Waseley Watershed EarthCache
Hidden : 10/10/2012
Difficulty:
1.5 out of 5
Terrain:
3 out of 5

Size: Size: not chosen (not chosen)

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Geocache Description:

Waseley Watershed
To claim this cache you will need to take an energetic walk to the sign in the listing (the waypoint) and up to a very spectacular viewpoint with stunning views over the Worcestershire and West Midlands countryside

The Waseley Watershed is the source of the river Rea

Waseley Hills Country Park

The 150 acres of Waseley Hills Country Park, is an area of rolling open hills covered in ancient hedgerows, pastures and woodland, which, rising to 998 feet above sea level, provides panoramic views over the Worcestershire countryside (to the South West) and the urban Birmingham landscape (to the North East).

In addition to this Earth Cache, the Waseley Hills Country Park has got the waymarked Rabbit and Skylark trails. The weally good Waseley Wabbit series (by Team Hayward) in based on the Rabbit trail and there is a certain Rootine Cache hidden nearby too

History

Until the 16th Century most of the present park was part of Chadwick Manor Estate, but following the dissolution of the monasteries, the land was made over to Christchurch College at Oxford University by Henry VIII. In 1904 the parkland was purchased by the Cadbury family as part of their plan to buy large areas of countryside south of Birmingham, in order to limit the spread of urban encroachment.

After World War Two the land was given to the Bournville Village Trust, and the tops of the hills were purchased by the National Trust. The remaining land, forming the present country park, was purchased in 1971 by Worcestershire County Council.

Geology, Shape and Form

The underlying geology of the Waseley Hills comprises two different types of rock in two distinct layers.

The lower layer, known as the Keele Beds, is made up of sandstone and clay which was deposited under tropical conditions some 280 million years ago.

The younger overlying rock is called Clent Breccia, and is made up from fragments of volcanic and sedimentary rocks thought to have been deposited by a torrential storm river flowing through a desert about 200 million years ago.

Rainwater falling onto the hills soaks through the ground into the Clent Breccia, permeating (flowing down through) this rock until it reaches the clay of the Keele Beds. The water is then forced out of the ground through a line of springs dotted around the base of the hills.

The ridge forming the apex of the hills provides a natural watershed - rain falling on the Western side drains into the River Salwarpe, and then to the Bristol Channel (via the River Severn); whilst that falling to the East flows into the River Rea (which is a tributary of the River Trent) and ultimately ends up in the North Sea.

The ridge of the Waseley Hills is therefore the Worcester / West Midlands Watershed

In order to claim this cache you will need to prove you have climbed the 998 feet to the Toposcope and reached the watershed, by providing correct answers to the following information in an email to us at soapychickens@gmail.com to accompany your Found It log.

The published coordinates place you at the Toposcope near to the summit of the Waseley Hills, and the engraved metal plate located there advises the names and heights of landmarks visible on a good day, and provides some of the information required to claim this smiley, as does a nearby bench, and you may need the internet or to remember what you learnt in geography to answer one of the questions, and the other answer is obvious when you get there

QUESTIONS
  1. The two main rock forms at Waseley have different properties relating to their ability to allow water to pass through it.

    On the basis of the rock types described above, at the marked waypoint (the source of the river Rea) what is the predominant rock type under foot, and describe how it differs from the exposed rock at the summit?

  2. If the Clent Breccia is considered to be permeable or pervious, what term would geologists use to describe the water passing properties of the Keele Beds?

  3. Rain water falling on the Waseley Hills ultimately flows into the Irish or North Seas.
    According to the Toposcope plaque, there are 11 rivers in the area, name them

  4. Adjacent to GZ is a nearby bench, to prove you have actually visited GZ, please advise who the plaque says this bench is dedicated to.


Any photos of the Toposcope plate / answers posted in logs will be treated as spoilers and will be deleted - apologies, but in the interests of fairness, this rule will be strictly enforced

Feel free to post photos of your trip, the views, the cows or if you are really unlucky with the weather, the fog!!

As the last few times we have been up there, the weather hasn't been very good, we need some decent photos to include in the listing... In addition to the prestige of being FTF, a special place in this cache's history is up for grabs as a suitable image to be included within the listing. The successful cacher(s) will be considered to be FTP (First to Photo) and credited on the listing

This cache is placed with the kind permission of the Worcestershire County Council Countryside Sites Officer

Additional Hints (Decrypt)

Gur Gbcbfpbcr cyngr cebivqrf bar bs gur nafjref - fhttrfg lbh gnxr n cubgb(f) gb uryc lbh erzrzore gurz

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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