I have always known this particular spot as the "Top of the World" and so was delighted to see a bench placed here for all to enjoy the surrounding countryside.
This cache is placed as a remembrance to Bailey and Harvey, who loved their walks over the Granville.
The extraordinary thing about the building of Telford New Town was that the development plan incorporated a green network of hedgerows, canals, meadows, canal fringes and other open spaces that were retained, so that wildlife and people could co-exist. It was an achievement that won international recognition, pioneering the way forward for other new towns.
Granville is one of the largest and most wildlife diverse of these places, much valued by local people for its recreational opportunities. The spirit of renewal is tangible here. Nature has reclaimed this place after centuries of industrial activity, which finally ceased when Granville, the last deep mine in the county, closed down.
Relics of former industrial activity, including furnaces and an old winding house, are now surrounded by woodland full of birds, while pit mounds of waste have been transformed into flower-rich grassland and heath. Orchids, ox-eye daisy, cowslips and yellow rattle, rarely seen now in agricultural fields, have miraculously appeared in what was, in the not-so-distant past, a grim and uninviting landscape. The pit mound tops provide good viewpoints over the surrounding countryside and town. An abundance of bird's-foot trefoil now feeds generation after generation of caterpillars of Telford's speciality butterflies, the dingy skipper and green hairstreak.
Now, however, the idealistic vision that gave Telford its feeling of space and greenness is under assault from a new wave of development pressures. Continuous nibbling at the edges, as more houses and industrial buildings appear, is reducing the area of wild space; something which will affect not only wildlife, but the quality of life of its human inhabitants. Granville and the rest of the green network deserve to be vigorously defended.
To locate this offset multi cache simply go to the listed coordinates for stage 1,N 52° 42.663 W 002° 24.981, where you will find an object you can sit on while you work out your answers, then count how many letters are in the longest word (a), then work out this simple equation........
N52 42.(a+1)(a+4)(a-4) W002 24.(a+4)(a-3)(a+1)
Please note the terrain allows for the steps you have to climb to get to Stage 1 and the final location. Also please be aware the gates are locked at dusk, so it might be ideal to do during daylight hours
Special thanks go to The Specialist Environmental Officer,Public Realm,Telford & Wrekin Council for giving permission for this cache to be published
