Stewartry View (on a good day!) Traditional Cache
Headie D: Not able to maintain cache site as often as I would like or need to. :(
Stewartry View (on a good day!)
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The cache is found near the summit of Screel Hill, a prominent but relatively low hill near the Solway coast. Walking boots are recommended. The cache is a small plastic box with log book and some small swops. From Castle Douglas take the B736 and then right onto the A711. One mile south turn right onto minor road. Car Park is 300 metres on left marked with a Forestry Commission signpost.
To find this cache you need climb Screel Hill which is 5 miles south of Castle Douglas in South-west Scotland. The walk is just under four miles and two hours should allow time to take in the stunning views.
Screel, although not significantly high at 343m is however quite a prominent hill with a distinctive double top ridge line when seen from the north. Its neighbour, Bengairn, sits higher to the south with the Solway coast another 3 miles distant.
When the weather is favourable the view from Screel is spectacular. The Stewartry of Kirkcudbrightshire is laid out before your eyes. To the west can be seen the hills of Gatehouse of Fleet with Cairnsmore of Fleet and The Merrick (at 843m the highest hill in the south-west of Scotland) to the north west. Looking north you can see the town of Castle Douglas with the Ken Valley leading north to the hills of the Rhins of Kells and Cairnsmore of Carsphairn. Just east of north it is sometimes possible to see the large white 'golf ball; of the aircraft tracking station on Lowther Hill near Wanlock head.
The view to the east is dominated by Criffel, a hill overlooking Dumfries, which also has a geocache on it. Criffel (Dumfries and Galloway) by flipflopnick (GCYD0G)
To the south there is a superb view of the Solway coastline with the Lake Districy hills and coast in the distance. Looking along the English coast you can see the wind turbines near Marytport and also the towers of the nuclear Sellafield Nuclear Power Station further to the south.
The walk begins at the Forestry Commission Car Park at 54°52.371'N, 3°52.277'W. Cars must be left here and not taken up the forest road.
Follow the forest road, which winds steadily uphill, for about 0.5 mile to 54°52.297'N, 3°52.612'W which is near the entrance to a field. Follow the waymarked footpath to the right of the gate uphill to 54°52.345'N, 3°52.865'W where a summer seat provides a welcome place to have a break and take in the view to the south.
You then have a choice of route - clockwise or anti-clockwise. The clockwise route is the quickest route to the cache and also the best route on a windy day (if the wind is coming from the prevailing south west or west) as you will have the wind on your back while crossing between the two tops of Screel Hill.
(Jan 2010 update - clockwise route tree harvesting going on so no access during work hours - better to go main footpath and return same way)
Clockwise
Stay on the forest road ignoring any junctions until you reach the road end (about 0.75 mile) at 54°52.520'N, 3°53.916'W. From here follow the footpath which leads into an avenue of trees and continues steadily uphill to the treeline at 54°52.628'N, 3°54.330'W. (This is an approximate psoition due to the effect of trees on the GPS.) From here turn right and head north up a steep but short section to the summit of Screel at position 54°52.659'N, 3°54.223'W. Care should be taken on this last section as the stones on the footpath can be loose and the rocks slippy when wet.
Take some time on the summit to look at the stunning view north to Castle Douglas and over the Stewartry of Kirkcudbrightshire. The name comes from the 14th Century when Archibald Douglas (Archibald The Grim) became Lord of Galloway and one of his strongholds was Threave Castle which can be seen on an island on the River Dee just to the North west of Castle Douglas. Archibald appointed a steward to collect his rents and sort out disuputes. The name Stewartry was derived from this.
The cache is hidden at 54°52.675'N, 3°54.221'W about 30 metres north of the summit cairn to avoid being found accidently by muggle walkers. The hill is also used for fell running and hosts a race every year in the spring time. The cache has a log book and a few swops. The pencil, sharpener and rubber are not swops.
To return to the car park either retrace your steps or continue eastwards along a well tramped footpath (which can be very boggy in laces after rain) to the slightly lower east top 54°52.590'N, 3°53.666'W giving good views west to Kippford where another geo cache, Funny Faces (Galloway) by jstead (GC5EF5),and to the south east Heston Island with geocache Hestan Island Hop. by shep & seren (GCQP7K)can be found.
Leave the top by heading south down some rocky steps (slippery in wet weather) and follow the footpath SW to 54°52.578'N, 3°53.744'W where the path takes a significant bend to the east. Follow the path down to the treeline (there were some windblown trees over the path in Jan 2007) and into the woods. The path is well defined and leads you downhill and eventually across a broken stone dyke and back to the summer seat at 54°52.345'N, 3°52.865'W. From here either retrace your steps to the car park or follow the road left (eastwards) back to the car park.
Anti-Clockwise - follow the above route in reverse. From the summer seat head straight across the road into the trees and follow the footpath uphill through the woods. Shortly after coming out onto the open hillside at 54°52.512'N, 3°53.487'W there is a footpath going off to the right (northerly direction.) This path is used during the hill race and is a shorter but steeper route to the east top. An easier walk is to continue on the main footpath to to the east top 54°52.590'N, 3°53.666'W. Head westwards to the large cairn of the summit 54°52.659'N, 3°54.223'W and the cache is about 30 metres from the cairn in a northerly direction. 54°52.675'N, 3°54.221'W. From the cairn head south down a steep, rocky path (care needed) to the woods and turn left along the footpath just after entering the trees. Follow the path down through the trees and onto the forest road which leads back to the summer seat passed earlier.
I hope the weather is kind to you the day you look for the cache and you have a pleasant walk.
Additional Hints
(Decrypt)
Pnpur vf uvqqra haqre fbzr ebpxf va gur urngure orfvqr n fghagrq gerr yrff guna 1 zrger uvtu.
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