This is the third of a series of four caches on Gillies Hill. Although each cache can be completed separately there are numbers within each cache which when added together will give the co-ordinates to a fifth hidden cache on the Hill.
Please note that this is no longer the case as the final cache has been muggled too many times and is now a stand alone traditional placed in a new location. It is called Polmaise Castle.
Park at the gate at the Larch Forest at N 56º 05.842 W 003º 57.762.
There is a track all the way to this spring although at times it may not be obvious. You will also not just be able to follow your GPS unit in a straight line but the effort of finding this is well worthwhile.
Gillies Hill played a pivotal role in Scotland’s history when Robert the Bruce’s troops rested there on the eve of the Battle of Bannockburn in 1314 in which the Scots won their independence from the English 17 years after William Wallace won the Battle of Stirling Bridge.
The gillies (camp followers) of The Bruce hid on the hill during the battle. Toward evening a cry went out to the gillies, "Lay on! Lay on! Lay on! They fail!" at which point they poured down off the hill causing the English, who thought they were reinforcements, to flee, and thus turned the tide of the battle into a victory for Robert the Bruce.
The secret spring is a lovely spot and nearby you can also spot some very large trees. During the estate’s Halcyon Days, trees were brought in from all over the world, trees such as "Wellingtonias" or Sierra Redwoods, Sequoiadendron giganteum which were planted in the 1800s and could potentially live for another 3000 years.
You can also see a Monkey Puzzle tree, a tall Coast Redwood, a Douglas Fir, and a Western Hemlock. The surrounding forest hosts many native species indicative of an Ancient Woodland.