Geocaching with NaviCache - Cache Details: Odiham Castle

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Odiham Castle

by Robin Lovelock (Finds: 12 Score: 34) (Hidden: 47 Score: 136)

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Coordinates (WGS-84 datum)
N 51° 15.695' W 000° 57.726'

Hook, Hampshire
United Kingdom Near By Caches

Hidden On: 16 Oct 2001
Waypoint (Landmark): N000CC
Open Cache:  Personal use only
Cache type:  Unknown
Cache size:   Unknown

Difficulty: (easy)
Terrain: (easy)

Misc:

Comments:

We have not implemented maps outside of the U.S.A. ... YET!

Additional maps for this cache available at:

Odiham Castle is better known by the locals as "King John's Castle". This is the same King John who signed Magna Carta way back in 1215. I believe it was used as an overnight lodge, during Royal hunting trips from Windsor Castle The existance of this magical place is not widely known - probably because it is well hidden in trees, and cannot be seen from any road. To reach it you must walk along this lovely stretch of the old Basingstoke Canal.

You should have no big problem finding the Geocache: just go straight to the spot and look for it, cradled low in the arms of an ivy covered tree. Please make sure you hide it again, under something natural looking.

We reccomend that you start at "The Fox and Goose" at Greywell at location N 51° 15.439 W 000° 58.335. To find the small village of Greywell, take the Odiham and Fleet turn-off at junction 4 of the M3, and follow signs for Greywell. If you miss the first one, on the right, take the Odiham (3rd) exit off the next roundabout (after the Odiham bypass), carry on past the Petrol station on left and Swan Pub on right, over the canal hump bridge, and take the sign (right) for Greywell at the next roundabout. You will need to take a right off this road, some way out of North Warnborough, for the road to Greywell. At the T junction you will find "The Fox and Goose" to your left.

They have parking and a large play area and beer garden at the rear. They usually have a Guy Fawkes bonfire and fireworks each year near 5th November - following much more recent English history, dating from 1605 :-) Go back a few yards down the road to Odiham, and take the footpath signed to the canal.

You will find yourself walking over the end of the canal, where it enters the Greywell Tunnel.

This is no longer navigable, having collapsed years ago. However, Robin's friend Trevor said that, as a boy, he paddled the whole
length on his own, from the Basigstoke end, in a canoe made from a stolen aircraft fuel tank :-) There is a sign near the edge of the canal, giving more details. This tunnel is now barred up, for safety, and is Europe's largest bat sanctuary. In fact, I understand there is now a running battle between the bat lovers, who want to keep it that way, and the Basingstoke Canal enthusiasts, who want
to repair the tunnel and make it navigable again.

Further along the tow-path, on the north bank, taking you eastward, you will reach a spot, marked by bouys, where boats are encouraged to turn round - to avoid grounding on the shallow last few hundred yards of canal before the tunnel. This is also where the canal widens to a pool, enabling the larger boats to turn, and where the Whitewater river runs under the canal - yes - under it :-)

Not much further along, and you will come across King John's Castle.

An alternative approach is along the canal from "The Water Witch" Public House, at N 51° 15.529 W 000° 55.925. On this stretch, between the castle and The Water Witch, you will find a "windy-uppy" bridge. The bridge is at N 51° 15.606 W 000° 57.434 and a few minutes north up this lane is a ford, which is a nice spot to visit at N 51° 15.712 W 000° 57.506.

center>

Clue decoding tables - Top letter or symbol decodes to bottom letter or symbol:

!	"	#	$	%	&	'	(	)	*	+	,	-	.	/	0	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	:	;	<	=	>	?
1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	:	;	<	=	>	?	@	!	"	#	$	%	&	'	(	)	*	+	,	-	.	/

Clues: decode

no need for extra clues now :-)

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CACHE LOGS - May contain hints(spoilers)! decode

27 Mar 2009 by heffalump007 (Finds: 40 Score: 143) (Hidden: 5 Score: 10)
Open Log: Personal use only

Yes its so much easier when you have the right cords Sandvika, this time we just went straight to it. TFTC :)

27 Mar 2009 by sandvika (Finds: 37 Score: 100.5) (Hidden: 12 Score: 61.5)
Open Log: Unrestricted

Quick and easy find with Heffalump007 today - so much easier when you have the new coordinates! However, we were remarkably close last time, shame we were not just a little more persistent!

TFTC, Sandvika NC #30, Total #798

21 Mar 2009 by heffalump007 (Finds: 40 Score: 143) (Hidden: 5 Score: 10)
Open Log: Personal use only

Went out with Sandvika to try and find this one and it took us to the wrong place think he had the old cords. we will be back. Nice old castle

21 Mar 2009 by sandvika (Finds: 37 Score: 100.5) (Hidden: 12 Score: 61.5)
Open Log: Unrestricted

Oh no! Visited the castle today with Heffalump007 to look for the cache and horrors, the GPSr took us to a most improbable spot and there was certainly no cache there. Now I realise my mistake - I still had the old coordinates for it... D'oh!

