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Difficulty:
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Terrain:
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Size: 
(small)
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This cache is dedicated to the memory of our beloved Border Collies, Floss & Bess, and to my lovely wife, Sylvia (1941-2008), my constant companion for 45 years, whose photograph is inside the cache lid. This was one of their favourite walks and Floss & Bess loved to bathe in cooling water of the tarn. However, the cache is not named after Floss & Bess. From the cache site, across the tarn, may be seen Malham Tarn House, once the home of local philanthropist Walter Morrison, now a Field Studies Centre. Walter Morrison was a keen supporter of the arts and Malham Tarn House hosted guests such as Charles Darwin, John Ruskin, Judge Hughes [author of Tom Brown’s Schooldays], and Charles Kingsley, who was so taken with the Malhamdale scenery that it appears in his book "The Water Babies" [along with Morrison himself, cast as the red-faced squire, John Hartover].
Malham Tarn was granted to Fountains Abbey and its medieval monks by William de Percy in the 12th century, with all its fishing rights - the tarn has a reputation for its excellent trout. It is now administered by The National Trust and is one of only three natural lakes in Yorkshire. It lies on a bed of 400 million year-old impervious Silurian slate which was brought to the surface by the North Craven Fault. It has a surface area of around 150 acres but its maximum depth is only about 4.4 metres. If you follow its outlet to the south, the stream, even when swollen after very wet weather, suddenly disappears down sinkholes to emerge quite some distance away at Airehead Springs.
Nearby you might find, according to the time of year, Mountain Pansy, Eye Bright, Wild Thyme, Harebells, Early Purple Orchid, Marsh Marigold, Bird’s Foot Trefoil, Bird’s Eye Primrose and Butterwort [one of only three insect eating plants which grow naturally in England]. Birds also abound here, including Curlew, Redshank, Skylark, Oyster Catcher, Coot, Moorhen, Mallard, Tufted Duck, Teal, Great Crested Grebe, Heron, Canada Goose and Green Plover [locally called Tewit].
The cache is a half litre plastic box [about 16 x 11 x 4.5 cm] but will accept small swaps, Geocoins and small TBs. Nearest parking is at: N 54 05.296 W 002 09.793
This cache is one of seven to be visited to gather co-ordinates for ‘A Malhamdale Meander Challenge’ multi cache. Part of the co-ordinates for that cache are fixed to the bottom of this cache and written on the cover of the log book.
Additional Hints
(Decrypt)
Haqre cbffvoyl gur ynetrfg obhyqre, jvguva fvtug bs Znyunz Gnea