Waterfalls Worth Gaun a Mile to see - River Knaik Traditional Cache
Scottiedogz: Archiving as it has gone, & everyone struggled to find it when it was there
Waterfalls Worth Gaun a Mile to see - River Knaik
-
Difficulty:
-
-
Terrain:
-
Size: 
(small)
Please note Use of geocaching.com services is subject to the terms and conditions
in our disclaimer.
Falls of Knaik is the first of a series of caches located at waterfalls in Central Scotland. These were inspired by my visits to waterfalls over the past 20 years, which were motivated by Louis Scott’s book The Waterfalls of Scotland, 1987. I have chosen waterfalls that are less well-known whilst still being worthwhile visiting for their differing qualities.
A woodland path leads beside the attractive River Knaik to St Ringains Loup and towards Braco Castle.
Further up are the main falls on the river. There are 2 rock platforms either side of the river which dashes down a narrow ramp.
Below the falls the pool is called " Devil's Pool".
There is a seat here and a path down to the water's edge at N56 16.702 W003 53.172 (please take care here)
From here it is possible to see further falls upstream. In all the river falls about 4 metres.
It is a very impressive sight in spate.
The cache is located a distance upstream from here just above the very first fall on the river.
There is a path leading down to the river below the top fall at N56 16.759 W003 53.339
Many years ago there was a weir and on the opposite bank you can just make out the stonework for the old lade which fed a mill further downstream.
I would suggest that rather than following the arrow along the steep river bank you continue up the main track past the bank of rhoddies before cutting back. It is much easier to make your way downstream towards GZ.
In the Autumn you may be lucky enough to spot Salmon trying to jump up the falls.
Park at N 56 16.029 W 003 52.705. There is a signboard in the small car parking area giving the history of the village of Braco. Walk through the gates and up the track.
Although this is marked as a private road, walkers and dogs are welcome. The signs at the entrance gate say Private Road to discourage cars but there is a well recognised public right of way up the road with a number of footpaths and rights of way signposted off it. This walk is suitable for children but they should be supervised near the waterfall and cache site as the rocks can be slippery when wet.
Take care approaching the cache site as the bank is steep.
If you follow the road it will eventually take you to Braco Castle after passing some duck ponds. The Castle Gardens are open to the public as part of Scotland’s Gardens Scheme and are well worth a visit. (visit link)
As you walk beside the river you will pass Maiden’s Pool and Ringain’s Loup before reaching the main falls.
The waterfalls, and cache are located approximately 1 mile from the parking place. There is a bench overlooking the falls which was donated by a local community group.
You are likely to see a wide variety of wildlife on this walk. We have seen red squirrels in the park as well as buzzards and red kites further up the hill.
GPS was a bit erratic at the cache site due to trees but the clue should help
* Congratulations to Oak king for FTF *
Additional Hints
(Decrypt)
Ba gbc bs zbffl gerr ebbgf.
Haqre n fznyy syng fgbar naq zbff.
Treasures
You'll collect a digital Treasure from one of these collections when you find and log this geocache:
Loading Treasures