This series is not for the faint-hearted. Nor can it be done over a couple of hours. There are no additional hints as the clues to the type of cache you are searching for is in the title. This is a linear walk of about 5 miles in all and given the difficulty rating of some of the caches you will need to set aside at least half a day if you want a crack at the full series - which we advise you complete in numerical order. It is essential that you take tweezers and a pen and adviseable that you wear wellies or waterproof boots. There are also a couple of busy roads to cross so please take care.
Parking is at public picnic area car park N54 46.786 W 001 39.692. It is marked by a brown signpost on the B6302 heading into Ushaw Moor, just at the end of a street of houses called Joyce Terrace.
This area has a strong history of coal mining. Indeed, the car park is on the site of Ushaw Moor Colliery, now demolished. There is an information board in the car park which is of interest.
In 1858 a drift mine was established at Ushaw Moor Colliery selling coal on the landsale system. This was purchased in 1879 by Henry Chaytor of Witton Castle. During his tenure there was a large strike, following the deliberate sacking of an elected union leader in 1881. The strike was ended when a number of policemen were brought into the village to evict the strikers and their families; such treatment was not uncommon in those times. Mr Chaytor, sick of the years of industrial unrest, sold Ushaw Moor colliery to Pease & Partners in 1883. From this time, the workmen and community had an easier life, the new owners helping rather than opposing them. However, Ushaw Moor colliery closed in 1960, as part of the collapse of the Durham coal fields.
There is a beautiful monument to the coal mining history of the local area at N54 46.597 W 001 38.498 which is less than a mile away and worth a drive along the B6302 through Ushaw Moor to see.
In the course of researching the site and looking through registers of the men who worked there I discovered that my great great Grandad died in an accident in the mine. You can imagine then that this series has personal sentiment - so we hope you enjoy it!
The final mystery prize cache is at N BI IE.GHD W DDF HG.IGE.