Asylum Seekers Traditional Cache
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Difficulty:
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Terrain:
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Size: 
(small)
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This cache is situated in Mere Clough. This is designated, officially, as ancient woodland i.e. there has been woodland here since the last ice age. There has been a hospital adjacent to this area since 1851. By 1900 it was the largest asylum in Europe. There is still a mental health facility in the area but it is vastly reduced in size and a Tesco store has been built on land once occupied by the hospital.
There is a signpost for Mere Clough at the boundary wall of the Premier Inn, Bury New Road, Prestwich next to the garage at Junction 17 of the M60. This path will lead you to the cache. The cache is about a third of a mile from the kissing gate at the start of the path. The path is not wheelchair friendly and includes some steep gradients. The particular area where the cache is located was also known locally as Asylum Clough because of its proximity to the mental hospital.
The cache is a small Tupperware type box. It is hidden under the roots of an oak tree. It initially contains a log and pencil, a bottle opener, a key ring, a plastic hovercraft, a leather collar, a spherical dice and some pencils and crayons. After walking for about a third of a mile on the path you will come to a wooden walkway over a slow-moving stream. The cache is found by taking a steep side path on the right just after you have crossed over the walkway and climbed up the slope on the other side. The marker for the side path is a small cluster of holly bushes.
There are several other footpaths in the area that will lead you to the cache, including a footbridge over the motorway.
Additional Hints
(Decrypt)
Gb gur yrsg bs n fznyy ubyyl ohfu