Ribblehead Quarry Cache Multi-Cache
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Size: 
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Ribblehead Quarry is situated just off the B6255 Ingleton to Hawes road, and opposite Ribblehead train station. Enter the quarry and use your GPS to find the plaques that will lead you to the final hidden cache. There is a photograph of a plaque on this page so you know what to search for. They are 6cm in diameter and each has a different picture of a plant or animal found on the nature reserve. Use the pictures and the questions below to work out the co-ordinates for the final cache.
Co-ordinates = final cache - N 54 12.JTR / W 002 21.HWO
J=( N 54 12.291 / W 002 21.610) how many berries can you see in the picture then takeaway 2
T= ( N 54 12.254 / W 002 21.567) how many legs does this creature have, then takeway 4
R= ( N 54 12.179 / W 002 21.347) how many petals does this flower have then add 2
H= ( N 54 12.086 / W 002 21.363) how many leaves (fronds) can you see in this picture then add 3
S= ( N54 12.066 / W002 21. 543) a waymark to help you find your way. In summer listen out for this bird singing from high above, let us know if you hear it
W= ( N 54 12.107 / W 002 21.576) how many legs does this creature have, then takeaway 1
O= ( N54 12.123 / W002.21.426) how many ravens are there in this picture, then add six
Car and cycle parking is available at the entrance to Ribblehead Quarry. From there it is possible to walk to the rest of Ingleborough National Nature Reserve (NNR) using way-marked trails, public footpaths and Open Access land. There is also a National Park car park at Horton in Ribblesdale, and roadside parking on the B6255 at Ribblehead and near the reserve entrance in Chapel-le-Dale.
The Settle-Carlisle railway stations at Ribblehead and Horton in Ribblesdale are within walking distance of the nature reserve.
Once you reach Ribblehead Quarry activate your GPS and get going, but please respect the nature reserve and its wild inhabitants, which you should hopefully meet along the way. You will be following the Ribblehead Quarry Walk, so look for the green marker posts around the nature reserve. The quarry became part of the NNR in 2000 and since then natural regeneration has been encouraged. Depending upon the time of year, you may encounter unusual plants such as the bird’s-eye primrose, autumn gentian and marsh helleborine, which have all started to colonise here. The ponds and pools provide habitats for toads, frogs, newts and dragonflies, whilst on the stony quarry floor oystercatchers and lapwing nest during the summer months. Please take care not to disturb them.
The geocache trail takes you up above the quarry where fabulous vistas of the Three Peaks can be seen on a clear day. The route then passes through an area of limestone pavement, home to the wheatear, a summer visitor, with its distinctive white rump in flight. The male is recognisable by its striking black flash above its eye. Take special care on the limestone pavement which has deep fissures (grikes) and is slippery in wet weather.
From here a short detour will take you to the remains of a 9th Century Viking-style farmstead, where you can see the outlines of the longhouse and associated courtyard and out buildings. Care should be taken on the return journey as the trail passes above the quarry face. Please keep away from the edge.
Ingleborough National Nature Reserve is situated within the heart of the Three Peaks area of the Yorkshire Dales. Covering 1,012 hectares the NNR provides a rich diversity of habitats that include flower-filled meadows, ancient woodland, heather-clad moorland and some of Britain’s finest limestone pavements. In addition to this, abandoned settlements, old lime kilns, field barns, dry stone walls and quarries reveal how people have lived, farmed and worked in this area for thousands of years. For more information about the NNR and to download an Ingleborough NNR leaflet, please see our webpages on the Natural England website www.naturalengland.org.uk
The Reserve is situated in a remote and often deserted mountainous area and can be subject to rapidly changing weather conditions. Paths are mostly unsurfaced, and the terrain is sometimes steep and uneven. There is no mobile phone reception on many parts of the Reserve.
Additional Hints
(Decrypt)
Haqrearngu fbzr yvzrfgbar!
Treasures
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