Howk Bobbin Mill Traditional Cache
Royal Oak: As the owner has not responded to my previous log requesting that they check this cache I am archiving it.
If you wish to email me please send your email via my profile (click on my name) and quote the cache name and number.
Regards
Royal Oak
Volunteer UK Reviewer
UK Geocaching Policies Wiki
Geocaching.com Help Center
Please note Use of geocaching.com services is subject to the terms and conditions
in our disclaimer.
Accessible from the path to the mill. In wet weather the path may be slippery, especially the steps around the mill. Keep an eye on youngsters if they stray near the river when it's in spate. Parking is available in nearby Caldbeck village.
Small magnetic key box, contains log book. No room for swaps. Bring your own pen/pencil.
The Howk Bobbin Mill was one of the most northerly of more than 100 bobbin mills that once operated in Cumbria. The industry developed because woodlands that had long been coppiced for charcoal production offered an ideal resource for bobbin making. In addition, fast-flowing Lake District rivers provided a ready source of power. By the time this mill was built, Lakeland mills accounted for about half the bobbins produced in Britain.
The buildings in this gorge were part of a mill that made wooden bobbins for the textile industry. From 1857 until 1924 this was a noisy and busy place employing up to 60 boys and men. Powered by a large water wheel seasoned coppice wood was turned into bobbins. As demand for bobbins waxed and waned the mill also turned anything that could be made from wood, including egg stands, handles for picks and hammers, washing dollies and cartwheel naves.
The Howk was one of many mills that made Caldbeck a very productive village. Rich natural resources, including abundant water power, led to Caldbeck at one time or another having fulling mills, corn mills, flax mills, woolen mills, smelting mills, four wood turning mills and a paper mill. It also had barites crushing works and a brewery.
The limestone gorge in which the mill sits is a very special place. Its water-sculpted features have attracted romantic names such as ‘Fairy Kettle’ and ‘Fairy Kirk’. the rich vegetation of the gorge is typical of a limestone woodland and it includes rare ferns, such as the shield Fern. the National Park authority manages the woodland to maintain this diversity and to create a good habitat for wildlife, especially woodland birds.
Additional Hints
(Decrypt)
"Fgbar jnyyf qb abg n cevfba znxr,
Abe veba onef n pntr"
Treasures
You'll collect a digital Treasure from one of these collections when you find and log this geocache:
Loading Treasures