FYI 732 - Silverdale 5: Silverdale Colliery

IF YOU WOULD LIKE TO ADD TO THIS SERIES, PLEASE CONTACT THE SERIES OWNER (SEE BELOW)

We are often told (correctly, if somewhat ideologically), that geocaches should take us to somewhere "interesting", and not simply be placed just for the sake of it. The aim of this series is to try and adhere to this ideal by basing caches around details given on an Interpretation Board about the area in which it is situated. By definition, it is hoped that this information will be "interesting", and will help the cacher discover things about the area that would often not be revealed by a traditional cache.
 

Silverdale Country Park is formerly an open cast mine, however the area has now been turned into this vast country park, with a mix of open areas and woodland. Many of the paths are wide, solid paths, making it suitable for sturdy wheelchairs and buggies, however please be aware that some of the paths are steep.

All caches have been placed on or just off the path, so are suitable for wheelchair users who are able to stand and take a few steps.

The FYI trail, plus an additional trad, takes you round the information boards telling you about the history of the area. There are 10 boards; this trail just follows those around the Void, however visiting the others is recommended. Following the caches in order is also highly recommended to avoid backtracking, however you can start halfway through if parking at the bottom end. The boards are not followed in order, that is so you are heading uphill on the longer, but less steep side.

This information board shows you about the later history of the Silverdale Colliery up until its closure.

The Great Row coal seam was A foot thick
No 17 shaft was BCD yards deep
Midlands Mining took over in EFGH

The cache can be found at:
N53 01.E(H-E)B W002 16.AG(F-C)

I hope that you find this an interesting variation on the caching experience. For a full list of all FYI caches in the series, please go to https://www.geocaching.com/bookmarks/view.aspx?code=BM4RZ8H
For more details of the FYI series as a whole, you can visit the dedicated website at fyigeocaching.co.uk where you will also find details of how to place your own FYI cache (I'm sure you know of some interesting Interpretation Boards in your area!). You can also contact the Series Owner, John Williams, directly at fyigeocaching@outlook.com