Collennan Reservoir

This cache is located on the Smugglers Trail which leads from Troon to Dundonald via the Collennan Reservoir. The trail was used in the 18th Century and contrary to the idea of a small group of pirates or smugglers sneaking goods ashore it was actually a highly organised business. The Loans Smuggling Company was based in Troon and kept around 16 small boats on the beach at the start of the trail. These were used by the locals to secretly unload illicit goods from ships thereby avoiding customs and excise officers. Once ashore the goods would be distributed with as many as 500 horses being used to carry goods along the trail.

Goods such as brandy, wine, tea, tobacco and rum, would be purchased on the Isle of Man and brought to Scotland. These carried a high rate of taxation here so by avoiding paying tax there was a significant profit to be made.

Leaving Troon the trail first passes the disused Collennan Quarry before climbing the hill to the reservoir, from here it follows the Aught Woods and passes Hallyards Quarry, Dundonald Woods, Merkland Loch and ends at Dundonald Castle.

The Collennan Reservoir was built around 1890 by the 6th Duke of Portland. The Duke (William John Aurthur Charles James Cavendish Bentinck) was the owner of the Fullarton Estates in Troon after buying them from the Fullarton family in 1805.

The Duke was to have a huge effect on Troon not only by building the reservoir but by developing Troon harbour, constructing the Kilmarnock to Troon railway line (the first railway in Scotland) and by drawing up an ambitious 'master plan' for extending Troon. Much of this plan was actually completed and resulted in almost all the properties in the Southern end of the Town from Portland Road down to Craigend Road.

His legacy has not been forgotten in Troon with many roads in this area bearing his name or title. For instance, Portland Street and Terrace, Bentinck Drive, Crescent and Close, Cavendish Lane, Place and Court. His wife Winifred Alice Dallas-Yorke has also been remembered in this way with Dallas Place, Court and Lane and Yorke Road as have his children.

The Collennan Reservoir was located on the Aught Burn next to the Aught Woods and was built to supply the expanding town of Troon with a fresh water supply. Today the reservoir is no longer in operation but has been kept for historical and recreational purposes. It is currently under lease to the Troon Angling Club but can be accessed on foot with a pleasant path leading the whole way around.

The Smugglers Trail passes around the Southern side of the reservoir and runs between it and the Aught Woods. It is in these woods that the Reserve-A-View (Candy Cache) is to be found. The clue suggests that the cache is hidden near a dead tree, however being January it proved very difficult to determine which trees were dead and which simply didn't have any leaves at this time of the year.

After a bit of scrambling about Mrs SC finally found the cache hidden in a dog poo bag. Not the nicest of hiding places especially as there were other such bags around filled with the real thing. The bag was all ripped and tattered so we replaced it with a nice fresh zip-lock bag from IKEA and re-hid the cache, covering it with a pile of debris.

It was then time for dinner but on the way we stopped to grab one last cache at Kerrix Road. This was a simple park and grab made slightly more difficult by my GPS playing up. After following the GPS to roughly the right spot I then looked for anything on the satellite images which I could use to work out the correct position. 30 seconds later I had the cache.