GC3VHMV Garth Hill #1 (Builth Wells Castle) (Multi-cache) in South Wales, United Kingdom created by Aussie1rach

This cache has been archived.

Big Ragnar: No response from owner. If you wish to repair/replace the cache sometime in the future, just contact us (by email), and assuming it meets the current guidelines, we'll be happy to unarchive it.

GC3VHMV ▼

A cache by Aussie1rach Message this owner

Hidden : 8/29/2012

Difficulty:

Terrain:

Size: Size: other (other)

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Geocache Description:

#1/4 of the 'Garth Hill' series.

At Builth Wells the main car park is at the Groe (OS 041 511)

Builth Castle

Built by Philip de Braose in the 1090s as a timber and earth motte and bailey. During the next century it changed hands between Welsh and Norman owners and was rebuilt in stone in the 1240s. It was taken and destroyed by the Welsh in 1260. Between 1277 and 1282 it was completely rebuilt by Edward I. In 1282 it was held for the king by John Giffard who may have been involved in the death of Llywelyn the Last who was killed nearby in December 1282. The stone castle had a tower keep surrounded by a curtain wall with six turrets. A gatehouse with two towers protected the inner ward. Unusually the castle has two baileys both of which originally had stone walls. Following a fire in the town in the late 17th century the castle was robbed of its stone for the construction of new houses. Today only the large earthen motte and baileys survive.

The motte is 18.3m diameter at the top and stands 18m in height above the ditch. The baileys measure 120m by 18m to 27m; and, 60m by 9m to 11m, and are surrounded by a wet ditch 5-8m deep. A shell keep once stood on the motte. The first castle dates to the end of the 11th century, it was refortified in 1210 and rebuilt in stone in 1242. The castle was destroyed in 1260. A new castle was commissioned by Edward I in 1277. The tower keep was surrounded by a wall with six turrets, gatehouse with two towers and two stone-walled baileys.

Compared with the other great Edwardian castle of Wales there is no obvious masonry. No castle more demonstrates the difficulty in getting good quality mortar in central Wales than Builth.

The Cache

The Coordinates will only take you to the footpath entrance and a style into the castle grounds so do take the 2-minute stroll to the top of the bailey and admire the views over the town and the river Wye before moving onto the cache.

At the style there is a finger post and two public notices which have all the answers to the clues.

A: ? faw eich ci
B: ? at yr hawk tramwy
C: ? Buallt
D: Cadwch eich ci dan ?
E: ? gwelwch yn dda
F: Cyngor ? Powys

Use the number of letters from the missing words to complete the GZ location.

N 52° 08.ABC W 003° 23.DEF

Additional Hints (Decrypt)

Gverq?

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)