Geocache series along the trail!
Geocaching along the trail!
The trail hosted a very successful geocaching gathering in August 2013. There are now a series of 17 caches placed along the trail which follow the course taken by the North Cork Militia and British Cavalry, ending up at Oulart Hill. Created by the geocacher Eclectic Penguin in the summer of 2013.
The following is a description by one of the Geocachers of the night spent in the House of Stories as part of the Geocaching weekend
“I think ‘unique’ is the only way to describe this event. I’d been looking forward to it for a while, and it definitely delivered on many, many levels.
The caching website defines an event cache as “A gathering of Geocachers.” Usually this involves a group of cachers sitting around a table of sorts chatting about Geocaching. There is nothing to say we can’t attend something together as a group. And that is what happened here, in the Story House. We’d been here earlier in the day in passing just to pick off the cache on the 1798 walk, and after seeing the presentations on Oulart Hill and getting a lift back to the campsite by the Classic Car club, it was time for a sit down. The hours flew by and food was eaten. Car pooling took place (I couldn’t offer as my car was up to the rafters with caching stuff that I was trying to keep dry from the dismal weather that had set in) and we headed into the story house where we sat down for an evening that was shrouded in mystery. I was sitting next to EP for the evening and could feel the excitement building as we were to find out what he had let us in for.
Can I just say now how amazing the fire in there was? I was really warm for the first time all weekend. I kept both jumpers on and purposefully roasted myself. It was amazing.
Anyway, this event got underway and the locals entertained us by singing, playing music, and of course telling stories of times past. It did exactly what it said on the tin and somehow felt really genuine.. it wasn’t a tourist trap affair and certainly did feel like a load of ‘auld fellas’ going to tell stories and play music while generally having a laugh. The atmosphere there was great and you really did feel like you were in an age past. Maybe the whiskey, good strong tae and ample cake did help, but over a period of about three hours we were made to feel like members of the community. Geocachers sung, told stories and performed readings of books. It was really interesting, totally off the walls compared to anything else we’ve done as a group and definitely lived up to EPs words “I am hoping this event will be a little different and something rather special to be remembered”. I didn’t have a story to tell myself (although I did think of asking about the history of the staff that was getting passed around) so promptly passed the buck to one of the tourists staying locally!
Our event host will remember it of course for the pewter cross he was presented with for bringing us all to the area. That was a special moment for him, totally out of the blue, and recognized the huge amount of effort he put into organising two absolutely fantastic days of events. It was a lot of work, that’s for sure, and we must really thank him for that. I’ll let him tell the story of the presentation, but suffice to say that he was really touched by the whole thing and how people appreciated the effort that he went to.
From here it was off back to the campsite and for me, a quick drink and bed. I was shattered.
Off the Geocaching subject, this is a really nice little non-touristy spot, great for anyone traveling who is looking to see a ‘different’ part of Ireland. If my folks are ever in the area I’ll be bringing them along to this. Certainly a fantastic spot for an evenings entertainment that will beat 90% of any touristy stuff out there.”
