My Patch Traditional Cache
rattyinstirling: No longer caching
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Difficulty:
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Terrain:
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Size: 
(small)
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The cache is located near to the Trig Point on Lewis Hill. This has superb views of the North Third Reservoir and out over the Forth Valley to the Trossachs.
Over 50 wind turbines are visible from here!
My Patch
Though it is not the most beautiful place in Central Scotland,
it is one of my favourite locations for a short walk. It is
peaceful most of the time, it is 10 minutes from home and it is ‘My
patch’. I learnt this concept from watching Bill Oddie on TV, “ Get
to know a place well” he says,” Visit it regularly in different
conditions and throughout the seasons – that way you anticipate
opportunities for observing wildlife”. For Wildlife substitute
landscape and there you have my mission.
North Third is a reservoir in the hills just west of Stirling.
It was formed by damming the Bannock Burn, which of course goes on
to flow past the site of Robert the Bruce’s emphatic repulse of the
English in 1314, before joining the mud of the Forth estuary. The
hand of man is everywhere, not just the dam, the trees are
uniformly laid out and quick growing for economical harvest and
evidence of that is widespread. Just how long does it take for the
aftermath of forestry to decay and the land to recover?
The name has human referencing in it though quite what it is a
third of I have yet to establish. Lewis Hill, with its well kept
Triangulation pillar, would be a better name for the area but
everyone seems to know it as North Third. It is popular for trout
fishing with a small fleet of boats that are lined up on the west
shore during the winter – white shapes like a proud anglers catch
laid out for display. The laybys round here are popular with the
beer and takeaway crowd. McDonalds compete with curry in the litter
top ten, but it is not too despoiled.
The last day of November - St Andrew's Day - was one of the best
of the month in terms of weather and the burns have now subsided,
nevertheless the reservoir is high with small trees up to their
necks in water but the spillway is only a trickle. I do note that
the growth of grass on it has been stripped bare by the force of
recent water. As I sit by the trig.point there are clear skies
everywhere and the low angle of light on the scene picks out the
grain of the land. Townhead farm shines white in the sun and the
recently constructed Craigengelt windfarm is as yet inactive.
Overhead a light aeroplane drones but apart from this and the
occasional honking from the geese below it is silent and
relaxing.
I leave feeling re-charged for the rest of the day and begin the
walk back to the car. The calm is shattered however, as my presence
lifts a female pheasant who clatters from the undergrowth. She
calls cursingly as she flies off into the woodland to find new
refuge from the clumsy intruder.
For more essays like this visit my website at
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Additional Hints
(Decrypt)
Ng gur onfr bs n fznyy cvar gerr