Please do not steal the stamp from the cache, it is NOT a swap and should not be removed.
All the caches can be done individually or in sequence, and once you have located the first four caches you will have the co-ordinates for the final bonus cache. Make a note of the letter and number on the inside of each lid as you will need these for the bonus cache co-ords. (The one in this cache is B).
All five caches are letterbox hybrids, containing a log book, stamp and pen (ink pad removed Jan 2017 as they have been leaking in the caches - please bring your own ink pad if you want to use the stamp). Stamp the log book with your own stamp or leave a calling card or sticker if you have no stamp. If you have none of these then feel free to draw a cartoon of yourselves! If you have your own log book you can stamp this with the cache stamp, but the stamp is not a swap, please leave it in the cache!
There are some small items in each cache; but as the containers are small there is limited room for swaps. However, small TBs and geocoins can be left. The five caches are:
There are some small items in each cache; but as the containers are small there is limited room for swaps. However, small TBs and geocoins can be left. The five caches are:
1 – Mount St Bernard Abbey
2 – Blackbrook Reservoir
3 – White Horse Wood
4 – The Old Railway
5 – Bonus cache
The Charnwood Forest Branch canal, constructed to transport coal to Loughborough, was completed on 24th October 1794. However, it was soon found that the canal needed more water and a feeder reservoir at Blackbrook had to be built to supply it. Blackbrook Reservoir was constructed in 1797 but the original dam collapsed two years later following a heavy snowfall and subsequent thaw, closing the canal for several years. In eleven minutes the reservoir was empty and as a result local farmland was ruined, sheep drowned, and much of Shepshed and nearby Loughborough was affected by flood waters. One woman reported hearing a noise like a clap of thunder as the dam burst and had just enough time to snatch her baby daughter and run before her house was demolished by the torrent of water. Another victim was a Shepshed farmer named Chester who managed to evacuate his wife and children, but who was unable to save any of his buildings, livestock or land.
The dam was repaired in 1801, but the canal was long longer commercially viable and was drained and has now all but vanished. In 1957 an earth tremor measuring 5.3 on the Richter Scale caused much of the water to escape from the reservoir but since then it has survived.
The rocks in this area are some of the most ancient Precambrian rocks found in Charnwood and are volcanic in origin. The Precambrian fossils preserved in Charnwood Forest are known to be of major international significance. Charnia and Charniodiscus were the first fossils to be recognised as the macroscopic remains of Precambrian life, yet most people in Leicester and the surrounding area are unaware of the global importance of the prehistoric remains sitting on their doorstep.
If not parking at the monastery and walking here, parking can be found in a small layby on Charley Road at 52 45.136, W 001 18.481. The bridleway is muddy after rain so wellies or walking boots are recommended.
The cache is placed just off the bridleway but you do not need to pass any ‘Keep Out’ signs or cross any fences to reach it.