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 A).
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 and ink pad are not swaps, please leave them 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:
1 – Mount St Bernard Abbey
2 – Blackbrook Reservoir
3 – White Horse Wood
4 – The Old Railway
5 – Bonus Cache
Mount St Bernard Abbey was built in 1843; the first Roman Catholic monastery built in England since the Reformation. It houses a community of Cistercian monks who are involved in running a 200 acre dairy farm, beekeeping, vegetable growing and cultivating an orchard as well as pottery, bookbinding and running the monastery shop and guesthouse. This is in addition to a life of prayer and religious contemplation, starting at 3.15am! You can read more about the monastery on the website: www.mountsaintbernard.org/
Parking is allowed in the monastery car park at N 52 44.491, W 1 19.323. There is a box for “offerings” in the gatepost and you are encouraged to donate. There are also toilets here and the Abbey has a shop which is open Monday to Saturday, 11-12 and 2.30-5.00. The car park closes at 7.30pm.
The cache is placed close to a public footpath quite near to the Abbey; if you want to make it a cache-n-dash it will take about 20 mins. The path to the cache can be quite muddy after wet weather so we recommend wellies or walking boots.
Please note that it is NOT hidden in the drystone wall, and please do not take stones from the wall when re-hiding the cache - there are plenty of other stones and logs lying around.