63 A Walk in the Garden-Stoney Top Traditional Cache
Hidden : 7/27/2011
Difficulty:
2 out of 5
Terrain:
2.5 out of 5

Size: Size: small (small)

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Geocache Description:


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Come live with me and be my love,
And we will all the pleasures prove,
That hills and valleys, dales and fields,
And all the craggy mountains yields.

There we will sit upon the rocks,
And see the shepherds feed their flocks,
By shallow rivers to whose falls
Melodious birds sing madrigals.
(Christopher Marlowe)





On its own this is a simple enough mountain cache in the Garden County which can be done by entering the forest at the point indicated on the smaller illustration above (N53 03.394 W006 24.805) and then walking to the top of the forest (N53 04.202 W23.607)and out on to the mountain ridge to Stoney Top. There are several bog paths at that stage but the distance to the summit of Stoney Top is not great. The return journey would take about 90 minutes altogether and the star rating for difficulty and terrain refers only to this journey.
A much more pleasant alternative would be the circuit offered in that same illustration hiking clockwise from the Wicklow Gap car park. A few hundred metres up the road enter the forest and walk to the top of it and turn right out on to the open moorland.
From the summit, after finding the cache, there is a good clear path all the way to Tonelagee summit passing a stone pillar with an ancient inscribed cross (NB the OS map shows this pillar a few hundred metres short of its actual position nearer the summit of Tonelagee). Then there is a clear path all the way back down to the Wicklow Gap car park. The whole circuit is approx eight and a half K with a total ascent of about 500m. It should take the best part of 3 hours but it is well worth the trip!
Another alternative is the much bigger curcuit illustrated above which is over 20K with a total ascent of over 900m. This is one of the really great hiking treks of Wicklow taking in all the Brokaghs, Lough Ouler, Tonelagee, Stoney Top and Mall Hill and lots of forest tracks and caches along the way. Bring plenty of sustenance if you choose this one!


Do not start the trek without
all the proper mountain rain gear, waterproof boots and the
guidance material, compass, map, GPSr with mapping etc.

Please note that all parts of this cache are hiked at your own
risk. The cache owner takes no responsibility of any sort for any
reason including accidents or
mishaps.


Please be aware that cars parked
in areas close to walking trails are vulnerable and they can be
vandalised or stolen. Unfortunately this is an ongoing problem
which is extremely difficult to solve, so there is a risk involved.
I have heard recently that many hiker groups are parking at the
nearest population centres and getting taxis to and from the start
points at very little expense.

Please observe the country code to the best of your ability. Local
landowners often generously allow access to upland areas across or
through parts of their private property. Please, please be
conscious of this and return the courtesy by keeping all gates
closed, immediately and not on your way back!. Please use the gates
where appropriate but if you have to climb over them then use the
hinged side ONLY.

Please do not cause any damage of any sort to fences or barriers
along the way.

Additional Hints (Decrypt)

Haqre syng erpgnathyne obhyqre

Decryption Key

A|B|C|D|E|F|G|H|I|J|K|L|M
-------------------------
N|O|P|Q|R|S|T|U|V|W|X|Y|Z

(letter above equals below, and vice versa)


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