My family on my father's side are from Arbroath and every summer we used to come up here for our annual holiday. On a clear day on the horizon when you could see the tiny pin prick of the Bell Rock Lighthouse a relative would regale me with the tales of Ralph the Rover cutting down the warning bell which gives the rock its name.
The real story about the subsequent lighthouse and its construction is just as fascinating. The Bell Rock lies just below the surface of the sea and is only visible at very low tide. By the start of the eighteenth century it is estimated that six ships were wrecked there every winter.
Construction of the lighthouse took three years, starting in 1807 under the supervision of Robert Stevenson. The conditions were tough as work was only possible during the summer for four hours a day when it was not submerged by up to 3.7 m of sea water. You can read more about the subject here.
For my mother's 70th birthday we came back to Arbroath and arranged a boat trip out to see the lighthouse. It was a brilliant day watching seals basking on the rock and great to see the lighthouse in its full glory. I remember at the time thinking it would be great to place a virtual cache here, little realising that I would soon get the chance to do so!
As you can see in the photo above we had perfect conditions. Let's hope you have the same luck when you visit!
Getting there
Situated just over ten miles offshore from Arbroath you're going to need a boat to get there. I do not recommend using your own unless you are an accomplished sailor, remember that the lighthouse was built for a reason! The easiest way to do so is to take a trip from Arbroath Harbour (I've added a waypoint).
A number of companies offer trips out sightseeing, wildlife spotting or fishing. As far as I am aware there is no schedule so you'll need to make your arrangements in advance which may involve chartering a boat. The larger the group the cheaper it will be per person or you may get lucky and be able to tag onto someone's else's trip. It's unlikely you'll be able to just turn up and hop on a boat. Sailings are weather dependent and a round trip takes about three hours. I've rated this cache as 4D to take into account these circumstances.
Logging requirements
1) Just take a photo of you or your gps, at sea, with the Bell Rock Lighthouse in the background and post it in your log. You do not need to get too near to the lighthouse. DO NOT ATTEMPT TO LAND ON THE ROCK, IT IS QUITE DANGEROUS AND NOT ACCESSIBLE TO THE PUBLIC. IT IS NOT A REQUIREMENT TO DO SO TO LOG THIS VIRTUAL.
Virtual Rewards 2.0 - 2019/2020
This Virtual Cache is part of a limited release of Virtuals created between June 4, 2019 and June 4, 2020. Only 4,000 cache owners were given the opportunity to hide a Virtual Cache. Learn more about Virtual Rewards 2.0 on the Geocaching Blog.