According to legend, Jock o'Noth (or Jack o'Noth) was a giant that lived on the hilltop of Tap O'Noth. He was an adversary of Jock o'Bennachie, another giant who lived on the nearby top of Bennachie. The two giants would often engage in battle by throwing boulders at each other from their respective hills. It is said that on Tap o'Noth you may find a large boulder that contains an imprint of the fingers of Jock o'Bennachie.
Why were the giants such enemies? The story is that Jock o'Noth stole the sweetheart of Jock o'Bennachie. So outraged was Jock o'Bennachie that he threw a stone with such force that it flattened Jock o'Noth and formed the crater at the top of the hill.
These days the only things launched from the top of Tap o'Noth are human beings, safely attached to paragliders. Some stealth may be required on days when a few paragliders are hanging around at the top waiting for the right winds before launching themselves off the side of the hill. On the day the cache was placed I counted at least seven paragliders gracefully floating around near the top as I drove up to the parking spot. A couple landed next to the path as I walked up.
In order to get to the cache the easiest way is to park at the suggested co-ordinates and simply follow the path up the hill. The cache is located outside of the hilltop fort and you won't need to stomp through any heather until you are near to GZ, so please stick to the paths, it's the easiest way. Also, you can stop for a breather to find GCKKK9 on the way up.
See also: Hilltop giants: Jock o'Bennachie.
With thanks to Aberdeenshire Council and Historic Scotland for their help and advice placing this cache.