The Place To Be Traditional Cache
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A cache by [DELETED_USER]
Hidden
:
5/1/2012
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Difficulty:
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Terrain:
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Size: 
(regular)
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A cache with a great view of a ruined castle. Muddy trails and a burn crossing, but it's worth the trek.
Kilbirnie Place Castle consists of two period buildings -now ruinous- the Castle, a four storey Tower Keep dating from the 15th Century built by Malcolm Crauford with additional 17th Century buildings built by one John Crauford that date to around AD 1627. The castle remains a B-listed building. Today, the castle stands surrounded by farm land and Kilbirnie Place Golf Club, with the fourth green sitting just short of the castle itself.
The cache itself is not inside the castle ruins or grounds, but just a short distance away with great views of the castle.
I'm giving some detailed waypoints on how to get to this to avoid having to go on to the golf course. I know this place like the back of my hand but even I had to work out a new route.
I've included 5 waypoints to make the route to this reasonably straight forward. I know this place well as I grew up here but even I had to re-trace my steps a few times (lots of new fences and overgrown bushes!).
Starting at Waypoint 1, go thru the gap in the hedge to the left of the garages. This will take go thru to the outer edge of the golf course. Keeping on the rough take a left to get to Waypoint 2.
Skirt along the outer edge of the golf course on the rough (you shouldn't need to be on the actual golf course itself). You should see a little trail that will take you down to Waypoint 3 that runs between the allotments and the golf course fence..
Here you will get a great view of the castle, don't be tempted to take the field up to the castle though, there are horses (and sometimes cows) in this field and the farmer would rather you didn't. Patience and you will eventually get up close to the castle.
Follow the path to Waypoint 4. Take a right here just after the 2 rusty corrugated panels into the woods and follow the trail that goes up to the left and up thru the woods. This will take you up and along the edge of the golf course and then eventually back down to the burn at Waypoint 5.
Follow the trail all the way to Waypoint 5 where a small burn crossing is required. Cross the burn and go up the slope and you'll see the start of the outer building ruins. The cache is not far away now.
THINGS TO NOTE BEFORE ATTEMPTING
- Parking should be easy enough on the street at Waypoint 1 (Sersley Drive), but take note of the "No Parking" sign and park responsibly without annoying any residents.
- Access to this trail seemed much easier when I was a boy, things have grown since then so the easiest way in to the trail is via Waypoint 1 which is a gap in the hedge to the left of the garages. Once thru the gap, take a left along the rough and the start of the trail is a few yards away.
- Please try to keep off the actual golf course, the route I took to this didn't involve walking on the actual course, but a short section will skirt along the outer edge. Always look out for flying golf balls.
- Please don't attempt to use the farm land to get to the caste (at waypoint 3). The field is often used by horses and cattle and it's a fairly thin piece of land so giving the horses and cattle a wide berth would be tricky. Also i'd rather not annoy the farmer.
- The trail will get muddy at times, so appropriate footwear is advisable. A small burn crossing is also required, but that shouldn't cause much of a problem.
- Safety and common sense should be kept in mind if exploring the ruins. The ruin is a listed building so do nothing that might cause any damage.
- Tree coverage may mean the co-ords are not 100% spot-on, but the hint should help narrow it down.
Additional Hints
(Decrypt)
Tebjvat vf na hcuvyy onggyr
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