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Valley of the Rocks EarthCache

Difficulty:
1.5 out of 5
Terrain:
1 out of 5

Size: Size:   other (other)

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Geocache Description:


The Valley of The Rocks is unique in England - an unusual landform in that it is a river valley without a river and it runs parallel with the coast rather than towards it! There are various theories for its formation although it is generally accepted that it was once part of the valley of the West and maybe the East Lyn rivers. Possibly a gigantic ice sheet 450,000 years ago deposited a massive amount of rock and rubble that dammed the East Lyn River and caused it to overflow through to Lee Bay to the west. Another possibility is that the West Lyn once river flowed out into Lee Bay until coastal erosion during the Ice Age at Lynmouth diverted the course of the river and allowed the waters of both the East & West Lyn rivers to flow out to sea at this small harbour, leaving the Valley of Rock high & dry. The polar conditions and frost weathering also caused the formation of the rocky tors and screes which now fill the valley. Now totally dry, it is the home to a herd of wild goats and was a favourite attraction to Victorian tourists. In 1817 the North Walk, a superb mile-long path, was cut out by a Mr Sanford so that they could walk to the valley from Lynmouth. From the Valley you can see the Welsh coast and Severn estuary, and of course the delightful rock scenery of the valley itself with Castle Rock, Ragged Jack, The White Lady & the Devil's Cheesewring.

At the listing co-ordinates you are next to the sign at the public car park (free between 6pm and 10 am). To log the Earthcache take a photo of yourself at this spot with gps in hand and e mail me to say how many “rocky tors” you can see on the skyline on the north side of the valley from this point and how many on the south side. Answers need to be within 2 or 3 of my estimates.


1. Please send first your answers to GCShortyger@googlemail.com


2. Now you can log the cache and if you like: include your photograph. And if there should be something wrong with your answer I will contact you.


Additional Hints (Decrypt)

Hfr lbhe svatref. :-)

Decryption Key

A|B|C|D|E|F|G|H|I|J|K|L|M
-------------------------
N|O|P|Q|R|S|T|U|V|W|X|Y|Z

(letter above equals below, and vice versa)