Tacklers Trail

Length	Estimated Duration	Difficulty
8 miles	5 hours	5
Max Elevation	Terrain Types	Smiley Rate (Caches/Distance)
1250 feet	Path / Peat Bogs	3.75

This weeks blog sees the Captain let free to roam the moors on his own (with geo-hound) to pick up some of the LEGEND cache series we had not managed to do as a group. The WWW series (Witton Weavers Way) are great and we have done a good number of them. Usually the routes can be broken up into smaller circulars that the smaller crew can manage but the Tacklers Trail is set high on the moorlands over Darwen and takes you right up to Darwen tower and it just hasn’t been possible to devise a short enough and safe enough route for the little ones to tackle.

The Good Wench steers the trusty geowagon to the drop off point (GC1M4FZ) and the Captain and the geo-hound disembark. I elected to start at this point today as it means most of the climbing is done early on and I figure I’ll have the energy in the old legs to do it. The weather is not great and it’s straight on with the waterproofs before heading down the track. We get the first cache with ease and are rewarded with a coin as well for our efforts. Next though comes the hill. Sheep are roaming so with the geo-hound on the lead she pulls me up the hill. The rate of climb is enough to get the heart pumping and you feel it on the legs straight away. There are a couple of finds on the way up and an extra cache (GC11MRD) that’s not part of the series at the top… which is right next to a bench (which is a welcome sight). I take the opportunity to have a rest here and admire the views (which on a good day would be spectacular). After taking on fluid I need to … you know…anyway I’m in the middle of nowhere and think it’s safe but just as I’m about to do the deed a couple of mountain bikers pop over the next hill! So cross legged I wander on.

From this point it’s a straight shot along the top of the moorland and the track along the way is very good. I wasn’t expecting this and progress is swift and I’m bagging caches with ease along the way. Any doubt I had of not doing the full 8 miles today vanish and at this pace I’ll be home early… what’s that they say about counting your chickens….

Aiming towards GC1M6RB and so far the geo-hound has been roaming free (once we cleared the sheep fields) and I’m thinking how great the ground has been so far. As we approach this cache though I spot the dreaded cows in the field over the stile. I quickly lash the geo-hound to my rucksack (keeps your hands free don’t you know) and we hunt for the cache. No problems finding it but the cows have now been joined by a bull and some calf’s. This doesn’t look promising and there is no way I can continue on my planned path to the next GZ. The bull is very annoyed and is bellowing at us and really making his presence known. Some quick map scouring has us near another extra cache so I decide to head to that as it’s in the opposite direction to the bull. It looks as though with some doubling back later I can get to the cache I had planned later on.

GC2GX61 – ‘SR411’ is very interesting and well worth a visit (not least because of the big box that awaits). The cache commemorates a Mustang from 316 Squadron, which crashed into Wives Hill on 29th July 1945. The Mustang was on a ferry flight from base at Coltishall, Norfolk and was apparently on course when, at approximately 15:45 hours, it hit mist and industrial haze which shrouded the high ground and at cruising speed it crashed, disintegrating on impact and killing the 24 year old pilot instantly. All that can be seen now is a boggy crater caused by the crash and enlarged by subsequent excavations.

From here we head downhill slightly which is a welcome relief on the legs and we pick up our original track again (after the detour to avoid the bull). Doubling back to pick up GC1M6N3 has added some distance to the planned walk but there was no other way to get this today with the hound in tow. From here it’s heavy going underfoot towards Darwen tower. The good tracks have given way to large tussocks and peat bogs and every now and then the hound yelps and disappears and I have to rescue her. The rain and wind have picked up and everything is wet through. At one point my leg disappears down a boggy hole – all 35 inches of it! As I drop the only thing to slow me down is a large thistle covers tussock that is conveniently placed under my ‘jewels’. With eyes watering (and not from the rain) I extract myself and even the dog is looking like enough is enough. We plough on to the tower and take the chance to duck inside to get out of the wind. The tower has recently had a new top put on it and it means we can stand at the very top and look out over Blackburn sheltered from the wind.
Now steady ladies but I did try to shoot some one handed video at the top of the tower...it's a first (and maybe a last) for the blog!

After refuelling at the tower we are on the last leg and it’s all downhill. There are only a few caches left to grab and from the top of the tower the path down looks good. We head off and after a few minutes we are descending out of the wind. GC1M4FV is the last cache for the day and even though it’s about 50 feet fromn the published co-ords the geo-hound sniffs it out. It’s time to call The Good Wench and get picked up! For anyone wanting to go further then you can carry on round and through Sunnyhurst woods to pick the rest of the series up but I’ve done those already so will skip it today. There is also a pub at this point so it makes a useful rest stop.

The LEGEND series are great. They take you over mixed terrain and to places with great views and all the caches are a decent size and pretty well maintained – although we did DNF a few today as the recent heavy rain I fear have taken their toll. Next weekend is Piratemania so fingers crossed the weather bucks up and maybe I’ll see you there! Happy hunting.

Don't forget you can see the route and all the pictures on the Everytrail track to the right hand side.