Penninghame Postcards 2 - The Lade Walk Traditional Cache
Penninghame Postcards 2 - The Lade Walk
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Difficulty:
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Size: 
(regular)
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This is the second cache hidden within Kirroughtree Forest which is managed by the Forestry Commission. The walk is recommended for families. The cache site is in beautiful mixed woodland which unfortunately does affect the accuracy of the GPS. There is however a good clue to help you find the cache. The route is on well defined trails.
It is recommended to start the walk to the cache from the Kirroughtree Visitor Centre which is signposted from the A75 road at Palnure.
Follow the way marked forest trails which lead to the cache location. The yellow trail provides a circular walk of just under 2 miles. My preference would be to walk the trail anticlockwise. There are various trails leading to the cache area allowing a short stroll or extended walk. Details of forest trails and information about Kirroughtree can be found on the excellent Foresty Commission website. (visit link).
Kirroughtree also hosts one of the '7 Stanes' mountain bike centres. The mountain bike tracks have an excellent reputation and there are routes for all abilities.
7 Stanes Website (visit link)
There is a Visitor Centre, cafe and a children's adventure playground very close to the main car park.
Start from the main car park N54°57.209 W004°25.207. (There is a fee for car parking.)
Head NE to N54°57.224 W4°25.125 following footpath and turn NW on path before the small bridge (built 2007) and then follow the waymarked trail to Bruntis Loch. Just before you reach the loch you can pick up the start (or end!) of the lade walk but the loch and dam are well worth a visit and it is only a short detour. (Penninghame Postcards – GC10V8J – is also close by the loch).
The dam was built to provide a source of water for the lead mining industry (18/19th Century) situated about a mile to south at Blackcraig. The water from the dam flowed to the mines along a channel called the LADE. The Forestry Commission have cleared vegetation from the lade and top dressed it to provide a solid walking surface. The lade follows the contours of the land gently downhill to the Old Military Road which can be followed back to the car park.
On with the route!
The start of the walk is on the west side of the dam through some wooden posts. The path runs past the dam wall giving close views of the hand built 240 year old wall and then the path follows the line of the lade at N54°57.442 W4°25.543. Follow the well defined path which crosses another footpath/cycle track (please do take care here) at N54°57.289 W4°25.581 and you then pick up the lade again a short distance to the SE. The entrance is marked with wooden posts and you can see how the rock has been cut to allow the water channel through. Not far to the cache from here.
After the cache follow the lade as it meanders downhill to meet the yellow trail again. From here it is worth following the footpath NW for about 10 metres to the dry reservoir (N54°57.092 W4°25.674) where the lade water ended it’s journey. There is still some evidence of the sluice gate on the south side of the dry reservoir.
Following the path north for 100 metres will take you to a fenced area enclosing the entrances to two of the lead mines. Retrace your steps to the end of the lade and follow the footpath back to the car park or down on to the Old Military Road back to the start.
Additional Hints
(Decrypt)
Ybbx sbe n fznyy fgbar oevqtr bire gur ynqr. Pnpur vf uvqqra 10 cnprf gb gur abegu haqre n gvygrq gerr fghzc.
Treasures
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