Hello there.
With the intention of meeting up with my sister and her new dog I planned a short walk along the Trans-Pennine-Trail at Thurgoland today. My sister was concerned about the pup walking too far for it's young age.
Dexter, for tis his name, is a collie-cross-labrador and runs around like the Tasmanian Devil on speed. I do understand it's all a big act though, and once back home he crashes down dead for two hours. He's an adorable thing and is just at that age where everything is exciting and interesting; whether it's a piece of grass, a butterfly or a pile of horse droppings. I think when he grows up he will become a weaver - I've seen how, at only 3 months old, he can tangle 10 human and 4 dog legs in seconds.
We had a nice stroll for a couple of hours at a leisurely pace and found three simple caches. The highlight was probably walking through a long disused train tunnel that I hadn't seen for 20 years. They've spoiled the fun by installing lights; originally it was pitch dark in the middle where you couldn't see either end because of the bend and had to stumble forwards carefully feeling your way in front for fear of bumping your head. Now it's all lights and concrete paths - blasted health and safety!!
We popped off at a local pub for Sunday lunch after and almost got ourselves in a pickle when we found out they didn't accept credit or debit cards. Luckily we had just enough for food and a jug of water. Shame really... I'd like to have seen someone actually getting the kids to do some washing up!
Sunday 25 July 2010
Friday 23 July 2010
First To Find!
Dear Diary, I'm off on hols sometime during the next 6 weeks school holidays so expect a break.
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I'm just sat listening to Radio 4 via the web at work (yeah naughty naughty) because I was alerted that there was a half-hour programme on about Geocaching. I guess there might be an explosion of newcomers over the next week!
We got home from work yesterday and because it was Thursday we ate before we walked, this is because we have the children until about 8pm. About 6:15 I got an automated email from geocaching.com notifying me of a new cache that had been published about 5 miles away at Magna - a science park celebrating air, earth, water and fire which is quite a good day out for the family.
We set off about 8:15, after the kids had gone, but as there's some very keen local cachers we expected it to have already been discovered in the intervening 2 hours. After 15 minutes of looking (the torch was out for the nooks and crannies) we found the nano cache (it's about 1.5cm in size) tucked in a dark corner. We opened it and to our delight found we were the first - our name gets the elusive FTF spot on the log!
Very pleasing. That's our seventh First To Find.
We then drove up to Wickersley again to try to bag another couple in the area. We walked a good half-mile to the first one which we found quickly but the light was already failing us. We returned to the car and drove a couple of miles to the second, and then walked again for about a further half a mile but had to abort; it was pitch black and we had discovered we were on the wrong side of a stream that was too wide to cross.
We'll bag it another day - we know roughly where it is now, and where to park, so it should be a quick find hopefully.
I've been working on a really devious puzzle for my next hide; there's a page of descriptive text about the local area which is simply there to be full of red herring's and false alarms about the actual co-ordinates. It needs more work because I want it to be a total bugger to solve, so I'm waiting for further inspiration.
---
I'm just sat listening to Radio 4 via the web at work (yeah naughty naughty) because I was alerted that there was a half-hour programme on about Geocaching. I guess there might be an explosion of newcomers over the next week!
We got home from work yesterday and because it was Thursday we ate before we walked, this is because we have the children until about 8pm. About 6:15 I got an automated email from geocaching.com notifying me of a new cache that had been published about 5 miles away at Magna - a science park celebrating air, earth, water and fire which is quite a good day out for the family.
We set off about 8:15, after the kids had gone, but as there's some very keen local cachers we expected it to have already been discovered in the intervening 2 hours. After 15 minutes of looking (the torch was out for the nooks and crannies) we found the nano cache (it's about 1.5cm in size) tucked in a dark corner. We opened it and to our delight found we were the first - our name gets the elusive FTF spot on the log!
Very pleasing. That's our seventh First To Find.
We then drove up to Wickersley again to try to bag another couple in the area. We walked a good half-mile to the first one which we found quickly but the light was already failing us. We returned to the car and drove a couple of miles to the second, and then walked again for about a further half a mile but had to abort; it was pitch black and we had discovered we were on the wrong side of a stream that was too wide to cross.
We'll bag it another day - we know roughly where it is now, and where to park, so it should be a quick find hopefully.
I've been working on a really devious puzzle for my next hide; there's a page of descriptive text about the local area which is simply there to be full of red herring's and false alarms about the actual co-ordinates. It needs more work because I want it to be a total bugger to solve, so I'm waiting for further inspiration.
