Under the Bush Traditional Cache
Royal Oak: As the owner has not responded to my previous log requesting that they check this cache I am archiving it.
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Royal Oak
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Walney North end
"UNDER THE BUSH"
SD18043 BNG73573
LAT 054.15142 LONG 003.25637
Access/Parking
There's a small tarmac car park @ SD 17041 69960, unfortunately its often full of folk sitting in
their motor vehicles watching the sea, but there's plenty of scope for parking along the
shingle/cobbly road that leads northwards, (the car park is also the terminus for the "West Shore" bus route), "West Shore Caravan Park" has a convenient shop/foodstore at its southern edge.
Finding the Cache
Start your "mission "by walking North along the shingle/cobbly road till you reach the last spot accessible by motor vehicle (SD 16828 71178), to the east is a raised area of land once used as a tip by the local shipyard. Continue walking about 30 yards further north, this should bring you to a narrow, well used, brambly path that heads eastwards along the southern shore of some largish ponds, follow this path till you reach another wider one that heads north along the boundary fence of the airfield. Follow the boundary fence, keep it to your right, as it heads north then east, eventually you'll discover the concrete roadway of a wartime aircraft dispersal site beneath your feet (SD17330 71679). Head north again, when the concrete roadway ends keep heading northward across the sometimes tussocky grass, the going may be somewhat easier if you get shoreside of the banking which is about 30yards to the east, you'll need to be over in that direction anyway to be able to make use of the plank bridge @ SD17327 72527 to cross the dyke.
There’s just over ¾ of a mile to go now, head NNW along the shore (towards Black Coombe), then swing round and follow the base of the dunes to close in on your target, which is over the dune ridge ahead. The final location of the cache should be obvious from its name, there’s not much of a view down here in the dune slacks, the area seems strangely quiet and peaceful and the bush is obviously used by the sheep as a storm shelter when the weather gets rough.
To complete the excursion as a circular walk follow the western shoreline back (easier at low tide as you're not forced to walk over the shingle at the top of the beach), over to the NNW across the estuary the skyline is dominated by the slopes of Black Coombe. Whicham churchyard at its base holds the graves of some Australian lads who died in an aircrash whilst out on a wartime exercise from the airfield you passed earlier.
Out to the NW you may be able to pick out the remains of the wreck of the Anastasi poking up from the sands, a 283 ton British Steamer, built in 1909 by Scott & Sons at Bowling (on the Clyde), she sank on Christmas day 1946 whilst enroute, in ballast, between the port of Barrow and Kilkeel in Northern Ireland. There are no records of any of the crew being lost, possibly they abandoned ship, were picked up and left the vessel to be blown ashore. Unless youre absolutely 100% sure of the tides don’t be tempted to walk out the mile or so, for a closer look, the sands around here can be "hungry".
To the west you may also be able to make out the silhouette of the Isle (and Calf) of Man out on the horizon.
Other points of interest
1/ Remains of gunnery butts @ SD16915 71489, spent 303 rifle bullets can still be found in the man made bank/dune to the north of the concrete “target control” structure.
2/ “Fossilised” 50 year old bicycle tracks in the concrete @ SD17354 72018
3/ Remains of a mechanical seed drill ? at the north end of the dispersal site @ SD17387 72166
4/ "Funny looking" Jacob sheep at North End
5/ "Black Huts" over the far side of Scarth Hole at Lowsy Point – “home made” holiday cottages/sheds
Additional Hints
(No hints available.)
Treasures
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