Family Tree Traditional Geocache
-
Difficulty:
-
-
Terrain:
-
Size: 
(regular)
Please note Use of geocaching.com services is subject to the terms and conditions
in our disclaimer.
The Rannoch Rowan - an amazing tree growing out of a boulder!
A friend first drew my attention to this tree well over a decade ago, and until a few weeks ago, I knew it simply as “the tree growing out of a rock”. It was a comforting and familiar sight throughout the early 1990s as I travelled frequently up and down this road, and I always admired its tenacity and determination to survive not only in such an inhospitable environment as Rannoch Moor, but also to flourish from a stone!
It was only when I was recently looking for information about another tree that I discovered I hadn’t been the only one who was fond of this tree. In fact, it turned out that the tree was a famous landmark and even had a name -the Rannoch Rowan.
Apart from the fact that it’s growing out of a boulder, it’s also quite distinctive for being one of the few trees growing in this exposed landscape. Apparently the reason for the trees incredible feat of survival is its position - unreachable by grazing sheep and deer.
So why the name for this cache? I always subconsciously knew that this was a rowan tree, but it wasn’t until I saw the name actually written on paper that my brain made the connection that led to this cache. This particular tree species has been adopted by my family as being of special significance - only one letter needing to be added to the end of the name to make the family surname. When I was younger, family reunions would inevitably end with emotional relatives putting “Rowan Tree” on the music centre turntable and singing wistfully along and at family weddings hymns were chosen but their words were sung to the music of this song; the trees themselves were planted in our gardens and pointed out whenever we spotted them on our travels around Scotland. With this background, how could I even think about calling a cache near this tree anything else but “Family Tree” !
There is a small gravelled layby at N56 34.924 W004 45.136 - on the same side of the road as the tree.
If you approach from the road you will have to cross a couple of narrow ditches - jumpable but you might want to wear boots in any case as the ground can be boggy.
Please note that the cache is NOT within the tiny cairn at the back of the boulder, and ensure that the cache is covered well when you leave. Thankyou!
Cache contents at time of placing:
Children’s Socks
Snakes and Ladders game
Diving Submarine
Earrings
Bird bookmark
Mini Stapler
Picture Hanging bits
Magnetic Photo Frames
Additional Hints
(Decrypt)
Haqre fgbarf ba ebnq-snpvat fvqr bs gur obhyqre