The Kirk of Mochrum
The Kirk is a Scottish word meaning a church, or more specifically, the Church of Scotland.
Many place names and personal names are derived from it.
The Kirk of Mochrum was built on the site of a previous church building dating back to the 12th century. The former building was largely destroyed by fire in the 1770s, and the current building used most of the former building's rectangular walls in its construction in 1794, and was substantially altered again around 1840. It appears to be the only church on the Machars peninsular to retain the name of Kirk on it's insignia.
There are at least a dozen churches on the peninsular still in use today and some of these, by definition would be Kirks belonging to the Church of Scotland; namely Kircowen, Sorbie parish church, Whithorn and Kirkinner parish church. There are many other churches and chapels here too but sadly in a state of dis-repair or abandonment. It is the latter of the aforementioned churches at which you will begin your quest.
This is a multi-cache which requires a long walk or a short drive and as the road can be busy at times we recommend the drive.
Kirk is found as an element in place names in Scotland, England, and North America. The Machars peninsular itself has two such villages, namely Kirkcowen and Kirkinner.
Stage 1: Kirkinner Parish Church
Here you will need to gather some information from the church sign to work out the coordinates of the cache. What time is Sunday Morning Worship = AB.CD
Stage 2: Kilsture Forest (car park)
You can park here to finish the quest.
A pic-nic table is also available and it's a great place to take a break.
Stage 3: Find the Key
To open the cache you will need the key.
It isn't in the cubicle but you'll find it very close by.
Stage 4: Now go find the cache ...
Using the info you found at the Kirk you can calculate the final coordinates of the cache:
N 54 49.ABx20 W 04 26.(CD+11)x6
We hope you enjoy your walk!
The A to Z of the Machars is a project by team Geoscouts We aim to hide a new cache each week over the coming weeks and months to introduce visitors to the treasures of this amazing peninsular. We hope that you enjoy finding them as much as we enjoyed creating them. There's never a dull day here (even when it rains)