King Edward I of England, known as “Longshanks”, or
the "Hammer of the Scots" died on Burgh Marsh on 7th
July 1307 on his way to crush the Scottish rebellion led by Robert
the Bruce. The current red sandstone monument was erected by the
Earl of Lonsdale in 1803, replacing an earlier obelisk from
1685.
King Edward I was the 'baddie' in the Mel Gibson film
"Braveheart", which although it took huge liberties
with historical facts, but has certainly reinvigorated interest in
the Scottish history of that period.
You should take Wellington Boots in winter, or if there has been
recent bad weather, as there can be shallow standing water and
mud.
If you plan to go onto the marsh,even as far as the monument,
please take extra care if there is a particularly high tide. You
can check the
Admiralty Web Site for a prediction if you are concerned. It
should be perfectly safe in all but the very highest tides.
You can either walk straight to the monument and back (15 mins
each way), or a slightly longer circular walk (40 mins).
Refer to the additional waypoint to find the footpath back.
This path takes you past the cattle gathering area - the marshes
are common land and are used by many local farmers as summer
grazing.
The cache is a small camouflaged screw top container, which may
be big enough for small swaps. There is a special badge for the
first visitor to keep!