 260m above sea level, it sits on one of the highest and most striking spurs of the Chilterns, commanding a wide view of the Vale of Aylesbury, and overlooking Chequers, the country home of the Prime Minister. On a clear day the monument can be seen from the Berkshire Downs and Salisbury Plain to the south-west and the Cotswolds to the west.
Theoretically the highest points in seven surrounding counties are visible from the summit. These are Arbury Hill (Northamptonshire), Dunstable Downs (Bedfordshire), Haddington Hill in Wendover Woods (Buckinghamshire), Bushey Heath (Middlesex), Botley Hill near Westerham Heights (Greater London), Leith Hill (Surrey) and the Uffington White Horse (Oxfordshire). In practice this claim is misleading due to woodland obscuring the view in some directions.
Here is a link to the main web page for the
Geolympix 2012 Mega Event Week,
Sorry, you're too late! It's all over.
