The River
The River Noe runs for approximately 12 miles from its source, two smaller streams running off Kinder Scout, to the river Derwent south of Bamford. On the way it flows east on a meandering course through the Edale Valley.
The Edale Valley was settled in the 13th Century along the river. The settlements were originally established as cattle farms, and over time developed into the five main hamlets of Upper Booth, Barber Booth, Grindsbrook Booth (Edale itself), Ollerbrook Booth and Nether Booth.
Historically the river was used to power water mills, and there are still some remnants of this industrial past through the valley, when mills included corn mills, cotton mills and a sawmill at Hope, which was driven by an 11ft water wheel.
The Cache
This can either be done as a diversion from a nearby walking route, or as a drive-by for those less inclined to get too close to nature. However, get your footing wrong when looking for this cache and you may get closer to nature than you intended! For those who must park up, there is parking for a car or two at the relevant waypoint.
Once you're in the general area of the bridge, you need to descend the north bank of the river on the west side of the bridge. You didn't think it was going to be away from the river did you?
The cache itself can be found in a tree which is close to the bridge, a little bit above river level. It is possible to reach it without getting down into the river (or down onto the mud if the river level is low), but only if you're tall and willing to stretch quite a bit.
Wearing boots will make it easier to get down (and back up) the bank, but will ensure you get wet if you need to go into the river. On the other hand, wearing wellies will almost certainly mean you don't get wet (unless the river level is really high), but will make it more difficult to get down and back up the bank. Decisions decisions...
If you do need to get into the river to reach the cache, please assess the river level and current before doing so, and use common sense to decide whether the conditions are favourable. If you do not feel comfortable attempting it, please do not do so.
Please replace the cache exactly as found, jammed in so that it doesn't fall out. Don't forget to bring a pen too, as there isn't one in the cache, and you do need to sign the log to claim a find.