The woodland contains other geocaches which takes you all around the woods which is a lovely place to walk. So while you are not looking for the geocaches, take in the scenery in and around the beautiful woodland.
Soil around East Grinstead is mainly Tunbridge Wells sandstone or Wadhurst clay (with Sussex marble found by the streams). Ashplats wood is no different. To answer the question to prove that you have found the cache, you will need to know the basics about soil types.
Clay soil (each grain is less than 0.002mm)
This type of soil can smear and gets sticky when wet. It can easily be rolled into a pole/sausage shape and can be made shiny by rubbing it with a finger. Clay is closely packed together which means it can be very heavy compared to other soils. The clay in Ashplats wood is very dark. It usually looks like normal soil from decayed plants and trees. The clearest way to identify clay soil is it's dark brown colour.
Sandy soil (0.05-2mm)
In sandy soil you can easily feel the sand. It can fall through your fingers when it is dry and crumble when wet. The grains of sand do not stick together well so it cannot be moulded into a shape. If you are in a country where it rains regularly (e.g. UK) sand on the surface can all end up in a hole, puddle, stream or any other place where lots of rain passes or collects. The sand in Ashplats Wood is very fine which means in wet weather it can stick together like clay. The easiest way to identify sand is it's bright colour.
If you are stuck, you may wish to go down the path to have a look at the steps which were made from this locally sourced material (where the new houses were built) which was then compressed. There is also a information board by the steps and another one by the top of the path which may help.
Logging Requirements
Feel free to log your visit at the same time as you send the email, as I will not always be able to reply quickly.
To claim this earthcache, send me an message through the Message Center with the answer for the following question: ‘Which type of soil can be found at the given coordinates? Explain why you think this’. DO NOT DIG TO ANSWER THE QUESTION (This will damage the footpath and could cause problems with drainage). This information cannot be found online and will prove that you did actually find the location. At GZ you will find a path with drainage ditched along the sides. You can find the answer to the cache from this point of the path and upwards (The map can be found here). Please don't put the answer in your log, even encrypted, I will delete it to stop other people cheating. When you are sending the message, please tell me the GC code (GC4H6TF) so I know which geocache you are talking about.
Lots of people do get the wrong answer when trying to claim a find, so to prove that you did get to the location feel free to upload a photo for proof but you must still email me with the answer.