The Mermaid's Pool Traditional Cache
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Difficulty:
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Terrain:
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Size: 
(regular)
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Although this cache is located on the lower slopes of Kinder the final approach is steep, rough and pathless. Suitable clothing, especially footwear, is essential.
There are several sites in the Peak District National Park which claim to be the haunts of mermaids.
The Mermaid's Pool lies on the slopes of Kinder, above the Kinder Reservoir. It takes its name from an old legend which claims that it shares a mysterious link with the Atlantic Ocean. The water is poisonous to animals and fish but is just right for a mermaid. She appears only once a year around midnight on Easter Eve and those who catch a glimpse of her may either receive the gift of long life or be drawn into the depths of the pool and meet their doom.
The Mermaid's Pool is most easily reached from the car park at Bowden Bridge, N53 22.866, W001 55.649. This is a historic site in itself, being the starting point of the Mass Trespass onto Kinder in 1932 which was one of the events which led eventually to the setting up of National Parks and access being granted to the countryside for walkers. The round trip to the cache and back is about 8km.
From the car park take the Kinder Road and then the public bridleway to N53 23.731, W001 54.664. Here cross the small footbridge and take the path on the right before the wall. Follow this path as it continues around the reservoir. After the second stile stay close to the wall on your right until the indistinct path joins a track which goes down to the river and a footbridge. Do not cross the bridge but continue upstream until you come to a stile leading into an area of National Trust woodland. From here you need to head steeply uphill through the wood to emerge at a stile in the NE corner. Go through the gate onto the moor. Now it becomes even steeper and rougher for the final 150m NE to the pool.
There is a Letterbox just a few metres from the geocache.
Once you reach the pool the cache is easy to find as the GPS signal is good.
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Treasures
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