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Pegal Burn Traditional Cache

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ussr1049: Sadly the owner of this cache has passed away

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Hidden : 5/15/2012
Difficulty:
2 out of 5
Terrain:
1.5 out of 5

Size: Size:   other (other)

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Geocache Description:

Pegal Burn picnic/viewing point - Hoy, Orkney

On the road North from Lyness there is a picnic area to your right, near the bridge over the Pegal Burn. The cache is a keyring micro with logsheet. Remember to have a pen or pencil with you to date/sign.

There is a larger than normal passing place within a few yards of the picnic benches - which is the best place to park if approaching by car. If you go for a walk towards the burn, be cautious of the steep edges down to the burn and please take care not to damage and trees or shrubs (though these are well away from the cache site).

There's a nice view of the small, uninhabited island of Rysa Little from this spot, a few hundred metres offshore.

Under the stone bridge runs Pegal Burn, which rises in the foothills of the Knap of Trowieglen and flows to Pegal Bay. The Hoy Trust has fenced off this beautiful glen to prevent sheep from grazing here, encouraging the growth of a wide range of native trees.

The first German plane (a Junkers 88) to be shot down by British anti-aircraft guns during WWII crashed into the Pegal Burn. The bomber was shot down on 17th October 1939 and its propeller is exhibited at the Scapa Flow Visitor Centre and Museum in Lyness.

In Orkney folklore, Pegal Burn is also a location of a 'Nuggle' - a mythical water-horse. The Nuggle took the form of a magnificent horse and frequented areas of the countryside around lochs, pools and streams. There, its method of ensnaring human victims was to wait patiently by the side of the water and when any unfortunate passer-by decided to climb on its back, the creature would charge into the water, carrying the doomed rider to a death by drowning.

To get to Hoy from the Orkney Mainland you can get either the foot passenger ferry from Stromness to Moaness, or the car ferry from Houton to Lyness (nearer to the cache).

Additional Hints (Decrypt)

Unatvat ybj qbja ba n jver ba gur tngrcbfg

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)