In 1763 an Act of Parliament was obtained for making the Cod Beck navigable from its junction with the River Swale, near Topcliffe, to Thirsk. Work began at the Thirsk end in 1768. A basin was constructed for the vessels and a wharf built for the landing of goods; a lock was erected at Sowerby, the river deepened and its course straightened from the wharf to the lock. But funds for the scheme failed and the canal was never completed. A newspaper (the York Courant) of 10 July 1770 reported that two new 40-ton vessels had reached York from Thirsk - the first, and probably the last, cargo-carrying craft to make the journey. Had the scheme been realized there would have been considerable advantage to the town and trade of Thirsk. However, evidence still remains of the enterprise. Parts of the wharf can still be seen complete with iron rings to which the barges would have been moored.
The Sensory Garden was constructed in 2008 on the former graveyard of the demolished Salem Chapel. The garden includes planted areas to stimulate the senses of smell and sight, landscaped spots for sitting and meeting people, and railings incorporating metal sculptures.
My GPS gave slightly different coordinates over a few days for the cache site, so I've averaged the results and given a hint!
Please note that the cache is rated as 3 for difficulty because (as the Geocache Rating System says): "An experienced cache hunter will find this challenging, and it could take up a good portion of an afternoon". You will also need some tweezers to extract the log.
You must sign the paper log in the cache to be able to log online as "Found". I reserve the right to delete your online log if you haven't signed the paper log in the cache.
This is a Historic Geocache.