The cache is not at the published coordinates - see instructions below on how to find it
This cache is one of three in a short series at Deanburn Glen, Bo'Ness. The series consists of one Letterbox Hybrid and two Traditional caches. The other two caches in the series are:
- Deanburn Glen East (GC95ETC)
- Deanburn Glen South (GC95ETM)
In 2019, The Ramblers Association voted Falkirk the best walking county in the UK. Maybe surprising for many but it kinda makes sense because as well as the naturally occuring green spaces here, the huge volume of 19th Century industry in the county that has receded, left behind old roads, rights of way for long gone workers settlements, and estates for owners and managers of the lucrative heavy industry that was once here. The reclaiming of these areas for nature preservation and recreational purposes has been a big success. You can read about the Rambler's vote here. Some of the great walks of Falkirk area are in little hidden spots that aren't easy to find, in fact finding them is half the fun. One such place is Deanburn Glen.
Deanburn Glen is a natural feature that was probably caused by the erosion of the soft stone here by the Dean Burn heading down the slope to the Firth of Forth. It's one of a few burns that surround or pass through the Kinneil Estate nearby. There are three 'main' entrances to the glen, at (roughly) the NW, South and East areas of the glen, and each has an info board nearby. The glen has a short path through it for walkers, and is crossed by no fewer than three foot bridges within the glen itself. It also has several sets of steps leading down to the glen from adjacent housing areas. When I chose to place a cache here, it could only really be one in a series that celebates walks that take you over little bridges. Please note that premium members will see a trail map view of a path through the glen running roughly NW to SE from Provost Road, however near that path is a bolted wooden gate that looks like it leads down to the glen, but unfortunately it's a bit of a dead end. Instead stick to the footpath that runs along the south west side of the glen instead, and you should quickly see a path leading into the glen and down to the first bridge.
The Little Bridges Geocache Series
The Little Bridges series was started by Stanthews in 2009 to highlight small footbridges in remote parts of Wiltshire. Since then the series has been expanded by others all over the country and starting to spread fast. There is a stats listing, so you can see how many Little Bridges you have found, you can find it here:- https://littlebridgesseries.wordpress.com/ . If you would like to add to the series, please go to the stats web site/Get Involved and click Number Request. To qualify, the bridge must be a foot bridge too small for vehicles, please make sure your title exactly matches “Little Bridges # xxxx then the name” including spaces so it will get picked up and added to stats list. There are only a handful of Little Bridges caches in Scotland, but it's a great idea for a series, so look out for a little bridge near you that deserves a cache.
About Letterbox Geocaches
Letterbox Geocaches are based on an older kind of container search, called 'Letterboxing'. Because letterboxing began in 1854, before GPS existed, the finder follows written instructions to discover the container. Each letterbox contains a logbook, and a rubber stamp. When letterboxers find the container, they stamp the logbook with their personal stamp, and also stamp their own notebook with the stamp from the letterbox as a souvenir of their visit. The stamp and logbook remain in the letterbox for the next visitor to use.
Letterbox Geocaches combine GPS and the stamps of letterboxing to form a distinct cache type. As with all geocaches, this cache type must include some element of GPS usage. In addition, the cache description can contain written instructions to guide geocachers to the container. A Letterbox Hybrid container must contain:
- A rubber stamp - the 'signature' of the specific cache.
- A logbook to sign, and often they will also include a separate 'stampbook' to record the signature stamps of finders
Some letterbox caches also have an inkpad, but as they don't hold up well in the field it's better to bring your own. The important thing to remember is that the letterboxing stamping activity is optional and you can always treat them just like a normal cache if you prefer.
The rubber stamp is not a trade item and must stay within the cache.
Finding the Geocache - What The Ell?
In keeping with many letterbox hybrid geocaches, this cache is not at the published coordinates - those are for one of three footbridges across the Deanburn, in the glen. To find the cache go to the published coordinates, which are about halfway across the bridge. The cache is less than a minute's walk from here. To get to it you need to follow the Eastern Path running along the slope parallel to the burn (not the steps!), as shown in he picture below.
The path climbs up the slope but how far should you go?
Well, in one of the other caches in this short series you can read about Bo'Ness growth from the point it became an important port for European trade. Dutch, Flemish and Baltic merchants would visit here selling goods of all sorts in the 17th Century. For commonly traded European goods during this period, like cloth and rope, Scottish traders would often buy them in a measurement known as 'ells', a measurement dating back to biblical times. Most countries doing significant trade in Europe at this time used ells as a measurement, but the problem was each nation had their own definition of how big an ell was!
- Walk up the Eastern path until you reach a point 28 (Scottish) ells from the published coordinates
- Look for a large fallen tree up the bank on your left
- Then take a look at the cache hint