A small container at the natural loop point for the longer version of this walk.
You don’t find too many woodland or forest areas in east Cork. In that part of the county the ridge and valley topography of Munster has been eroded down to create a benign landscape with rich soils. Inevitably the original woodland cover has been stripped away over the centuries to create a rich pastoral setting. One spot where a vestige of the ancient woodland has survived is tucked away behind the village of Killeagh. Here the deep gorge of the Dissour River has sides too steep for agriculture and so no clearance occurred; a happy circumstance helped by being in the ownership of the same family for more than 800 years. It was granted to Phillip de Capell in 1172 and the estate survived through centuries of wars and confiscations.
The majority of the site is owned by Coillte, with a part owned by Glenbower Wood and Lake Ltd, a voluntary community organisation.
The lake referred to in the title was constructed in the middle of the 19th century to provide power to the corn mills at Killagh. It was drained in the 1980s due to safety concerns; it is hoped to reinstate it at some stage if funds become available. It is fitting that such an historic walk should have a celebrated hostelry at its terminus. “The Old Thatch” is one of the oldest licensed premises in the country, with its present proprietors, the Sweeney family, able to trace ownership back to the mid 1700s. It provides a warm welcome for walkers and hot chocolate for kid-cachers.
There are many routes to this cache, some less muddy (but rather road-like) than others. Descend from the car park for a woodland trail or stay on the roadway from the car park to avoid mud.
The cache itself is a clever little thing which may take some finding, especially for inexperienced cachers!
You DO NOT need to get wet. The river is fast flowing, and phone reception is quite poor - take care! BYOP & a tweezers would be very useful!