Hello, Mrs Hg137 here.
After a very wet few weeks, a countryside geocaching trip was not really an option (way too muddy!). As an alternative, to find a 5-stage Adventure Lab (AdLab) cache based around Sandhurst Memorial Park and Shepherd Meadows. We hoped we would stay dry!
How AdLab caches work:
Using your mobile as a GPS, you find your way to various locations, then answer a question which your phone reveals once you are there. After visiting all the locations, that completes the AdLab cache. It’s similar to a multicache, which offers up clues and numbers at each stage. But … why can’t you cheat? And find out the information without being there? Well, the question isn’t unlocked until you are very close indeed to each location, and they are usually about things only visible once standing on the spot.
Shepherd Meadows and Sandhurst Memorial Park cover 68 hectares (169 acres) of wet meadows (not too wet, we hoped!), woodland and recreational green spaces. We decided to start the AdLab in the Memorial Park, then work our way into Shepherd Meadows, and along the River Blackwater.
Our first stop was the War Memorial, where we needed to answer our first question. Today was Remembrance Day, and all was tidy and quiet. It would be much, much busier the next day, Sunday, when the Remembrance service would take place. As Sandhurst is the home of the Royal Military Academy, this event is always well arranged and well attended.
Passing the Community Hall, we walked on, very gently downhill, along the side of some of the football pitches, heading for the area where Sandhurst Tug of War team practice. The team have been 3 times World Champions, 2 times European Champions and 8 times National Champions! We needed to look at the structure used by the team for training, a metal tower with very heavy weights attached. The uphill end of the fields had been … damp, while the downhill end, nearer the river, was … boggy. We both kept our feet dry, but only just.
We were right next to the shared ground of Sandhurst Town and Bracknell Town football clubs. They play at the aptly named Bottom Meadow; a match was in progress, and, from the shouts, Bracknell were doing well; we later learned that they beat Chesham United 4-0. Well done to the Robins!
We moved on to the Balancing pond, a small lake used for the temporary storage of excess storm water after periods of heavy rainfall. It was doing its job today, as the path round one side of the pond was underwater. We needed to look at something near the pond for our next location – hmm, it was just visible without paddling; once again, our feet just stayed dry.
From here, we walked out into Shepherd Meadows, crossing the River Blackwater and walking along the Hampshire side of the river (the river is the Berkshire/Hampshire county boundary).
We had one more structure to inspect along the riverbank, then it was out to the main road to inspect the Sandhurst Millennium sign, just as the daylight began to fade. Job done, AdLab completed, and a not too wet walk across a variety of terrain.
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