Isle of Pigs Traditional Cache
modejaal: No longer there.
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The cache is a small tab lock box in a black sack. It contains a log, pencil and a few swaps.
Please note that after you come down off the steps, this walk is over rocks, which can be slippery, then along a grass track which for the last 50 meters is quite uneven with hidden rocks.
Wear good shoes, not one to be done in the flip-flops! Neither should you try to do this cache after dark because of the nature of the terrain.
The National Trust own and manage the coast on either side of Portmuck Harbour and have provided excellent trails for visitors to enjoy the stunning coastal scenery and dramatic views.
Climb the steps beside the harbour, follow the path until you get to the rocky shore. Turn right and continue until you reach the point with the tombolo over to the Isle of Muck. The cache is placed near the end of the track which involves just under .3 of a mile walk each way from the carpark.
ISLE OF MUCK...
This wonderful island has the third largest colony of cliff-nesting seabirds in Northern Ireland. Kittiwakes, guillemots, fulmars and razorbills all breed here and peregrine falcons commonly hunt over the island. You can see puffins, otters, grey and common seal or cetaceans offshore.
There are no recognised paths on the island and its dangerous cliffs rise to 34m high. It is viewed from the mainland at Portmuck and accessible by boat, weather permitting. The island is only open to UWT members and permission is required to visit from the UWT headquarters. A boat is required to reach Muck (there is a jetty at Portmuck).
Now a bit of geology...
The tombolo between Isle of Muck and the mainland is the only such feature on the open coast of Northern Ireland. A tombolo is a deposition landform in which an island is attached to the mainland by a narrow piece of land such as a spit or bar. Once attached the island is then known as a tied island. They usually form because the island causes wave refraction, depositing sand and shingle moved by longshore drift in each direction around the island where the waves meet. Eustatic sea level rise may also contribute to accretion as material is pushed up with rising sea levels... Interesting stuff!
Please only park in the carpark, there are plenty of spaces and also lots of picnic tables, so bring your lunch and a nice new loo block for after !
THANKS TO THE NATIONAL TRUST FOR THEIR KIND PERMISSION TO PLACE THIS CACHE.
Additional Hints
(Decrypt)
Whfg fgvpx gb gur genpx, gur pnpur vf dhvgr arne.
Gjryir srrg sebz gur oneof lbh'yy arrq gb fgnl pyrne.
Gur pbirevat fgbar erzbir nf vg'f juvgr.
Ercynpr nf sbhaq naq nyy jvyy or evtug.
Treasures
You'll collect a digital Treasure from one of these collections when you find and log this geocache:
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