Dunvant Deduction Multi-Cache
mitch.mob: No point prolonging the inevitable although it pains me to do it!
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Difficulty:
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Terrain:
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Size: 
(regular)
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in our disclaimer.
The coordinates given above are not those of the final cache but of
a long disused chimney hidden from view to all except intrepid
explorers. I am aware of an increasing number of fellow Orienteers
who have taken up Geocaching as an additional hobby. This
multi-stage cache has been set up in the hope of getting Geocachers
to try the sport of Orienteering!
Orienteering is a challenging outdoor sport enjoyed by people of
all ages, abilities and backgrounds. The aim is to navigate between
control points marked on a unique map, deciding the best route
between them. For novices this is a challenge usually met at
walking pace. The satisfaction of completing the course remains
sufficient for most individuals whilst others often find a
competitive instinct takes over and it bocomes a challenge to also
complete the course in the quickest time. Courses are,
nevertheless, planned for all ages and abilities.
During the winter months of 2007/2008, Swansea Bay Orienteering
Club www.sboc.org.uk and the Council of the City and County of
Swansea joined forces to introduce the outdoor pursuit at Dunvant
Brickworks, Mumbles Hill, Bishop’s Wood, Kilvey Community
Woodland, Llewellyn Park and Morriston Park & Leadfield.
Permanent Orienteering Courses have now been established at each
area with funding provided by Cydcoed (Forestry Commission),
Climbing Higher (Sports Council Wales) and The Countryside Council
for Wales. The club website provides details of events throughout
the summer on Wednesday evenings and on other occasions throughout
the year. Newcomers are always welcome and free instruction is
readily available. Geocachers from farther afield can find links to
orienteering clubs in their areas through
www.britishorienteering.org.uk.
Free car parking can be found immediately adjacent to Clyne Valley
Cycle Track behind the children’s play area at Dunvant
Square.
Because of tree cover Geocaching in this area would be difficult as
GPS cover appears to be very patchy. So the challenge here is to
find a cache box containing a supply of maps, collect one, and then
orienteer around the area visiting controls in a specific order to
collect the letter corresponding to each numbered control. I have
deliberately placed the cache containing maps and the final cache
at locations where a GPS signal is a bit more reliable.
For those who wish to view a map in advance of visiting, the
Council's website http://www.swansea.gov.uk/orienteering provides
maps for download in pdf format.
Dunvant started out as a small village based around the coal
industry. The area between Dunvant and Gowerton was once quite
heavily industrialised. However, the collieries, brickworks and
railways are all now long gone, leaving behind little of evidence
of their existence.
There were four collieries, Killan, Bishwell, Bryn Mawr and
Dunvant. Bishwell and Bryn Mawr, to the south of Gowerton, were
short-lived, both succumbing to the ever present problem of
flooding and, in the case of Bishwell, poor industrial relations
(one strike lasted 2 years). They closed in the 1870s. However, the
collieries in Dunvant have a longer history. Dunvant closed in
1914. Killan ceased operations in 1925 following the disaster in
1924 in which 5 men were killed. At its peak it employed 900
men.
The spur for the development was Dunvant Valley Railway which first
opened to passengers in 1867 taking people from Swansea Victoria
Station via Blackpill through to Gowerton and beyond. In its
heyday, the railway carried up to 80 trains a day including express
trains to Shrewsbury, but sadly Mr Beeching decided the railway
should close in 1964. It is difficult to appreciate now, but the
railway was, for sixty years, the only link between Dunvant and
Gowerton. Cecil Road only opened in 1923.
You will need to head a short distance south west to collect your
map (with instructions on the back). The cache containing maps is a
2L tupperware box wrapped in black duck tape placed just out of
sight of muggles beside the cycletrack. Please take only one map
and advise me in your log if no more than 5 maps remain (20 maps
initially supplied).
Return to the car park, pass the start control (in the form of a
triangle) and continue along the cycletrack towards number 2 on
your right. Please note that numbers 1 and 7 have been removed by
inconsiderate workmen! Make a note of the letter corresponding to
the number shown on each post (To start you off 1=G, 7=M). You will
need to work out the coordinates as you go along as the final cache
is within a few steps of one of the controls on your list and it's
not the last one!! The recommended route taking in all controls and
bringing you back to the car park is:
Start-1-2-3-9-8-11-19-4-6-7-12-10-13-14-15-16-17-18-5-18-Finish
The final cache can be found at:
N51 (G+Q)(J-C).(W-H)(L-N)(P-Q) W004
(E-G-Q)(K-M).(D-K)(F-J)(A-E)
The final cache is a 1L tupperware box wrapped in black duck tape.
An orienteering medal, suitably engraved, is waiting for collection
by the first to find it!
As you follow the cycletrack north you cannot help but notice the
colour of the stream running alongside. I am led to believe that
all the unwanted ore and iron ferrite that was mined was dumped on
top of a small stream until the early 1900s somewhere near Killan
Hill. Over the past 100 years this waste ore has slowly fed into
the rivers oxidising and tainting several miles of streams and
rivers with a rust-like silt.
Control 8 - The remains of many buildings and the site of the first
geocache, Mine-All-Mine (now archived), that mitch.mob had the
pleasure to visit (with thanks to ryme-intrinseca).
Control 11 - The old railway tunnel cut through about 50 metres of
rock. This was bricked up in 2005 with a small gap remaining to
create a sanctuary for bats. The other end of this tunnel is almost
totally hidden in undergrowth beyond control 2.
Control 19 - Dunvant Brickworks pond is one of the pools created
from a dug out clay pit.
Control 12 – Some kind of bunker now partially sealed up can
be found on the opposite side of the track before you reach it
whilst a large pond with the remains of many dead trees adds an
almost eerie feel to the area.
Control 16 – Remains of a building, original use
unknown.
Some 50 metres to the south west stands a tall chimney and further
building remains nearby. These fascinating remains are almost
totally obscured from view by trees. A ‘search’ for
them is easiest made by continuing along the course to control 5
and then winding one’s way around patches of vegetation in a
NNW direction for about 120 metres. It should be noted that
vegetation growth betwen mid-May and Autumn will make a visit to
this chimney very difficult for all but the most determined.
Enjoy!!
Additional Hints
(Decrypt)
Obgu pnpur obkrf ner uvqqra va gur fnzr jnl