However, as we left, feeling somewhat deflated, we wondered if perhaps it was another case of me thinking a multi-cache was a traditional cache. So we kept our caching eyes wide open, looking for any tell-tale signs. A few minutes later I spotted a place where it would be nice to hide a cache, approached it, saw "stickoflage" and revealed an ammo box....I'd found the consolation prize - the final stage of "Go Batty in Greywell" multi-cache! What a smug grin I had on my face! The cache description had said it would take an hour and a half or so, so we had decided to leave it for another day!

All that said, the castle was one of my favourite walks when I lived in Basingstoke and it was my first return visit in over 15 years. I'll be happy to return to look for the cache in its new hiding place....and I'll replace "Catch Cromwell Jump Jump" (N004FE) which I've recently adopted with an ammo box at the same time.

Thanks for the hunt, Roderick

01 Mar 2009 by servisal (Finds: 3 Score: 10) (Hidden: 0 Score: 0)
Open Log: Non-commercial use only

I'd only just come across navicache.com very recently, and discovered that there was one very local in one of my favourite spots - in fact I'd been planning on placing a cache by the castle, and had just been scoping it out when Go Batty in Greywell was placed, and so I didn't go any further.
So it came as a surprise to find that there was one at Odiham Castle already. I decided to go out today to see if I could find it with my girls, not realising that a) it had been missing for 4 or so years, and that b) it had just been replaced yesterday. Discovered the new coordinates just before we left to find it.
It must have been a little while since I've been to the castle, because last time I was there it was just all fenced off with big signs up saying do not enter. The redevelopment of the castle is great.
So, I'm first to put my name in the new log book. We found the cache with no problems at all, and hopefully have hidden it as well as it was hidden. The girls took a purple snake (now named Charlotte after initially being named Liolet) and a torch. We left a rabbit eraser, a stretchy man and a fold up rule.
Thanks for replacing the cache in a very timely fashion.
[Modified 2009-03-01 14:06:38]

28 Feb 2009 by Robin Lovelock (Finds: 12 Score: 34) (Hidden: 47 Score: 136)
Open Log: Unrestricted

Here is a piccy we took :-)

Robin and June by the castle

28 Feb 2009 by Robin Lovelock (Finds: 12 Score: 34) (Hidden: 47 Score: 136)
Open Log: Unrestricted

Sorry it took such a long time to replace this cache - you can see a lot of work has been done near it in recent years :-) It is now much easier to find than when we planted the first one in 2001.

10 Jan 2005 by Vincent (Finds: 1 Score: 5) (Hidden: 0 Score: 0)
Open Log: Personal use only

Hi Robin,

Thanks for your prompt reply, sorry I forgot all about this one. We were looking for the cache - this was only our second site. Should we have been looking for a ticket to lead us to the cache?

28 May 2004 by Robin Lovelock (Finds: 12 Score: 34) (Hidden: 47 Score: 136)
Open Log: Personal use only

Were you looking for a clue ticket rather than the cache itself ? phone me if you wish on 01344 620775 saying
exactly where you were looking. Robin - cache planter.

28 May 2004 by Vincent (Finds: 1 Score: 5) (Hidden: 0 Score: 0)
Open Log: Non-commercial use only

A nice walk, but we spent ages looking for this one and eventually had to give up. Can anyone tell me if it's still there?

14 Mar 2003 by Goneroaming (Finds: 0 Score: 0) (Hidden: 0 Score: 0)
Open Log: Personal use only

My GPS was pointing to spot in the wall. Searched around but unfortunately did not find the cache. Will have to try another time with my eyes open. Nice area for a walk. Gave the car a wash in the ford.

01 Mar 2003 by MonkhouseFamily (Finds: 1 Score: 3) (Hidden: 0 Score: 0)
Open Log: Personal use only

Found it!!
Thanks to Robin for sending me the coords so we could finish the hunt. My son found the cache easily and swapped a disney stamper for a gel pen. Completed the log and took a picture with the camera.
An enjoyable cache to complete. Thanks

The Monkhouse Family

02 May 2002 by Bisonante (Finds: 1 Score: 3) (Hidden: 0 Score: 0)
Open Log: Personal use only

I don't think I would have been able to find this without the help of a phone call to a friendly person, Robin. I have been to the spot before and within the castle, the GPS was pointing about 3 metres to the right of where I should have been looking.

The other thing is that I should not have been looking for what I was expecting to find, if that makes any sense....

Anyway, managed to find it in the end. The setting is great, the walk was not too hard or too far and we managed to sit at the local pub with the children and have some nice lemonade.

We put in a little joke book and a mouse with a pink tail and took out the skiing beaver with a red scarf, wrote in the log book and took a photo with the disposable camera.

!	"	#	$	%	&	'	(	)	*	+	,	-	.	/	0	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	:	;	<	=	>	?
1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	:	;	<	=	>	?	@	!	"	#	$	%	&	'	(	)	*	+	,	-	.	/

!	"	#	$	%	&	'	(	)	*	+	,	-	.	/	0	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	:	;	<	=	>	?
1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	:	;	<	=	>	?	@	!	"	#	$	%	&	'	(	)	*	+	,	-	.	/

!	"	#	$	%	&	'	(	)	*	+	,	-	.	/	0	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	:	;	<	=	>	?
1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	:	;	<	=	>	?	@	!	"	#	$	%	&	'	(	)	*	+	,	-	.	/