I think I'm going to have to archive this one. I'm not sure there are many suitable alternative hides nearby so I was looking at ways to make it into a virtual, but I think if I do that I will have to republish it

Rgds, Andy

I checked out the final location and it is no longer viable due to natural erosion. I need to think what I'm going to do with this one.

Rgds, Andy

Well I really do owe the CO a huge apology! I was FTF on this cache over 2 months ago and although I immediately reported that on facebook, I have never got around to logging the cache.  So tonight I thought I had better catch up with some opencache logging and this is just one of them!  I am sure that I must have been aware of this cache at the time it was published well over a year ago but I have to admit that I didn't look at it until quite recently. Once I started working on the puzzle then I stuck at it and fairly soon had all the necessary pieces of information and managed to extract some coordinates out of the CO's system.

I wasn't quite certain how to approach the cache as although I know the location well having walked to the end of the leat myself I wasn't certain which way would be easier. The first problem was parking the car somewhere. Dartmoor has gone mad after lockdown ended and this was a glorious Sunday afternoon! I was rather forced into the approach by having to park further away than I intended and as I approached GZ I realised I was on the wrong side of the leat. So another detour to get to the correct side and then a very long and totally unsuccessful search!

I searched in many likely looking places and widened my search slightly as the GPSr wasn't brilliant under the tree cover but nothing was found.  I wanted to find a couple of GC caches over on the slopes of Sheepstor and decided to abandon this cache until another time. As I was walking to the Sheepstor caches I phoned the CO to see if any hints might be available, but all he could do was to confirm that I had been searching in the right place, but at least that gave me the confidence I needed to return.

After I had successfully found the Sheepstor caches I returned to have another look for this one, and checked many of the places I had searched earlier.  However, a much quicker search this time as I could limit it to a smaller area and eventually spotted something not quite looking natural and there it was. Many, many thanks Andy for a great puzzle and a great cache and for the help given on the day. Now to find the one at the ultimate source of this leat.  Obviously I have given this cache my only available recommendation. it's a shame we get so few as many opencaches do deserve a recommendation.