Thursday 22 July 2010
Torrential Rain
Ha! I bet you were hoping to read a post about me getting drenched. I'm sorry, it's torrential rain as I type this but it was fine last night; very humid and warm so I suppose today's weather was overdue.
I try to write this blog without naming too many names or places that might impact my privacy and that of those around me, but there's another privacy issue I have to consider...
Take last night for example - I found was what possibly the hardest cache I've ever successfully found and even that was only on the second visit and after an additional hint by the cache owner. The problem I have now is that I want to explain why it was so difficult but in doing so it would take a clever geocacher only moments to compare this blog entry side-by-side with my caching log and work out which one I'm talking about.
I have to think about this. The chances are that them working backwards like that (from blog to cache) is highly unlikely to be of use to them, unless they're stuck on that cache already sometime in the future and using Google to try to find any hints on the Internet.
I'll leave it to ponder on.
Speaking of privacy, I've had a request to mention Geophishing but I also have a threat to forget about it from a certain someone who got the sport's name mixed up - I think I'll not mention it. [edit for clarity: there is no such thing as geophishing.]
Anyway, aside from the single cache last night (which I sneaked off to do during my son's guitar lesson and only just found in time) I have nothing to report so I'll sign off instead of waffling on indefinitely.
Cheerio.
I try to write this blog without naming too many names or places that might impact my privacy and that of those around me, but there's another privacy issue I have to consider...
Take last night for example - I found was what possibly the hardest cache I've ever successfully found and even that was only on the second visit and after an additional hint by the cache owner. The problem I have now is that I want to explain why it was so difficult but in doing so it would take a clever geocacher only moments to compare this blog entry side-by-side with my caching log and work out which one I'm talking about.
I have to think about this. The chances are that them working backwards like that (from blog to cache) is highly unlikely to be of use to them, unless they're stuck on that cache already sometime in the future and using Google to try to find any hints on the Internet.
I'll leave it to ponder on.
Speaking of privacy, I've had a request to mention Geophishing but I also have a threat to forget about it from a certain someone who got the sport's name mixed up - I think I'll not mention it. [edit for clarity: there is no such thing as geophishing.]
Anyway, aside from the single cache last night (which I sneaked off to do during my son's guitar lesson and only just found in time) I have nothing to report so I'll sign off instead of waffling on indefinitely.
Cheerio.
Wednesday 21 July 2010
Day two
Day two of my blog and today I'll be starting the mundane log of reporting about my previous day's caching - and trying to come up with interesting stuff when all we did was walk. Fear not, I'm pretty sure I'll not write about everything; after all this is my diary and when I look back on it in years to come I'll probably not care that I walked down xxx lane to get to yyy woods.
Having said that, it's partially interesting that last night we walked down First Lane to get to Wickersley Woods, got the cache, and then walked down Second Lane to get another. It seems the inhabitants of Vicker's Ley back in 1600 didn't have much of an imagination with regard to road names.
In total we walked 3.1 miles to find 4 scattered around caches including a mystery one by the legendary Mr. Truffles for which I'd worked out the clue several weeks ago. The clue to his next mystery (written inside the lid) was solved quickly on-site, with the help of Google, so we'll probably get onto that one at the weekend.
It was also nice to find another one by Yorkypudding and her other half Ageinghippy. It was the next one in the multi-user series after the first one we planted; Rotherham Curse of the First To Find #9. We really must meet up with them as I believe they live only 1/2 a mile from us.
Having said that, it's partially interesting that last night we walked down First Lane to get to Wickersley Woods, got the cache, and then walked down Second Lane to get another. It seems the inhabitants of Vicker's Ley back in 1600 didn't have much of an imagination with regard to road names.
In total we walked 3.1 miles to find 4 scattered around caches including a mystery one by the legendary Mr. Truffles for which I'd worked out the clue several weeks ago. The clue to his next mystery (written inside the lid) was solved quickly on-site, with the help of Google, so we'll probably get onto that one at the weekend.
It was also nice to find another one by Yorkypudding and her other half Ageinghippy. It was the next one in the multi-user series after the first one we planted; Rotherham Curse of the First To Find #9. We really must meet up with them as I believe they live only 1/2 a mile from us.
Tuesday 20 July 2010
Back home...
Once back from our break we started to get out and about in earnest.
