The landscape of Ince, Helsby and Frodsham Marshes is unique.
The sea used to inundate this area of low-lying former coastal
marsh. In Roman times, the Gowy estuary would have been much wider
and at high water, only land above a certain height would have been
visible.
During the 13th and 14th centuries, the monks of St Werburgh's
in Chester and the Cistercian Abbey at Stanlow reclaimed land from
the sea. They excavated extensive networks of dykes and ditches,
many of which were subsequently destroyed by storms and flooding.
Despite these setbacks, land reclamation carried on through the
ages.
The Manchester Ship Canal was opened to vessels in 1894 and its
banks, and subsequent canal dredging deposit dumps, provided
perhaps the most effective man-made defence against flooding.
Common reed, widespread on the Marshes, was once harvested on a
grand scale to provide thatch for roofs. The Marshes today are
largely used as grazing land, with a small area used for grain
crops such as wheat and barley. Root crops, such as potato, can be
found on the drier fringes of the area.
The cache that you are searching for is a regular sized plastic
lunch box containing logbook and pencil. This location can be
reached from a couple of different directions depending on your
mode or style of transport (I have cycled and walked).
The terrain can be challenging, depending on which route and method
chosen. Ground Zero is a wooden bridge, which lies on a public
footpath between Smithy Lane and Lordship Lane. Remember the area
is very flat and open and you could be seen easily so keep a
watchful eye when finding and replacing the cache.