The Cats Back (Herefordshire) Multi-cache
MadBilly: I can’t maintain the cache any longer as I’m suffering from Parkinson’s disease and unable to walk long distances.
The Cats Back (Herefordshire)
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Difficulty:
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Terrain:
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Size: 
(regular)
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This demanding circular 5-mile walk in the Black Mountains with
ascent/descent of over 1000ft can be dangerous in bad weather.
Please wear suitable outdoor clothing and boots as conditions can
change quickly and the path along the ridge is very rocky. Dog
owners watch out for the sheep.
Finding the car park is a test of map reading skills on its own!
First we head for Black Hill Trig point. From the picnic area,
cross the stile and begin to climb what is locally known as “The
Cats Back”. Keep heading uphill, pausing once in a while to enjoy
the views and to catch your breath. Eventually the path will take
you along the Black Mountains’ version of “Striding Edge”. Take
care on this narrow mountain ridge, especially on windy days. The
climb to the top is worth the struggle as the views on a clear day
are stunning. The Olchon Valley and Offa’s Dyke Path on your left
and views across Herefordshire on the right. The walking gets
easier as you approach the trig point at Black Hill. You need
information from the plaque on the trig point to get the cache
location. The plaque has a 4 digit number on it, in the form of “S”
ABCD. The cache is located at N52 00.CD(D-B) W003
04.(A-D)(D-C)(A-B). After finding the relevant information, carry
on past the trig point and follow the well-trodden path across the
plateau towards Hay Bluff until you reach the point where the
footpath crosses a bridleway at “Paths crossing”. Bear left and
follow the bridleway down the valley towards the cache location.
The cache is an ammo box with original contents of cat badges and a
cat key ring, a geocaching tie pin, coloured pencils etc as well as
a geocoin and travel bug. After hiding the cache, continue down the
path until you reach the road. Turn left along the road and after 1
mile turn left, uphill, to return to the car park.
Additional Hints
(Decrypt)
Haqre n fznyy pyvss arkg gb n gerr ng urnq urvtug