Black to Green - Whitburn Coastal Park. Traditional Cache
Black to Green - Whitburn Coastal Park.
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Difficulty:
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Terrain:
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Size: 
(small)
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The Black to Green series of geocaches are located within areas which have been transformed from former coal mining waste heaps and derelict areas left after the closure of the pits. The mines which once supported local communities with thousands of jobs across the area have, over the last couple of decades been transformed from the ‘BLACK’ pit heaps to the ‘GREEN’ parklands and leisure areas we see today.
Whitburn Colliery 1879 - 1968
Whitburn Colliery, (also known as Marsden colliery) is about a mile and a half north of Whitburn, over 120 years ago Marsden village was created around Whitburn colliery, (Immediately north of Souter Lighthouse) miners came from all over the country to live in the 9 streets, 136 houses which contained 600 inhabitants. Some houses were 2 up 2 down, some were smaller single storey buildings of 2 rooms, some were 2 down with 1 larger room upstairs. There were gardens or allotments. The village was self-contained and had a church, chapel, a Co-op store, a grocer's, a butcher's, a draper's, a Miners' Institute and eventually a school. By 1968 the mine had closed and the village disappeared almost entirely. The houses, as well as being too small for modern tastes, had also moved too close to the edge of the eroding cliffs. One man claimed he could fish in the sea from his bedroom window!! Those who wanted to remain in the area were moved to Whitburn where there remains a thriving community of ex-Marsden families. The village of Marsden is now completely gone and it is hard to believe when looking at the expanse of grass next to the lighthouse that a village ever existed there.
This recreation area is a popular locality for birdwatchers. A sea-watching observatory is used mainly by Durham Bird Club members, who monitor seabird and wildfowl migration throughout the year. Whitburn is one of the premier sites on the east coast of England for seawatching with a notable list of rarities to its name.
A visit to Souter Lighthouse where refreshments are available is highly recomended.
For a wealth of information about mining in the area visit the Durham Mining Museum at;
http://www.dmm.org.uk
Cache placed with kind permission of The National Trust.
Additional Hints
(Decrypt)
onfr bs gerr.
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