Beltingham
St Cuthbert's churchyard in the peaceful hamlet of Beltingham, Northumberland, is home to three notable yew trees. The largest and oldest at the rear of the church is at least 900 years old, and is probably the oldest yew tree in Northumberland still bearing foliage. There is evidence to suggest it could actually be as much as 2000 years old.
The remains of a 7th century cross and two 2nd century altars in the churchyard suggest Beltingham was a sacred site for the Saxons and Romans, and it is further thought it was also a centre for Druid activity.
I couldn't find much information about the ancient tree in the church, but details of the tree and the history of St Cuthbert's is well documented elsewhere. The Ancient Yew Group (AYG) have an excellent web site and aim to document all notable yews in the country as well as promote their conservation. Detailed information relating to Beltingham can be found here.
I was tempted to hide a micro in the tree itself (there are loads of nooks and crannies), but that wouldn't be right for several reasons. Instead, you will need to visit the old tree and obtain some information for the actual cache location which is not far away, outside the church grounds.
The co-ordinates at the top are those for the ancient yew. When you find the tree you will see two bands around the main girth to hold it all together, comprising metal straps connected by links and chain. The lower band (L), is about 2 feet off the ground, and the higher one (H), about 8 feet. Examine the bands carefully and count the number of metal straps in each band, ignoring the links and chain.
The co-ordinates for the cache are N 54° 58.(L)(L-2)(H-1) W 002° 19.(L+H+1)(L+H)(L)
You may find room to park in the village but please be careful to respect the privacy of the residents. There is also limited parking on the edge of the village at Waypoint PARK.
