Quarry Men Traditional Geocache
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Size: 
(small)
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Take a look at the now disused quarry
You are looking for a small clip lock box. Big enough for swaps.
This cache is placed in memory of Rodney Cooper who used to work in the nearby, now closed, Merrivale Quarry. A still loved local landmark. Not far away is also a nice pub if you feel like stopping here. I took several GPS readings but no two came in the same. So I am putting several pictures in the gallery which should help if you get stuck! This is a Site of Special Scientific Interest so please respect the area. Cache placed with the kind permission of Natural England. **** Dedicated to Rodney Cooper – Quarry Man – 1946 to 2006 Granite from Merrivale Quarry has travelled to all parts of the UK and even as far as the USA. But this write up isn’t about the granite from Merrivale, but about the “quarry men” that spent their working lives at the quarry to produce it. Far away from today’s electronic gadgetry, the key tools for any quarry man were his trusty hammer and chisel. These faithful tools travelled with the quarry men wherever they went, including the likes of Tower Bridge, the Old Bailey, London Bridge and even New Scotland Yard to name just a few. Now… the hammer used wasn’t just any hammer… the best hammers were individually made to suit the quarry man and they kept these hammers for their entire career, with the odd new handle along the way of course!, and if you wanted a hammer, it was off to the quarry blacksmith you went – a man for many years enjoying the name of Nagger Mead. Using their trusty hammer and chisel, the skilled quarry man could produce anything out of Granite. Next time you are driving through Cornwall, keep an eye out for the Celtic crosses dotted around Liskeard. These fine examples of craftsmanship are testament to the skills of the few Quarry Men that could produce them - even the Pepsi bear was once made from Granite in this very quarry – standing at around 10 feet high and made from solid stone, this amazing sculpture headed all the way to America before it put its feet in the ground. The work produced at this amazing site was even more impressive when you consider the environment these quarry men were working in. No doubt you are reading this on a bright day, hopefully with the sun on your back and a gentle breeze in your hair, but if you have ever been on Dartmoor in the middle of winter, you will know that working up here would have been difficult – even the hardest of men wouldn’t be able to escape the cold of this harsh environment. So what to do to keep you warm? Well, just like any other career, being a quarry man didn’t just mean that you spend all day banging at stone with a hammer and chisel… there was much mischief to be had too! Anyone who knew these quarry men will no doubt tell you stories that leave you wondering if they could really be true, could these things really have happened? – Not in today’s workplace that’s for sure! If you ever visit the local towns and speak to a relative of a quarry man, just ask them to tell you a story, you will be fascinated to hear about tales of dynamite going missing and custom made anti hair loss products that contain all the treats the moor has to offer!
Additional Hints
(Decrypt)
Frr ivrj va gur cvpgherf...