The series has been created to celebrate one of our literary heros, Arthur Ransome, who died 50 years ago in 1967. He wrote many books in the Swallows and Amazons series but one of the most relevant to the area is “We didn’t mean to go to sea” which has its opening set at Pin Mill.
Look out for bonus information which can be found inside some of the caches. (See We didn’t mean to go to sea - Bonus
There is a series of 10 stamps to collect along the way too. Collection leaflets can be found in cache 1.
Take care close to the water. You will find a useful tool N 51° 59.075 E 001° 16.174 to retrieve the cache.
The cache series will take you along the river following extracts from the story.
We didn't mean to go to sea - Beach End
Something large loomed out of the fog astern. It was a big red painted cage, like an enormous parrot cage with a pointed top, built on a round raft. On top of the cage was a lantern, and, as they watched, they saw a thin line of white leap up the lantern, vanish and leap again. It was a buoy. In the cage was something big and black…… the bell.
“Clang!”
““It’s coming jolly fast,” shouted Roger. “Look at the wash round its bows.”
“It’s going to burn into us,”cried Titty.
It isn’t the buoy that’s moving,” said John. “It’s us.”
They swept past it, missing it by only a yard. The heavy hammer swung against the bell when they were almost near enough to touch the buoy. The melancholy “Clang!” boomed in their ears. They read the big white letters painted on the side of the cage…..”BEACH END.”
[Quotes and images from We Didn't Mean to Go to Sea by Arthur Ransome Published by Jonathan Cape. Reprinted by permission of The Random House Group Limited]
There is a regular bus service from Shotley to Chelmondiston (Mon-Sat) if you would like to make this a linear walk. Click
here to see the time table.
Caches have been placed with funding support from Suffolk Coast and Heaths, Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty and with kind permission of of the land owner and the environment agency.