27/11/11 - Easy, like sunday morning

Distance - 4 Miles
Geocaches - 17

Rowney Green

Usual Saturday morning walking has been interrupted by a chance of a new career, having spent yesterday marking football pitches with the little paint machine.  Next stop is the Hawthorns.  Delayed my weekend walk by 24 hours, so I have a nice little geocaching round in the sunshine.  To compare our mild winter, on this day last year, I was doing a snowy round in the Lenches.

The hardest part of this walk is working out how to get there.... there is nominated parking under the M42, somewhere around J2.  Sat Nav wants to take me to J3.  End up having a tour of lanes that wind under and over the motorway to get parked up.

Walk heads west down a bridal lane to Seecham Farm and Equestrian Centre.  Think that I am going to have a problem with an alsatian, who is patrolling the grounds.  He watches us walk through his front garden and then has a token barking session as we look for cache two when we are the other side of the fence.  10/10 for scary looks, 1/10 for effectiveness, if he has to wait for a curly labradoodle to move through before making a fuss.

We are now leaving the noise of the m42 behind and are being rewarded with some excellent scenery.  All farmland, rolling hills and plenty of sunshine.

Bright Lights

Reach Rowney Green Lane and have Cache 4 interrupted by horse riders, cyclists, dog walkers and finally joggers.

Onto another bridal lane, with great views out towards Longbridge and the Lickey Hills.  Left hand turn to head south east and climb up Newbourne Hill.

Newbourne Hill, to be climbed

At the top, with Longbridge behind

This has been the best part of the walk, coming into some woodland at the top of the hill.  They have signs that provide instructions for any cachers that are doing the round on their hands.

Do not feed what.... the trees?

This brings us out into the village of Rowney Green.  An unexpected memorial to 5 members of a candian flight crew who crashed here in 1943.
Turn right, heading down the other side of the hill into more countryside.  Great views.  At the bottom, I find a place to try and clean the dog (she had a bath yesterday).

a bridge that would disappoint any troll.

The caches have all come thick and fast.  At 16, I have to navigate my way through a field of bullocks (plenty of shouting "get out of it") and then their friends provide help in locating the cache.

They know where it is

One more cache heading through the geese and back towards the noise of the motorway.

I went for the caches and was impressed by the countryside.  This would make a great introduction round to any newbies.  Thanks to  TheCheesyPeas for bringing me here.