Kings Wood is a 1500-acre forest. It is one of Kent’s largest woodlands and is managed by the Forestry Commission for conservation, recreation and timber production. The forest is an ancient woodland site with both broad-leaved trees and conifers, species include sweet chestnut, beech, Corsican pine and Douglas fir. It is home to a huge diversity of flora and fauna, including fallow deer, adders, nightjars, green woodpeckers, lesser and greater spotted woodpeckers, foxgloves, bluebells and woodspurges. Since 1994, Stour Valley Arts have commissioned artists to make sculptures within the forest and also other kinds of artworks. Artists who are particularly responsive to the history and character of this working forest are invited to spend long periods here. As a consequence of their close and sympathetic involvement with the forest, they use natural materials found in the immediate area. This use of natural materials means that the sculptures in King's Wood gradually change and will all, eventually, become part of the natural forest cycle of decay and regeneration. Day to day, they are transformed by light, weather and seasonal occurrences. As well as sculptures marked on the map, visitors may see the 'ghosts' of previous sculptures now being reclaimed by nature. You might also spot experimental pieces made during Stour Valley Art's education workshops.
All the caches should be relatively easy to find and all are within a few metres of the marked paths. At the time of placing the paths are all well maintained and accessible and were all marked on Open Street Map so hopefully navigation should be easy.
Obviously underfoot conditions depend on the time of year. In terms of terrain it is largely flat and easy but there are a couple of short sharp hills to go up.
The containers are all micro or small in size but the majority are large enough to take TB's. This is our first attempt at a series so I hope you enjoy it, if you have an feedback I'd be very grateful to receive it.