Scrabo North Quarry
Quarrymen at Scrabo Quarry
Stone quarried from here is called Scrabo Sandstone and it was excavated from here since Anglo Norman times around 800 years ago. The boom period for Scrabo Stone was the 19th Century when Robert Corry, the son of a successful timber merchant recognized the commercial potential of the quarry and leased part of the hill from the Marquis of Londonderry in 1826.
The opening of the Newtownards section of the Belfast and County Down Railway in 1850 further promoted the widespread use of the stone for railway stations and bridges throughout Northern Ireland. Many of these were designed by local architect Charles Lanyon who was a prolific user of Scrabo Stone for bridges, buildings and monuments. Now it’s only available from old buildings. Several famous local buildings were built using Scrabo sandstone, such as Newtownards Town Hall, Newtownards Model Primary and the Albert Clock in Belfast.
Scrabo North Quarry now sits abandoned, but once upon a time it would have been filled with noise as rock was quarried from the side of the hill and carried away by a mini railway for use in Ireland, Great Britain and even North America. Now, it is a haven for wildlife such as ravens, woodpigeon, collared doves and jackdaws nesting on the rock ledges. If you are lucky you may even spot several of the birds of prey that nest here from time to time, such as Kestrels, Buzzards and Peregrine Falcons.
Stage 1 - Gateway to Scrabo North Quarry
From the parking area, follow the track uphill and at N 54 35.207 W 005 43.074 you will see a number of green metal posts concreted into the ground. Count the total number of posts and call your answer A.
Stage 2 - Scrabo North Quarry Bridge
Zeus, one of our German Shepherds at Scrabo North Quarry Bridge
Carry on uphill until you get to N 54 35.121 W 005 43.096. Turn right here and continue to follow the track uphill until you get to Stage 2 which is at N 54 35.132 W 005 43.159. This is one of the bridges built for the mini-railway which would have carried the stone away from the quarry. Walk inside this bridge and study it carefully. You will see a number of metal fixtures protruding from the stonework (some protrude more than others). Count the total number of metal fixtures and call your answer B.
Stage 3 - Hidden Ards View
Continue on up the hill, following the track as it twists and turns until you arrive at N 54 35.111 W 005 43.144. This is one of my favourite views over Newtownards. At these co-ordinates there is a bench, count the number of long flat planks that you would both sit on and lean against. Deduct three from the total and call your answer C. Now re-trace your steps back down the hill to where you previously turned off at N 54 35.121 W 005 43.096.
Stage 4 - At the Crossroads
Carry on to the crossroads at N 54 35.110 W 005 43.076. Here, look for a sign which gives a rather precise distance to the Main Car Park. Take the number after the decimal point and call this D.
Stage 5 - Hidden Quarry View
From the crossroads, carry on straight ahead until you arrive at N 54 35.046 W 005 43.055. From here, you get a cracking view across the North Quarry. At these co-ordinates you will see an object which looks distinctively like a letter (Not the bench). Assuming that A=1, B=2, C=3, D=4 etc, allocate this letter the appropriate number and call your answer E. Now retrace your steps back to 'At the Crossroads'.
Stage 6 - Descent to the Quarry Floor
Once you're back at The Crossroads, proceed to N 54 35.078 W 005 43.142 (walk towards the quarry / away from Ards town centre direction). Here you will need to descend some steps to the quarry floor. Count the total number of steps and call your answer F.
Stage 7 - A Childhood Fantasy
Hold your breath, run through then make a wish
From Stage 6, carry on along walking along the track on the quarry floor until you get to N 54 35.053 W 005 43.000. To get to here, you will have had to walk through a narrow gap in the quarry (pictured above). Childhood legend has it, that if you held your breath and ran through the gap to the other side without breathing then you could make a wish. Looks easy enough to do now but as a 'young 'un', well, it seemed quite a distance. Anyhow, once you pass through the gap and reach these co-ordinates, you will see a sign. Count the number of letters in the third word of this sign and call your answer G.
Checksum:- The total of A-G should equal 43
The cache is located at N 54 35.(A) (B+C) (G) / W 005 43.(A+C+E-F) (E/A) (D) and you are looking for a regular sized tab-loc box inside a camo bag.
You can check your answers for this multi-cache on GeoChecker.com.