The line of longitude, 2°W, is
the only line of longitude that coincides exactly with one of
the lines of the Ordnance Survey National
Grid. It's line 400000 of the National Grid, also
known as the Central Meridian, for those who like to know
these things. It also runs the entire length of
England: from just outside Berwick-upon-Tweed on the
north-east coast to a couple of miles south-west of Swanage
on the south coast - a total of 359 miles.
The author and television presenter, Nicholas Crane, whom you may
have seen on BBC's 'Coast', once walked the whole line from north
to south. He allowed himself a margin of just one grid
square either side of the line. After the walk he wrote
a very readable book called "Two Degrees West" which describes his
escapades. The book is now out of print, but still
available from second hand dealers.
To see more about Crane's book
click here.
Here is the
link to the original Two Degrees cache, set by The Chens.
Parking is tricky. There is a grass verge at the side of the
lane where the footpath begins, but only one car could park here
(N51°
46.007 W001° 59.668). Besides that,
the lane is very narrow and there aren't many passing places,
so it may advisable to park either in Bagendon or Upper End
and walk from there. There is an alternative footpath from
Upper End, as well as from the south.