The Duck Pond Traditional Cache
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Difficulty:
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Terrain:
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Size: 
(small)
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Situated in a quiet corner of the beautiful village of New Abbey. There is ample parking in the village and there is a large car park at Sweetheart Abbey. The cache is a small tupperward screw top with a green lid.
The duck pond is actually the mill pond for the nearby corn mill which is beside the Pow Burn in the pretty village of New Abbey. It was built around the end of the 18th century by the Stewarts of nearby Shambellie House. But the site probably reaches back to the late 13th century, when the Cistercian monks established their monastery of Dulce Cor (‘Sweet Heart’ ) at the far end of the village. The present mill is still known locally as ‘Monks’ Mill’. In today’s world of fast food and convenience living, it is difficult to understand just how central the corn mill was to our ancestors’ lives. Until barely a century ago, almost every mouthful of food eaten in Scotland passed between millstones. New Abbey Corn Mill gives a wonderful insight into Scottish rural life in years gone by. The mill is a perfect time-capsule of the miller’s craft. All the essential elements are still there to be enjoyed: •the water source of Loch Kindar; •the long, sinuous mill lade; •the mill pond, newly emerged from a long period of neglect; •the restored mill itself, with its waterwheel and most of its machinery intact; •the kiln, where the harvested corn was dried; •the miller’s house, now serving as the visitor centre; •and the tail-race, where the water returned to nature. 2021 Update: sadly the pond has been drained and is somewhat overgrown. Maybe its beauty will return one day? As this was my first cache hidden, I've relocated just over a very small bridge.
Additional Hints
(Decrypt)
Bire n irel fznyy oevqtr, orgjrra gur 5gu naq 6gu fghzc haqre onex.
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