Welcome to one of our favourite locations. May Hill, the one with the trees on top and once known as Yartleton Hill, lies on the western boundary of Gloucestershire and the southern edge of Herefordshire.
There appear to be a number of reasons as to how May Hill got its name. One is from the May Day celebrations that take place on top each year and another is that a certain Captain May used it as a navigational mark as he came up the Severn eastuary. May Hill is certainly visible from many miles around and from all directions - coming down the M5 it is our beacon to lead us home to not far from the hill itself.
The top of May Hill is an SSSI both biologically and geologically, indeed there is an Earthcache there (GC1H6H1). The trees on top were recorded as early as the late 1700s and replenished in time to celebrate Queen Victoria's Golden Jubilee in 1887. Further trees were added for Queen Elizabeth II's Silver Jubilee in 1977. Plaques marking these events are sited amongst the trees.
The Gloucestershire Way and the Wysis Way use May Hill on their course and there's the trig point at the summit too - one for those who do Trigpointing! The top is also listed as a Village Green belonging to Longhope Parish.
There are excellent views on a good day right across the Severn, across to the Forest of Dean, to the Welsh Hills (Skirrid and the Sugarloaf) and north across Herefordshire and beyond.
You are looking for a micro cache. You will probably need to use varying degrees of stealth as the hill can get quite busy at times - a great place for dog walking, kite flying etc. Please also be aware that there are cattle, Belted Galloway, and horses/ponies on the hill for the most part.
The posted co-ordinates will bring you to the trigpoint where you will need work out the following from the flush bracket (the metal plate on the side of the trigpoint):
The number on the flush bracket = ABCD
The number of different letters = E
The number of times letters/numbers are repeated = F
Checksum = 19
Final is at N51 AF.(B+D)(A+D)(E+F) W002 (F-B)(B+C).CD(A+E)
Our thanks go to the National Trust for allowing this cache to be placed.
Ye Ole Survey Monument (YOSM) is a captivating series of caches that pays homage to the remarkable legacy of OutForTheHunt's YSM series (GC45CC).
YOSM caches are strategically positioned at or near Trig Points. These triangulation stations have played a pivotal role as surveying landmarks, contributing to the mapping of expansive territories. Some of these points, bearing historical significance, might now be situated on private land or have vanished with time. As a result, the caches are artfully placed in close proximity, reverently acknowledging the historical importance of these survey monuments.
More information, bookmarks and statistics can be found at the YOSM Website.
If anybody would like to expand the Ye Ole Survey Monuments Series, please do. I would ask that you request a number for your cache first at https://yosm.org.uk so we can keep track of the numbers and names to avoid duplication.