weiV secallaW Traditional Geocache
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Difficulty:
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Size: 
(regular)
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The following is lifted from the web (with ‘enhancements’ by me) and describes what you could see if you visited the Wallace Monument :-
Completed in 1869 after eight years construction, the 220 feet high Wallace Monument sits prominently on the Abbey Craig two miles north of the city of Stirling. It was from this prominent hilltop in 1297 that William Wallace watched the English army approach across Stirling Bridge before leading the Scots into the battle of the same name and victory. A fitting, and striking, location for the monument to a national hero. Abbey Craig is yet another example of the crag-and-tail feature so popular in these parts.
Visitors to the Wallace Monument leave their cars at the foot of Abbey Craig (named after Cambuskenneth Abbey), which they can then climb to reach the foot of the monument. This is the site of a former Pictish hill fort. A minibus service is also available from the Pavilion Visitor Centre next to the car park. Here there is a statue here with a disturbing resemblance to Mad Max.
In the entrance foyer of the Monument itself there is a display about Sir William Wallace and about the construction of the Monument. If you pause here you learn that it cost in excess of £10,000, all funded by subscriptions.
But you will probably want to head straight for the magnificent views waiting at the top of the Monument, a mere 220 feet and 246 steps above you. The Monument has four levels above the ground floor, with Level 4 being The Crown at the top.
The first 71 steps up to Level 1 bring you to a display telling the story of the life of Wallace and of the Battle of Stirling Bridge. Here the highlight is a 3-D simulation in which Wallace appears at his trial at Westminster Hall, telling his own story via the 'William Wallace Talking Head'.
Also on display is what is said to be the 700 year old Wallace sword, some 5 feet 4 inches long. Coming face to face with such a magnificent piece of metalwork you wonder how anyone could have lifted or carried it, much less fought with it.
64 more steps will bring you to Level 2 and the Hall of Heroes. Here are displayed marble statues of notable Scotsmen, the result of a worldwide appeal by the custodians in 1885. An audio-visual display pays tribute to the heroes and heroines of the twentieth century.
62 steps further lead to Level 3 and the Diorama, an illustration of the geographical layout surrounding the monument marked with important local landmarks and various historical battlefields. This is an excellent way to gain your bearings. I’m afraid they haven’t got as far as marking the caches visible from here yet!
The final pull leads to The Crown of the Monument with its breathtaking views bringing the Diorama to life and making every one of those 246 steps worthwhile.
To the north you are immediately struck by the closest of the Ochil Hills, Dumyat. East is the Forth Valley, with the river itself snaking away into the distance. To the south is the historic city of Stirling, dominated by its Castle. To the west are the Trossachs and Loch Lomond and, on a clear day, a far-reaching panorama of many of the southern highlands most striking mountains.
On to the cache :-
The route to the cache starts from about halfway up the climb to the monument where you branch left at an information board describing the local vegetation and wildlife. You soon come across a ‘view point’, which was where I was hoping to place the cache but as there is no actual view there (due to tall trees) you’re going to have to go a bit further! As you descend the wooded hill to the east take a deep breath and appreciate the interesting smells of the wood. When you get near to the bottom it’s best to hold your breath if you can due to the ‘country’ smells emanating from the local farm! Find a gap in the trees by the stone wall and you’ll get the view I was after back towards Dumyat Hill. The cache is between a tree and the wall under some logs.
If you haven’t been there and have enough energy left after climbing all those steps you could go up and visit the “Wallaces View” cache that inspired this cache. It’s on the side of Dumyat where you’ll also find a couple of more recent caches. Have fun!
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