Inchmurrin View Traditional Cache

This cache is temporarily unavailable.

Professor Xavier: Hi

One of my roles as a reviewer is to monitor my region for caches that have been disabled for a long time, have had a reasonable number of DNFs or appear to require some maintenance. This is done through running a query on a database of all the caches in my region that looks for such things or by cachers submitting Needs Archiving logs as it appears maintenance may not be being carried out by the CO.

It would appear that this cache may benefit from some attention by the CO. May I ask that the owner checks the cache and sort out any problems with it or gives an indication of when it may be up and running again for people to find. If this cannot be done or if the CO no longer wishes to maintain the cache then the listing should be archived.

Of course if the CO has visited the cache recently then please post an Owner Maintenance log indicating that they have done so, enable the listing, and all should be fine.

In the future, if a listing is going to be disabled for a long time then posting periodic notes to the page (once per month or so) keeps people up to date with what is happening.

This isn't a requirement to fix the cache immediately but if it's unlikely to be done within 30 days could the CO post a note to the cache page giving an indication of when the maintenance will be done, or an indication of why it cannot be carried out.

By all means send a mail to me through my profile, quoting the cache name and GC code, but please also post a note to the cache page. Emails to me may be missed or go astray and it would be a shame to archive the listing due to missing correspondence.

Guidelines: "You are responsible for occasional visits to your cache to maintain proper working order, especially when someone reports a problem with the cache (missing, damaged, wet, etc.). You may temporarily disable your cache to let others know not to search for it until you have a chance to fix the problem. This feature is to allow you a reasonable amount of time - normally a few weeks - in which to check on your cache. If a cache is not being maintained, or has been temporarily disabled for an unreasonable length of time, we may archive the listing."

Sadly if there is no response to this log after 30 days I may have to archive the cache.

Please note that the guidelines say that if a cache is archived by a reviewer or Geocaching HQ staff for lack of maintenance then it will not be unarchived - Unarchiving a Geocache

Regards

Ed
Professor Xavier - Volunteer UK Reviewer
www.geocaching.com
UK Geocaching Policies Wiki
Geocaching Help Center

More
Hidden : 5/20/2007
Difficulty:
2 out of 5
Terrain:
2 out of 5

Size: Size: regular (regular)

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Geocache Description:


The southern part of Loch Lomond is fairly shallow and is crossed by the Highland Boundary Fault line. These two factors are the main reason for the collection of islands which make the loch so interesting for waterborne explorers. There are about 30 islands on Loch Lomond, some large, some small and some which are only visible when water levels are low. The best views of the islands are obviously from the highest vantage point - Ben Lomond but I guess because there is no cache there yet there’s no point going up there!

Inchmurrin (St Murrin's island) is the largest inland island in Britain and the most southerly on Loch Lomond, over 2 km long with a maximum height of 89 m. The name Inchmurrin comes from the chapel of St Mirren which is said to have been at the southern end near the castle site. No remains have been found.

The island can be fully explored by visitors. The are many lovely walks and safe beaches for swimming!! (Yes the water does get warm enough).

Inchmurrin boasts the only Hotel located on any of the Islands of the Loch, the Hotel is open from Easter to October. The Island is accessible by boat and several piers are available for Hotel visitors. The Balmaha mail boat also makes regular journeys to the island and passage can be obtained for a small fee, delivering visitors with the daily mail!!!

The current owners of Inchmurrin are the Scott family who have lived here for approximately seventy years. They farm here with a large herd of beef cattle and sheep, growing all their own feed on the island, as well as keeping game birds. Previously the island has been owned by Mr Melville of the India Tyre Manufacturers and before this the Duke of Montrose used the Island as a shooting estate. There is also a fully licensed bar and restaurant on the island. There is a variety of self-catering accommodation and approximately 15 houses, some with permanent residents. A cluster of wooden cabins also exists near the south eastern shore and is apparently frequented by a nudist colony, not that I would really know anything about that of course!

The Island is steeped in history and is reputed to have been visited by Robert the Bruce, King James 4th of Scotland in 1506, Mary Queen of Scots in 1563 and James VI in 1617.

At the southern end stand the ruins of Lennox Castle to which the Earl of Lennox and his family retreated from Balloch in order to escape the plague. There had been a castle on this site at least since 1393. It is built on the shore on a natural rocky outcrop with slopes to the North West and South East and a defensive ditch to the East facing inland.

Today the castle is overgrown and ruined and has that same romantic atmosphere which first inspired the imagination of poets, artists and writers of the 18th and 19th century.

The main block of the castle was composed of 3 rooms, and there are traces of other out buildings and possibly a small courtyard. The arched window was built above an archery or window slit. It was probably built for Duncan, 8th Earl of Lennox whose seat was Balloch Castle at the south end of Loch Lomond, and was probably a hunting lodge for the deer park established on the island by King Robert I in the early 1300's.

Lady Isabella, daughter of Duncan, the 8th Earl of Lennox, married Duke Murdoch of Albany and in 1425 witnessed the execution of her father, husband and two of her sons at the hands of King James I. She was imprisoned in Tantallon castle in East Lothian, but later released and spent the remainder of her days on Inchmurrin.

The approach to the cache is one of the grandest you will find. You can’t pass through the main gates to Ross Park but there is a gate to the side near the road. You’ll have a lovely walk up what was once probably a fantastic driveway. Approach the loch side after a few hundred meters and get a view of Inchmurrin. At the time of setting this cache there were bluebells everywhere and I felt guilty going off the path for fear of treading on them.

Look for silver birch No. 00327

Additional Hints (Decrypt)

Haqre snyyra gerr juvpu fgenqqyrf gur fvyire ovepu

Decryption Key

A|B|C|D|E|F|G|H|I|J|K|L|M
-------------------------
N|O|P|Q|R|S|T|U|V|W|X|Y|Z

(letter above equals below, and vice versa)


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