Penninghame Postcards Traditional Cache
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Difficulty:
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Terrain:
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Size: 
(regular)
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The cache is hidden within Kirroughtree Forest which is managed by the Forestry Commission. It is a regular sized cache which is being looked after by pupils from Penninghame Primary School in nearby Newton Stewart. In order to log your visit please bring two postcards or photographs of your home town to leave in the cache (see below.) The walk is recommended for families.
(If you forget a postcard then an option is to attach a photo of your home town to your log and we can then print it out at school. It is recommended to start the walk to the cache from the Kirroughtree Visitor Centre which is signposted from the A75 road at Palnure.
Start from the main car park N54°57.209 W004°25.207. There is a fee for car parking.
Follow the way marked forest trails which lead to the cache location. There are various trails leading to the cache area allowing a short stroll or extended walk. Details of forest trails and information about Kirroughtree can be found on the excellent Foresty Commission website. (visit link)
Kirroughtree also hosts one of the '7 Stanes' mountain bike centres. The mountain bike tracks have an excellent reputation and there are routes for all abilities.
7 Stanes Website (visit link)
There is a Visitor Centre, cafe and a children's adventure playground very close to the main car park.
Apart from the beautiful woodlands, wildlife (including red squirrels) and views to the nearby hills, look out for evidence of leadmining which were a major feature of the area in the 18th and 19th centuries. The dams at Bruntis Loch were built to provide a source of water for the Blackcraig Lead mines situated to the south. The lead mines were opened in the late 18th Century and were mined for about a century. The Napoleonic Wars were a boom time for the mines. There is a lot of evidence in the area including old spoil heaps and a dry reservoir at N54°57.119 W004°25.638. Water from Bruntis Loch flowed down a channel called a lade to this reservoir before being used in the mines and smelter. See if you can find the sluice gate and, on the other side of the dry reservoir, the lade leading towards the road. There are some capped mine shafts in the area and it is advised to stay clear of the south side of the forest road which runs from the ruined Blackcraig mining village at N54°57.283 W004°26.370 to the Stronord Outdoor Centre at N54°56.977 W004°25.165.
Pupils from Penninghame Primary School in nearby Newton Stewart are monitoring the cache and would like to plot how far geocachers have travelled to find the cache. Check the school's website www.penninghame.dumgal.sch.uk for a photograph of the display and any related news.
Please bring two photographs or postcards of your hometown. (e.g. a photo of town placename from roadsigns) Please write name of town, country and date of visit on your pictures. One photograph/postcard is to keep in the cache for others to see and the other will be taken by the children to add to a display in the school. A travel bug was placed in the cache in February 2007 which the school is also tracking.
Additional Hints
(Decrypt)
Ebbg nobhg na byq gerr fghzc nobhg gra zrgerf sebz gur cngu.