You can park outside the church gates at the above co-ordinates but I recommend parking at Bridges and following the route described in Bridges the Gap. It is a 3Km scenic walk, there and back (Terrain 3).
Ratlinghope is a small village, with very few buildings - so small, in fact, that it is said once to have been described as "... a bit blowed off a village".
It lies alongside the Darnford Brook which originates at Wildmoor Pool in the hills above, and includes a number of houses spread over several hamlets ranged over a relatively wide area.
In the graveyard is the grave of Richard Munslow, said to have been the last 'sin-eater' of the area - a sin-eater being one who attended the funeral of some unfortunate who had not recanted his sins so that he (the sin-eater) could take on that burden.
By eating bread and drinking ale, and by making a short speech* at the graveside, the sin-eater took upon themselves the sins of the deceased.
* "I give easement and rest now to thee, dear man. Come not down the lanes or in our meadows. And for thy peace I pawn my own soul. Amen."
A millennium yew tree in the church yard was planted in 2000, propagated from a tree said to be over 1000 years old.
The final stage of this two stage cache is a short walk from the church. There are three dates at the church which will provide the co-ordinates for the final location. The first two dates are on the gateway and the third is carved on a stone on the belfry side of the gable of the church. Add these 3 figures together then add the result to BOTH of the following co-ordinates N 52 28.174 and W 2 47.114.
e.g. if the dates figures = 3333 then the result would be N52 31.507 W2 50.447
The door to the church is always open and the gorgeous simplicity of the interior defies any grandeur of a cathedral. A sanctuary indeed. There is a visitor book just inside the door.