Burrington Coombe EarthCache
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Earthcache that can be visited from the public road that winds its way through the gorge. There are nearby facilities and free parking.
Burrington Combe is a carboniferous limestone gorge near the village of Burrington, on the north side of the Mendip hills, in North Somerset, England.
"Combe" or "coombe" is a word of Celtic origin found in several forms on all of the British Isles, denoting a steep-sided valley or hollow.
The gorge contains the entrances to many caves, and Augustus Montague Toplady was inspired to write the poem "Rock of Ages" while sheltering under a rock in the combe during a thunderstorm in the late 18th century. This is now marked with a plaque by the crevice said to be the exact spot he sheltered in.
Archaeological discoveries of early cemeteries demonstrate human occupation of the combe and it's caves from the Bronze Age with some evidence of occupation during the Upper Palaeolithic period. The many caves and walks attract many visitors each year.
In recognition of its biological and geological interest, an area of 139.1 hectares within and around the combe was notified as a Site of Special Scientific Interest in 1952.
To claim this Earthcache you need to complete two tasks:
1. locate and photograph the "Rock of ages" with your GPSR and post it with your log.
2. Email or message the first verse of this poem.
3. Explore the area to find three cave systems close to the coombe and email the details with how they were formed to the cache owner.
Additional Hints
(Decrypt)
Evtug unaq fvqr bs tbetr tbvat hc, whfg cnfg cnexvat nern.