Trollers Gill is an impressive limestone gorge near the picturesque village of Appletreewick, Upper Wharfedale. Nearly 300m long, the ravine cuts deep into the limestone of Great Scar and ends close to Gill Heads and the remains of an abandoned lead mine.
But Trollers Gill has a more sinister side.
Local folklore tells that the area is haunted by the Barguest, a phantom black devil-dog which is said to be a huge, wolf-like beast with yellow glowing eyes and dripping fangs ready to prey on the lost or lonely traveller. The surrounding caves and mineshafts are also home to the Trollers - mischievous goblins who roll rocks down the ravine onto the heads of those passing through.
The suggested starting point for this walk is the public footpath near the entrance to Parcival Hall, signed 'Gill Heads and New Road'. Follow the path until it forks near the bottom of a hill at 54 03.038 001 53.888 just after crossing a wooden stile (See photo PATHFORK.JPG) and take the right hand path following the line of the stream until you reach the (usually) dry bed and the entrance to Trollers Gill. As you make your way through, look out for the Barguest's claw marks on the stones underfoot and keep a watchful eye out for any rocks being rolled down at you by the vicious Trollers above.
GPS reception is poor in the gorge itself, so to find the cache you will first need to locate the old mine entrance of Nick Level which is at the end of the gorge, up and to the right. The coordinates at the top of the page place you near this entrance, not at the cache box, and there shouldn't be any problems finding it.
Go up the path to the mine entrance then stand with your back facing the hole. At compass bearing 350 degrees or looking approximately 2 o'clock from this position, the cache is located about 70 feet away. You're looking for a plastic box containing lots of goodies and the log book, and please take care to hide it carefully for the next victim, I mean visitor.
As you can imagine, the terrain for this cache can be difficult in places as you'll be walking along a rocky dried-up stream bed, so stout footwear is essential. There's no climbing or scrambling involved but do take care on the rocks. Oh, and be sure to leave by nightfall, when the shadows close in and the blood-curdling howl of the Barguest echoes around the lonely hills...
We had a lot of fun placing this cache and we hope you enjoy it.