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WARNING! This cache seems to have been 'discovered' by a local scally-wag muggle who on occasions raids it for goodies. I therefore strongly suggest that nothing of value is left here, especially geocoins or other trackables. By all means leave burger bar type toys that the young kids so enjoy. |
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This cache has been places so as to be accessible to wheelchair users. This inevitably means that a compromise has been made between being well hidden to passing muggles and being easily reached by someone in a wheelchair. Please ensure that you replace it exactly as you found it - Thank you. Initial Handicache rating = H33222. |
At the top of the Velvet Bottom valley, which leads down towards the Cheddar Gorge, lies the hamlet of Charterhouse. This limestone landscape is designated an AONB (Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty) and has been in use since pre-Roman times. The small church of St. Hugh’s nearby is worth a peep.
Parking is available at the end of the lane beside the Charterhouse Centre - see additional waypoints below. On a hot sunny day pay particular attention to the low posts besides the approach road and parking area. Lizards will often sun bathe on the top of them but can be very hard to spot.
The walk to the cache is on gravel/grassy paths and starts in the middle of ‘gruffy ground’ - this is a Mendip mining expression for waste land resulting from mining activities. To the left of the path when walking towards the cache can be found rabbit warrens, a live spring at the head of a stream which flows 100 yards to a sink hole, a cave (Waterwheel Swallet - under locked manhole cover) and, over the fence, a Roman hill fort.
On a hot morning, provided you walk quietly, you can often see adders charging their batteries in the sun before going about their daily business. Don’t worry, they are more scared of you and will scuttle away as soon as you see them.
Continue along the path past the iron gate and once you start to go downhill you will see a mineries pool to your left just past a beach of shining coal like clinker. To your right are the flue tunnels from the lead smelting – please respect the fence as this is a historic site and can be easily damaged.
Continue along the path towards the cache which is hidden towards the start of a short circular walk around Nether Wood where satellite reception is poor but not impossible (unless you have one of these new fangle GPSrs with the x chip which some of us think is cheating!). The Additional Hint is quite a spoiler so try finding the cache first before you decrypt it. When trading cache items please remember the geocaching guidance ‘Trade up or Even’.
Be sure to continue on the path after you find the cache as this takes you on a short circular walk around the Nether Wood nature reserve – why go back the way you came? Keep your eye out for birds, deer and small mammals.
Wheelchair Access
This cache, whilst not on a tarmac path, is generally wheelchair accessible. Wheelchair users should note that the track is loose and slightly rough in parts being a compacted gravel/dust mix with a short run of cropped impacted grass, grazed by the many local rabbits. The first 100 yards from the parking area to a metal gate is the worst part with larger gravel. The route has been tested by a paraplegic electric wheelchair user. Initial Handicache rating = H33212.
Snakes
If you really want to see snakes I have shown where a sheet of corrugated iron lies in Additional Waypoints below. On a hot day, provided you approach very quietly, you are more lightly than not to see an adder, grass snake or slow worm if you quickly turn over this sheet. Please be sure to replace it after and don’t touch the reptiles! You are also fully responsible for any children in your party.
Charterhouse
For further information on the Chartehouse area see the following links:
Mendip Hills AONB website
Romano-British Settlements
Whilst in the area be sure to do the nearby Landscape or Moonscape cache – this one is not wheelchair accessible.
To see an Ordnace Survey map of the additional waypoints (below) copy the coordinates and paste them into this website
