It's a bit of a running joke that Burton On Trent is not in the
East Midlands. On the maps you can see where the County line moves
away from the river to encapsulate the south side of the town, and
then joins up with the river again. Forever banishing Winshill and
Stapenhill residents to a life of West Midlands local news, but
leaving them with the legacy of a DE post code.
Due to the odd boundary route of South East Staffordshire,the
town is very close to both Derbyshire and the Leicestershire county
lines. (I get East Midlands news in one room, and West Midlands
news in another.) The cache is placed close to one such area.
Dovedale is the name given to the section of the Dove valley
between Milldale and Thorpe Cloud, which contains some of the most
spectacular limestone gorge scenery available in this country.
Everywhere the river is flanked by steep cliffs, with numerous
caves and rock pillars, of which Ilam Rock is only the most
spectacular.
The river is a well known trout fishing area, made famous by
Izaak Walton in his classic 17th century book 'The Compleat
Angler', and you will frequently see anglers by the side of the
river.
The classic view of the lower section of Dovedale is obtained
from the summit of Thorpe Cloud, the conical hill which guards the
entrance to the valley. The hill can be climbed from any direction,
though erosion has caused the owners, the National Trust, to direct
visitors up particular routes. The easiest ascent is from Thorpe
village along the ridge on the eastern side. (I didn't fancy some
of the steep ascents!)
- The cache is located very close to Ilam Cross, and if you have
time, go to either Ilam Park, or to the stepping stones car park
(Thorpe Cloud) in the opposite direction.Car park charges may
apply.
- Park where you can, but it can get extremely busy at
weekends.
- When I placed the cache it was teeming with people, and whilst
you'll need to be a little subtle whilst retrieving and replacing,
not many people will think it strange to see other folks with
backpacks and lunchboxes.