As part of the celebrations for a momentous occasion, the Makers invite you to an A-Z TOUR OF YORKSHIRE.
There are 27 caches, one for each letter of the alphabet plus a bonus cache, scattered throughout Yorkshire. As you travel to historic, panoramic, beautiful or just plain quirky locations, you will pass through some of the most spectacular areas of the county.
Enjoy your tour of Yorkshire, God’s Own County.
You can find the series in any order. Each cache contains a number you need to keep a note of as adding the first 26 sets of numbers together will give you the co-ordinates for the Bonus Cache, which is GC7JF9A. Heading to that listing page will give you information on the rest of the series.
This cache is placed on the TPT. Extreme stealth may be needed as the TPT is very popular with dog-walkers as well as cyclists. You will also need water-proof footwear as the verges get very boggy after rain.
Dunford Bridge is a remote hamlet originally built for the railway, but now lies at the bottom of the towering dam wall of Winscar Reservoir on the very edge of South Yorkshire at the head of the Woodhead Pass (A628). It is also within the boundary of the Peak District National Park.
The large parking area is on the site of the old railway station and goods marshalling yards. If you stand on the road bridge or follow the trackway in the car park down the incline to the right to the foot of the road bridge, you can see (but not reach) the eastern end of the Woodhead Rail Tunnels, which when first constructed were the longest rail tunnels in the country. The last train ran through the tunnels in 1981. They are now used to carry high power electricity cables.
The old bed of the railway is now part of the Trans Pennine Trail, which runs from Hornsea to Fleetwood in Lancashire (Route 65/62). “This beautiful, traffic-free ride takes you from the busy market town of Penistone to the rolling moors of the Peak District at Dunford Bridge. Fully surfaced, and so ideal for children, the path follows the route of the old Great Central Railway, winding through glorious countryside, with stunning views across the valley, and a wealth of wild flowers”. Extract from Sustrans website. It is also a wonderful path for cachers. Bring your wellies if you want to tackle the next cache on the trail.
You can’t miss Winscar Reservoir; at 53 metres high its dam wall dominates the hamlet. The reservoir was constructed between 1972 and 1975 and is also used by a local sailing club. If you want to walk across the dam wall, there is a well-hidden path off Don View or you can use the Yorkshire Water provided car parks on either side of the reservoir on Windle Edge or Dunford Road (to Holmfirth).
The many streams that form the River Don rise on nearby Grains Moss and feed into the reservoir. When the river leaves Winscar, it follows the TPT (or should that be the other way round) into Penistone, rushing onwards through Sheffield, Rotherham, Mexborough, Doncaster and Goole to the Humber.
When the reservoir was constructed, the entire length of the river was polluted with either construction sediment or industrial effluent, which all but destroyed the river’s fish stocks. With a change in attitude and legislation, the river is now “clean” again and fish are returning. One success story for the river was the reintroduction of grayling after 150 years absence due to river pollution. The fish were released at Hazlehead in 1984 about three miles downstream from Dunford Bridge and within ten years the population had spread down to Sheffield. In reverse, in 2016, salmon were reported to have returned to spawn at Sheffield, so it may not be too long before there are salmon spawning at Dunford Bridge and the Don is a ”salmon river” again.
This cache has been placed for the 10th Anniversary UK Mega Event - Yorkshire 2018
