Letah
Wood
Amended description November 2009.
Letah wood was formerly part of the Newbiggin Hall Estate and
acquired by the Woodland Trust in 1986.
It contains the remains of an 18th century dam which was built
across the Letah Burn to supply water to the nearby mill at
Newbiggin, and the leat, (mill race), is probably responsible for
giving the wood its name.
The wood is quiet and contains a variety of wildlife, and the
information board suggests you might see red squirrels though I'm
not sure if they have managed to survive the intrusion of the
greys.
Further information can be obtained from
the Woodland Trust
website
There is room for two cars at the recommended parking spot where
the information board is sited (PARK), and this is also the best
starting point for an appreciation of the wood.
The co-ordinates at the top are not those of the cache, but the
starting point for the hunt. You need to decipher the clues to find
the cache by identifying 3 of the 4 memorial plaques by the gate at
the start. These were originally at various locations within the
wood so the task is actually now much easier.
A pen and paper will be useful. Find the 3 plaques where the
letters of the full names of each person on the plaques total 42.
Write down the full name of each person as it appears on the
plaque, including any titles if they are present (e.g. Mr, Mrs
etc). Write down the names one after the other, number each letter
from left to right, 1 to 42, and use these to decipher the clues. A
knowledge of latin names for trees is not absolutely necessary, but
may help..
From the parking place (PARK) the cache is approximately 200
yards in a straight line into the wood.
You will probably have to cross the burn at least once in the
wood. Stepping stones are provided but please take care, and use an
alternative route if necessary. Please note, there is another point
of access to the wood from the altrnative parking spot (PARK2).
The cache is hidden not far from the path, and it's also
possible to see the remains of the dam from nearby, but you'll have
to look carefully for it.
