Highest point in Tyne & Wear Traditional Cache
Northumbria biker: I can no longer maintain this one.
Highest point in Tyne & Wear
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A very short walk, almost a drive-by with fantastic views.
At 259 m / 850 ft, Currock Hill ranks 82nd in the list of Local Authority High Points. It is the highest point in Tyne & Wear and though not an imposing hill (it has a large water tower and farm on the top) it has panoramic views in all directions. The hill separates the Derwent valley from the Tyne valley and is largely farm land. The road from Greenside to Hedley on the Hill virtually passes over the top, though it is not entirely clear where the actual summit lies.
On the North side of the hill, Northumbria Gliding Club has its base and you might be taken unawares by a sudden swoosh as a glider passes over. Some are launched using a "Skylaunch" winch which is almost silent but others are towed up by a Piper Pawnee 235 which makes a bit more noise.
The gliding club is on the site of a First World War landing field which was abandoned soon afterwards. However no one seems to have told the pilot of a German bomber which, in 1941 dropped 5 incendiary bombs on the site, one in a grass field, three in a ploughed field and one on the roadside - all of which simply burned themselves out.
The cache is at the side of a public footpath only a couple of minutes walk from the road. There is space for one car to park between 2 gates at the start of the footpath.
The cache contains a few swap items, a TB and a Lottery scratch card for FTF.
Additional Hints
(Decrypt)
Qbrfa'g trg zhpu hfr nal zber.
Treasures
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