Alternatively, you could walk, following the line of the railway from Ormskirk station, down the cycle path and onto the footpath to this cache. Take care though, there's quite a few nettles about!
Information from http://www.skemheritage.org.uk/ackerley/railway.htm
The railway from Ormskirk to Skelmersdale commenced construction in the summer of 1858 after first being authorised in August 1846, with the delays being caused by the Directors of the East Lancashire Railway suspending work until they received notification from the owners of Blaguegate Colliery that they intended to use the line, in 1853 Parliament authorised the extension of the line through to Rainford, and in the meantime through all this they needed to purchase the land the line was to run through.
So the line which was initially completed to the north western edge of Skelmersdale was finally completed through to Rainford Junction and after being scrutinised by the Government Inspectors of Railways on Tuesday 23rd February 1858 was opened on Monday 1st March 1858. The line ran from the north end of the Ormskirk to Preston line and swept easwards along the northern edge of Ormskirk, ran along the northern edge of Westhead (you can see the raised edge where the line was from the road down to Westhead and the remains of the bridges down Castle Lane and Dickets Lane), across Plough Lane over Sephtons Bridge (now gone), under Firswood Road bridge until it arrived in Skelmersdale at the Station crossing the Ormskirk to Wigan Road (where the roundabout is now) - you can see where the line arrived if you look to the left as you drive up Neverstich Road you will see a valley shape go off in to the trees.
The line then continued to Rainford down where Railway Road is now. At first the station at Skelmersdale was called "Blaguegate" but from 1st August 1874 it was renamed "Skelmersdale" which it remained till its closure, and in the following year another line was laid making the track from Ormskirk double.
The Railway did rather well for itself and on 1st July 1906 a steam railmotor service was introduced running 28 trains in each direction and also halts were opened at Westhead and White Moss. Another increase in use was due to the Army Remount Depot at Lathom Park which introduced a specially constructed branch line to Lathom House at the beginning of the First World War. This was completed by February 1915 and ran from the Station, across Engine Lane and Slate Lane, alongside Firswood Road, across Spa Lane, through Samples Farm and into the Lathom estate to the Depot. This branch line was mainly used to ship horses to the Depot, and after the War had ended it was last used to store unwanted railway wagons until after 1920 when the line was taken up.
By the time the Second World War started the Skelmersdale Station offered facilities for Goods, Passengers and Luggage, there was a 5 ton crane and three sidings - one used by the Straw Rope Works and the other two by the Collieries. The one main memory people may have of the old railway is the old "Skem Jazzer" or "Skem Joey", this was the passenger train that serviced Skelmersdale and earned it's nickname through the rough ride it gave - people were "jazzed" about! The railway line and Skelmersdale Station was open until 5th November 1956 when the passenger service ceased. It remained open for Goods from Ormskirk until 4th November 1963 but the Goods service from Rainford had ceased on 16th November 1961. The line was dismantled and the remains of the Station and the Level Crossing on Ormskirk Road was removed in 1969 to make way for the appropriately named Railway Road as mentioned above.
Information from Wikipedia:
Proposals have been put forward for the reopening of a section of line, reconnecting trains for Skelmersdale into Merseyrail's Northern Line Ormskirk branch. In June 2009, the Association of Train Operating Companies, in its Expanding Access to the Rail Network report, called for funding for the reopening of the line as part of a £500m scheme to open 33 stations on 14 lines closed in the Beeching Axe, including seven new parkway stations. The report proposes extending the line from Ormskirk railway station by laying 3 miles of new single track along the previous route towards Rainford Junction, at a cost estimated to be in the region of £31m. The route is largely intact, however deviation north of Westhead would be required. The proposed Skelmersdale station would be on the north west corner of the town near the Skelmersdale Ring Road, right next to where the old station once was.
As of today, there has been no railway put forward towards Skelmersdale and in fact, in Westhead, several houses have been built on the trackbed.
Happy Caching!
Please note you cannot follow the tracks beyond here (towards Lady's Walk). Instead, you must head towards Ormskirk instead along the public footpath.