General Information:
This walk is based in and around Dilhorne whose history is based on coal mining.
The 4.5mile series has 19 caches of varying types plus a bonus cache. It is mainly on field paths where seasonally there could be crops, animals, long wet grass, nettles, stiles and some mud in places so stout footwear is advised. It is suitable for older children but is not pushchair friendly. An OS map would be useful.
The caches are a variety of types and they are best found in numerical order starting from the parking area to avoid unnecessary retracing of steps for the bonus. Some caches will contain clues to enable the bonus cache to be found and some only hold a log sheet so bring your own pen or pencil. Some may require tweezers to retrieve the log.
The Bonus cache is at N52 59.ABC W2 02.DEF
Parking is at a small pull-in at N52 59.271 W2 02.296 on The Common road between Dilhorne and Boundary.
The Cheadle coalfield covers some eighteen square miles extending west from Cheadle to Dilhorne and north to Ipstones. It is a fragmented part of the larger North Staffordshire Coalfield with rock layers of approximately 280 to 300 million years old.
The readily available coal of this area led to the growth of these communities and their associated industries. Small scale mining, where surface outcrops occurred can be traced back through the centuries. Between 1550 and 1750 there was a steady increase in both the area mined and the depth of mining. The peak years however, were in the nineteenth century when nearly all men worked as colliers or miners some being as young as 10 years old. By the end of this century the industry was dominated by just four very large collieries.
Many place names reflect the nature of the industry. For example, Dilhorne was known in the Doomsday Book as Delkerne meaning a place of diggings. The "Delph" in Delphouse Road is thought to have a similar meaning.