The hill itself is 145m
(476ft) high. Shelf Bank was deposited here by a melting glacier
some 12,000 years ago.
The site occupies the
majority of a knoll, which offers views across Oswestry town, Wales
and the wider Shropshire countryside. During WWII anti aircraft
guns and lookout posts were estabished on the summit. Along the
southern edge of the site there can be found a section of Watt's
Dyke, an earth bank structure dating back the Dark Ages.
This large hill in the centre
of Oswestry donated to "the children of Oswestry" by a
long-forgotten landlord and as a result of its disputed ownership
has proved very difficult to redevelop, despite occupying valuable
land just outside the town centre. On the North side, it is
surrounded by a vast desolate area of old railway sidings of the
Oswestry Branch Line (closed many years ago) and a huge Victorian
engineering works, now converted into antique shops. On the rare
occasions when snow falls in the town, it provides the local
populace with superb sledging opportunities. With its long grass,
hawthorns and oaks, it is rich in invertebrates and good for song
birds too.
The coordinates above is for
the micro which has the coordinates inside for the main cache. The
container is in a 0.5lt Tupperware box. I would recommend parking
in Queen Elizabeth Drive (N52.51.799 W003.02.670) or near to it as
you can then walk up the road and through and alley way to the
right onto Shelf Bank.