The Woods
Oldcourt or 'An tSeanchúirt' as Gaeilge, is a mixed woodland of approximately 26 hectares, located close to the southern suburbs of Cork city, namely Rochestown and Douglas and the village of Passage West. It has historical links back to eminent families from Cork such as the Ronaynes, Goolds and O' Sheas.
There are significant sections of old broadleaved woodland to be found throughout the property along with stands of conifer trees at the southern end. The old woodland includes tree species such as Oak, Beech, Birch, Sycamore and Rowan. There are some wonderful mature specimen Horse Chestnuts and Sycamore along the verges of the forest tracks that traverse the woods. The shrub layer includes; Holly, Hazel, and Bramble and the ground layer has a diverse range of species, including; Great Wood Rush, Bluebell, Herb Robert, Lesser Celandine and a number of varieties of fern. Indeed the bluebell display at the end of April into the month of May is worth investigating.
Conifer species in the area include Western Hemlock, Douglas Fir, Sitka Spruce and the deciduous conifer - Larch. Mammals that frequent the area include a number of bat species, foxes, badgers and rabbits. Bird species include; robin, woodpigeon, Dunnock, Blackbird, Chaffinch, and Magpie. Other notable features include walls and some old ruins associated with the adjoining estate and a number of small streams that flow through the woodland on their way out to Cork Harbour.
The Cache
This is a night cache, recommended to be done during the hours of darkness.
At the starting coordinates turn on your torch and shine it around until you pick up the reflection of a fire tack, these are little reflective tags stuck to a tree or post or something similar. Go to that spot and repeat the process, and repeat, and repeat etc. You should be able to pick up the reflection of the next tack from the one you are standing at. When you reach a point where there are 2 fire tacks on the same item you are very close to the cache and should start hunting for it.
Take your time, if you miss a crucial point you could end up a long way from where you want to be.
Coillte advocates ‘Leave No Trace’ as their user behaviour code while visiting their forests. Leave No Trace is an educational approach to visitor behaviour and is endorsed by all major public landowners and practically all representative user groups in Ireland. Its principle is that everyone takes responsibility for their actions while visiting our forests, thereby ensuring the protection of their forests and natural environment while being mindful of the enjoyment of others.