This cache is tagged at the adventure playground in Craigmillar Castle Park because all the brownies I know would enjoy playing there! It also has some of the best views of any playground I've been to. However, it is a puzzle cache and so is not hidden at the above coordinates but instead a short walk away. To find out where, see the attached drawing of the brownies celebrating their birthday! I would like to pretend it was drawn by my brownies but sadly it wasn't.
Craigmillar Castle Park is a little known gem of a park. As well as the excellent adventure playground, there are great woodlands to make dens in, play wide games, or lay and follow trails for each other. There are loads of birds to see and identify and even a castle to explore. Perfect for brownies or wannabe brownies (of all ages and genders...).
You can easily combine this cache with a visit to the castle (which I recommend!) but please don't park at the castle unless you're visiting. There are also two other nearby caches: GC2E583 A Cacher's Best Friend and GC4R7E9 Scotland The Quest - Edinburgh City.
There is parking used by many dog walkers on the entry road to the community recycling centre and you can also park at Craigmillar estate if you like. I don't recommend you visit at night and please re hide the cache carefully to avoid it being muggled.
Craigmillar Castle Park is a natural heritage park with areas of mature and young woodland, grassland and old quarries. The area is a mixture of open parkland with groups of veteran trees; mature woodland located around the fringes of Craigmillar Hill; and recently created woodland established on the fields on the north and western edges of the Hill. The young woodlands at the north of the park are made up of many different native species: alder, birch, oak, ash and hawthorn are just some. These trees are excellent places to see and hear the many small birds that live in the park, such as bullfinch. Watch for the buzzards soaring over the grasslands in the park. They make a mewling cry as they call to each other. The range of grasslands and woodlands means there are plenty of rabbits and voles for them to eat.
Craigmillar Castle Park is set against the backdrop of Craigmillar Castle. An enormous baronial structure famously associated with Mary Queen of Scots, was built in the 15th century by Sir John Preston. It passed from the Prestons to Sir John Gilmour (a distant relative) in 1660 and remained with that family until 1946 when it passed to the state and then onto Historic Scotland who manage it today.
This cache was placed by an Edinburgh brownie leader and with permission of the Natural Heritage Service at Edinburgh Council.
