Watch for Vikings by the skull tree Traditional Cache
Watch for Vikings by the skull tree
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Difficulty:
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Terrain:
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Size: 
(regular)
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I’ve been inspired by the recent railway history series of caches so I’ve decided to create a small local series based on our more distant history.
This cache is located very close to Haddiscoe church. The church features a round tower – one of about 200 in East Anglia. There is much debate about the reasons behind the large number of round towers in this region. One theory is related to the violent history of the Area.
Norfolk and Suffolk were particularly affected by Scandinavian raids throughout the ninth and tenth century. In 937 King Athelstan (grandson of Alfred the Great) issued a law requiring that the local thegn (or ruler) must have a defensive lookout tower on his land.
A thousand years ago much of the area now covered by Great Yarmouth and Breydon water was a huge tidal estuary which made the whole area very vulnerable to raiding parties in longboats. Haddiscoe church stands high on a river bluff in a commanding position overlooking the present A143 and the surrounding marshland. This would have been one of the first points from which a raiding band might have been spotted as they entered the estuary from the open sea.
In keeping with geocaching etiquette the cache is not situated in the churchyard itself but adjacent to the green parking area in front of the church. You can park close to the large tree – look for the skull in the trunk (or is it just my warped imagination!!). The cache is located in the general area of a structure which might prove to be convenient. Later note - the convenience was actually a portaloo which seems to have disappeared so the convenience is now a high bush!
The cache contains most of the normal stuff including a corkscrew, several safety reflectors, a keyring torch, a padlock, some glitter pens, a spectacle repair outfit and a watch kit.
Whilst there spend a while having a look at the church. Do please respect the fact that the cache is on the edge of church property and care with parking may be required. Also, and if you do enjoy a visit to the church please consider making a small donation as the upkeep of historical buildings is incredibly expensive.
If thirsty or hungry the pub in the village is pretty good.
Additional Hints
(Decrypt)
Ybbx ol gur jnyy pybfr gb gur clenzvq.