Summary (by AI): I enjoyed a straightforward and successful geocaching trip to the familiar landscape near Waltham St Lawrence, concluding that it was a lovely afternoon out despite the confusing local biking trails.
Blog: When I first looked up the coordinates for the Berkshire Geoquest, I thought, Oh yeah, I know exactly where that is. My instinct was pretty spot on. I’ve mountain biked around that area a reasonable amount and don't live too far away, so the landscape felt familiar.
I soon realized the quest was located on what is called the "Knowl Hill mountain biking circuit." Calling it a "circuit" is a bit of a stretch, though. From what I can tell, it’s really just a collection of random signs pointing all over the place that don’t follow any coherent loop. To top it off, I’ve never actually seen many horses up there, either. So, it's not much of a bridleway, and it's certainly not much of a circuit!
Regardless, I knew that the nearby village of Waltham St Lawrence is home to one of the most incredible little pubs in the area: The Bell Inn. It’s a proper, ancient place—dating all the way back to the 15th century, complete with classic low-hanging oak beams and centuries of local character. Knowing the pub was right there, I figured, Perfect, I’ll go and have a look.
The mission itself was quite straightforward. I parked the car up by the pub and took a short walk up the trail. I spent a little time searching the area, keeping the clue in mind. The description noted that the cache was "under a tree with bark." I had a sneaking suspicion about what that actually meant, but I looked it up just to be sure. Sure enough, the geocaching lingo translated to it being hidden under a pile of logs.
Once I had that little nugget of information, finding the cache was incredibly easy.
Mission accomplished, I walked back down to the village. I decided to skip a pint at The Bell, mainly because it was only about half-past two or three in the afternoon. I didn't want to spend the rest of a perfectly good day in a slow, hazy daze—which is exactly what happens to me these days if I have a pint at lunchtime!
All in all, it was a great, easy find and a lovely afternoon out.
The Map: