On The Fiddle Traditional Cache
Lorgadh: As the owner has not responded to my previous log requesting that they check this cache I am archiving it.
If you wish to email me please send your email via my profile (click on my name) and quote the cache name and number.
Regards
Karen
Lorgadh - Volunteer UK Reviewer www.geocaching.com
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Discover a hidden glen, an impressive castle, a mysterious talisman and ghostly monks.
In a quiet area of Clydesdale is a secluded valley, far wider and more impressive than you would expect from its little waterway, the Auchenglen Burn. Not long ago, a public road ran from Auchenglen Road, Braidwood to Birkhill Road in Crossford, but the steep sides of the nearby Fiddlers Gill subsided so badly that the road was closed to traffic – the loss to motorists is a real pleasure for walkers.
In the middle of this valley stands the impressive Lee Castle, a site that has been home to the Barons of Lee since 1272, although the present castle was constructed in 1817. The castle was briefly in the news in 2004 after the owners had been unsuccessful in finding a buyer for their pad, and so advertised it on auction site eBay with a start price of £4 million. (although evidently hoping to get £8million!) – A bargain when you consider the property comes with the title 35th Baron of Lee, a pipe and drum band, and (of course) tartan, coats of arms and other trifles.
The family associated with the castle were the Lockharts, named because Sir Symon dutifully brought Robert the Bruce’s heart home from the Crusades in 1329 safely locked in a casket. While fighting in the crusades, Sir Symon also acquired a mysterious charm. This gem, known as the Lee Penny, is reputed to have magical healing powers after “twa dips and a swirl” in pure spring water. It was also the inspiration for Walter Scott’s novel The Talisman.
Finally, history may also live on in the steep-sided Fiddler’s Gill below the castle. The house called St. Oswald’s Chapel is on the site of an old monastery, where the monks would mine coal from the accessible valley sides, leaving intricately carved pillars of coal in the tunnels. Today the monastery is gone and the mines are filled in, but look out for more than the cache as monks are sometimes still seen wandering the woods.
Look out too for green woodpeckers, roe deer, and a varied mix of woodland plants –the cache is in a public place but contained within a SSSI, and as always, the surrounding area should be treated with respect.
There are several ways to access the cache site, but the most pleasant is to park at the Valley International Park in Crossford, and walk out of the back entrance from the car park (past the stables) onto Birkhill Road. This will take about a half hour’s slow amble to the cache. If you approach from this side, you may have to go a little further on the old road to catch a glimpse of the castle. The cache is on a right of way which leads off the old road.
From this parking spot, you can also walk to GCT9XG - Fit For Caching and to GC12K79 – Craignethan Castle. GC13TTE – A Voice From The Past is also nearby, but harder to reach on foot.
Additional Hints
(Decrypt)
Jngpu bhg sbe gur Gebyy!
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