Tanners Hatch Youth Hostel
There has been a cottage here since around 670BC (thats Before Caching for you and I) and around the 1330's for muggle folks. In the Middle Ages the commons were enclosed and being used by the villagers for grazing or gathering fuel. There were gates or hatches and Tanners Hatch was one such. So why is it Tanners Hatch, well it was at one one time in the ownership of John Tanner, but it was on the route the Tanners used on their way to Leatherhead so take your choice.
Eventually it formed part of the Polesden Lacey Estate and became dilapidated. Towards the end of the second world war it passed to the National Trust and then to the YHA. It was restored by volunteers and in some respects the 1950's and 60's could be regarded as its heyday with parties most weekends. It remains today one of the few traditional hostels.
The cache is on one of my favourite footpaths, a pretty, little used path which can lead fom Tanners Hatch Youth Hostel to the North Downs Way. It is usually green and in excellent condition but after this 2013/14 winter it is a bit muckier than usual.
Thanks are due to Natural England for permission to place this cache on SSSI land, please respect that, and to the National Trust. Thanks are also due to parmstro for his assistance. Also acknowledging the research on the hostel by Julian Ross.
GEOCACHING ON NATIONAL TRUST PROPERTY IS AT YOUR OWN RISK
When I put "takes less than 1 hour" I did not have from publication to FTF in mind so special Congratulations to Haggis87 for achieving that as well.