Ballast Island Traditional Cache
-
Difficulty:
-
-
Terrain:
-
Size: 
(regular)
Please note Use of geocaching.com services is subject to the terms and conditions
in our disclaimer.
The cache is placed on Ballast Island in Porthmadog Harbour. This means that it is only accessible on foot at low tide.
Please check a tide timetable before setting off on foot. You will find the tide timetable at the Harbour Masters office at N52 55.454 W4 07.723, or from the Internet. 2 -3 hours either side of low tide should be fine, depending on the time of the month (spring v neap tides). Even at low tide walking to the island involves negotiating slippery mud and shallow stream(s), depending on the recent rain and state of the river Glaslyn. So wellies are preferable in winter. The route is definitely not buggy friendly. One place to start is N52 55.439 W4 07.559 (near the Ffestiniog Railway Station from The Cob embankment) and labelled “Start” on the GPS plot below. Take great care crossing the Ffestiniog railway tracks. PLEASE NOTE that the station was significantly redeveloped / expanded in Spring 2014 and you may find it more difficult to start from here now. You may need to walk further east along 'The Cob' (embankment) before crossing the track; i.e. walk along the Cob until the end of the railings and then turn right across the railway track. Another alternative that previous visitors have used is to walk south, past the station entrance into the area of white flats; 'Snowdon Wharf'. On the east side of this area there are a number of vertical ladders down to the sand.Take great care on the ladders, of course. Also, the area is private, so you may not feel comfortable, or be welcome, when taking this route. I'd recommend reading other visitors notes on their experiences accessing the cache - but please be aware that the conditions they found depend the weather at the time and even more on the state of the monthly spring / neap tide cycle. Check the tide times AND heights before you visit. (Without a boat) low spring tide will give the easiest access; this occurs c.2 days after a full, or new, moon. Porthmadog Harbour was built in the early 1800s and made possible by the construction of 'The Cob” which constrained the river Glaslyn and resulted in the deep, scoured channel. This, together with local slate quarrying lead to Porthmadog rising from nothing to a thriving port remarkably quickly; visit the Maritime Museum, next to the Harbour Masters office, for more. Ballast Island is named because of the ballast that was dumped there by sailing ships returning from trips exporting Welsh Slate to many parts of the world (see the photograph below). This explains the great variety of rocks on the island. SPECIAL NOTE: This cache has been much enjoyed by many cachers which is very rewarding. It was set up by my daughter, WiggyMole, who currently suffers from Chronic Fatigue Symdrome (CFS). As a consequence I have been maintaining the cache on her behalf for the last 8 years. CSF, or ME, is a dreadful, debilitating disease that affects a surprising number of people but is still widely misunderstood. If you have enjoyed this cache please consider visiting the Association for Young People with ME site at http://www.ayme.org.uk/ and raising awareness of the condition.
Additional Hints
(Decrypt)
Haqre ebpxf ng onfr bs fznyy gerr.
Treasures
You'll collect a digital Treasure from one of these collections when you find and log this geocache:
Loading Treasures