Pinhaw Memorial Toposcope
This easily accessible cache, a small camo-taped plastic pot, is hidden en route to or from this stunning viewpoint along the Pennine Way loooong-distance trail.
From the nearest parking it is 750m and approx 45m elevation gain to the first stage and can be easily reached in under 15 minutes. The cache and return should be possible in 40 minutes, allowing for time to treat your eyes to the 360 degree view at the top.
To find the cache: after parking your cachemobile at N 53 55.255 W 2 5.640 on West Road/Skipton Old Road, carefully cross the road (sometimes [ab]used by speedsters) and walk down the short distance south to the gate to access this short stretch of the Pennine Way as it heads SE then NE up the gravel track to the beacon.
Once there, and having had an initial scan of the amazing views, identifying the multiple landmarks to be seen using the toposcope, now find the following info . . .
1. The line extending West from the central compass passes through a long red-lettered place name. The alphanumeric value of the 2nd letter of this = A
2. To the right of this in green is a sonnet written by the creator based on one by a famous playwright - the number of which is 1B
3. Looking just north of east you will see Beamsley Beacon some 1C km away
4. Looking roughly NW the three highest peaks in Yorkshire which can be seen from here are located between 28-40km away. Somewhat closer between 2 of them and at 18km away is a hill with an unusual 3-word name. The number of letters in the middle name of this = D
5. Not far away to the SW is a mast (BT's Proctor Heights microwave/TV/radio mast) whose height is given as 3E0 metres.
This of course will be the altitude of the base of the mast/s (ie. slightly lower than the Pinhaw Beacon) as the main mast (for which no height info can be found) is probably about 50m high?
6. Finally, read the tragic story inscribed in green ink to the east side of the toposcope plate - there is also a geocache at this nearby site!
In this, you will learn that including Robert a total of F guards were trapped by the storm which took his life (well, this must be assumed as he disappeared never to be seen again).
The cache is hidden at:
N 53 55.AD(E+F) W 2 05.(B-5)(C-1)(A+E)
Click below to confirm your coordinates - and get a useful hint
On a fine day, this 388m asl location offers splendid views north towards the Yorkshire Dales, with Ingleborough, Pen-y-ghent, Whernside and Buckden Pike all clearly visible and in the far distance . . . a long line of Lake District fells.
This is a popular hiking area and the Beacon features on numerous local walks, such as the circular trail from Lothersdale to the south, another loop trail from Thornton-in-Craven to the west and a 3rd from Elslack to the NW (probably the most cache-rich circuit) - see Gallery maps. Of course, as with most moorland tracks, sections can become muddy after prolonged wet periods.
Note: the numbers are route direction points (not caches!)
See here for a brief photo blog of the short trail to the beacon from the roadside parking which refers to 2 geocaches on the route . . . there will be 1 more now! Interestingly, all the walks show photos of the Beacon taken before the plinth and plaque were placed in July 2021.
All the features of this 360 degree panorama are detailed on a wonderful newly placed toposcope (orientation table) on its plinth which joins the adjacent existing trig-point pillar. A toposcope is a kind of graphic display erected at viewing points, hills, mountains or other high places which indicates the direction, and usually the distance, to notable landscape features which can be seen from that point.
The toposcope was created by Douglas Goode and engraved by John Coyne of Clitheroe, Lancashire. It was 'unveiled' on Saturday, 31 July 2021 by 2 of the medical staff who worked on the Covid wards at Airedale Hospital.
The inscription around the edge of the plaque reads:
In Memory of All who Died of Covid-19 in the Pandemic of 2020/21
Enjoy the View
With Grateful Thanks to All National Health Service Staff and Care Workers
for their Unselfish Dedication During the Coronavirus Pandemic of 2020/21
See here and here for 2016 and 2018 (pre-toposcope) drone videos around the beacon.
