A Trusty Bridge Traditional Cache
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The cache is placed about half way around the circular cycle route that starts at the Forestry Commission visitor centre at Ardgartan, near Arrochar. The route is marked as the green cycle route and is 5miles long and should take about 2 hours on a bike, longer if on foot. There is no need however to do the walk as a loop, since there is the option of parking approximately 1.5 miles from the cache site and returning down the same path, making a round trip of approximately an hour on foot.
On Friday September 24th 1982 HRH The Prince of Wales visited the forestry road known locally as Cats Craig Road to unveil a new bridge built by youngsters as part of a project run by The Princes Trust. The royal visit caused quite a stir locally, and as can be seen in the local newspaper cutting, many local people were present at the opening of the bridge known locally as The Princes Bridge. There is a brass plaque to commemorate the opening, which until we placed the cache was all but hidden. Now the plaque is more visible due to a bit of careful pruning back of the heather that was covering it. Most walkers and cyclists don’t even notice the plaque, in fact, so ordinary is Ardgartens’ royal bridge, that when the cache was placed muggles passing by were interested to hear the history as told by Mr. Mac. At the opposite end of the bridge is a more rustic plaque obviously made by the young bridge engineers. Why not see if you can spot it?
There are various ways to tackle the walk or cycle to the bridge. For the fitter cachers park at the visitors centre and walk or cycle from there. If doing as a loop it can be done by turning left or right after leaving the carpark. For a quicker, shorter walk or cycle don’t park at the visitor centre. Instead take the road over the bridge at the car park and turn left, driving about 2 miles up a well-surfaced forestry road. Pass the campsite and keep heading up until you reach a lay-by opposite a barrier where there is plenty of room to park. The path beyond the barrier that heads up the hill is signed as Cats Craig Road. From the barrier the bridge is about 1.5 miles. This shorter option involves returning back to the car the same way as you went. A third option which was available to us being local was to leave a car at the visitor centre and another at the lay-by as described, enabling us to walk to the bridge from the lay-by and return to the visitor centre on the rest of the loop.
The views on the walk up the hill from the lay-by are great, with a well-placed picnic bench 50 yards from the bridge with views over Arrochar. If approaching from the other direction there is a picnic bench 50 yards from the bridge also.
Cache container is a 1.2L Lock n Lock box.
Original cache contents were:
Logbook
3 Scotland pencils
2 mini jigsaws
3 rubbers
pink gel pen
mini squidgy head
Ice Age 3 toy
hair clip
and a wee treat for the FTF
Additional Hints
(Decrypt)
ovt ebpx snpr gung ornef gur cyndhr
Treasures
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