Can be muddy after rain, but paths to the
box are good
Length of Trail:
2 Miles
Location:
Hamilton
Area:
Chatelherault
Elevation Gain:
88 feet
Off the M74 motorway, just outside Hamilton to the south
is the country Park of Chatelherault. Now to reach the letterbox
you need to follow the blue trail called "the hole
story trail" to complete the full trail takes just
under 1 hour.
Once parked walk up hill to the Chatelherault visitor
center (good lunch there when I stopped there plus free
maps of the park) round to the front of the center and walk
left down past the disabled parking bays and through small
gap in hedges to find the track to take you down through
the old quarry.
At the cross in the paths go straight ahead and up the
steps turning right at the top. This path climbs about 8m
then opens out into a wide path.
Follow as the path which will slowly drop down to a fork
in the path, take left fork the sign says "old Avon
bridge". The woods at this part can be full of spring
flowers, now on the left path go down some lose stone covered
steps to a T-junction.
Turn left here and follow the good path with the river
Avon on your right hand and the high tree covered land to
the left. If you want and have time one or two paths let
you cut down to the river Avon and you can see many wild
birds on the river.
You will be coming up to the letterbox now, you will
reach some metal steps just before you go under the massive
arches of the Dukes bridge above. DONT GO DOWN THE
STEPS.
Standing at the top of these steps walk back away from
the steps take 6 or 7 steps along where you have just come
along looking up hill, your looking for a tree thats V or
u in shape its about 1m off the path but up hill about 2m
high above the path.
Looking at this tree to the right and slightly down you
will see a small hole in the cliff the hole will have leaves,
sticks etc. inside, but the box is inside too.
Please place back inside where you found the box and well
recover with leaves sticks but dont over fill the hole in
the cliff.
You can retrace your route back to the center or go down the
metal steps following this path which can be muddy and narrow
in parts but it does join a wide path, when it does turn left
to take you back to the center.
For this
box, you will need:
An inkpad
A towel or kitchen paper for cleaning mucky stamp, box
or hands.
Notes: Replace the stamp into the plastic bag
to help stop spare ink going onto anything else.