I had moved to the beautiful village I live in about 11 years previously, but had made no real effort to explore the surrounding countryside or towns. I was amazed. We were finding little woodlands, hidden paths and secret walks only moments away from roads we'd regularly drive on. It was such an eye-opener connecting places to other places, and realising that point A was only a field away from point B - something you'd never connected in your head as it was normally a two mile drive or a round-the-houses trip.
I've a dozen or more stories to tell about the caches I've already found but, for now at least, I'll have to leave them in my own head and I shall cut this intro short.
In summary over the last six weeks we've bought a proper GPS device (Garmin Vista eTrex HCx that's fabulous.) We've both also upgraded to the iPhone 4 which is also phenominally better than the 3G for GPS performance. We've tracked (using the Garmin) over 70 miles of walking, both passed our first 100 finds, hidden our first cache and then also a small series of three.
I've also spent a small fortune on rucksacks, water bottles, water-proofs, hiking boots, cache containers, log books, pencils, cache logs, nano-caches, paint (to disguise my hides), cache swaps and "furtling" sticks. It's been worth every penny. My legs are 100% fitter, I feel 100% fitter and I've lost 5lbs.
Now to shift the beer belly... oh, and to hit the 1000 finds mark!
I had moved to the beautiful village I live in about 11 years previously, but had made no real effort to explore the surrounding countryside or towns. I was amazed. We were finding little woodlands, hidden paths and secret walks only moments away from roads we'd regularly drive on. It was such an eye-opener connecting places to other places, and realising that point A was only a field away from point B - something you'd never connected in your head as it was normally a two mile drive or a round-the-houses trip.
I've a dozen or more stories to tell about the caches I've already found but, for now at least, I'll have to leave them in my own head and I shall cut this intro short.
In summary over the last six weeks we've bought a proper GPS device (Garmin Vista eTrex HCx that's fabulous.) We've both also upgraded to the iPhone 4 which is also phenominally better than the 3G for GPS performance. We've tracked (using the Garmin) over 70 miles of walking, both passed our first 100 finds, hidden our first cache and then also a small series of three.
I've also spent a small fortune on rucksacks, water bottles, water-proofs, hiking boots, cache containers, log books, pencils, cache logs, nano-caches, paint (to disguise my hides), cache swaps and "furtling" sticks. It's been worth every penny. My legs are 100% fitter, I feel 100% fitter and I've lost 5lbs.
Now to shift the beer belly... oh, and to hit the 1000 finds mark!
How it all began...
I heard about Geocaching about four years ago from my girlfriend's father. I don't know when he started but I do know he's racked up a decent find count.
Being an I.T. geek it appealed to me but I didn't act upon the urge until a co-worker mentioned it again earlier this year. I had been getting a bit bored of my main "hobby" which I have to confess was World of Warcraft and had been for over 5 years. The game was in a down-turn waiting for the next expansion and I was burnt out. I was also painfully aware I was very overweight and unfit. This comes of sitting down at work all day and being a lazy sod at night.
I registered on the site and did a bit of searching around. The timing coincided with a long weekend we had planned up at Kielder Water. We bought the iPhone application and headed off with half a mind to try some whilst there.
It looked as though it would be a disaster. We got there and there was no phone signal and therefore no Internet connection. We couldn't do searches or download any cache information. Disappointed we forgot the idea and started to enjoy our short break.
However! Whilst at the top of a big hill in the middle of nowhere Spandannah notices we have a faint signal. We both load up the app (we both had an iPhone 3G at the time) and quickly looked for a nearby cache.
Wonders will never cease and we were 40 feet away from our first ever cache. My iPhone was terrible and over the coming month we realised my GPS was useless but Span's was much better. So after 15 minutes of hunting, not knowing what we were looking for, we stumbled upon a HUGE cache containing all sorts of goodies, even a DVD!
We were hooked.
(For reference this cache was Kielder Sky Space [Nothumberland] http://coord.info/GC2C92 and currently stands as 1) My first cache 2) My furthest from home cache 3) My furthest North cache 4) My furthest East cache and 5) the biggest physical cache I have seen.)
We discovered that when added to favourites the cache was saved on the iPhone and no longer required an Internet connection. We 'favourited' several local caches and spent the next couple of days finding about 4 more.
More news in the next post and I promise the long posts will stop once I've caught up with myself!
Being an I.T. geek it appealed to me but I didn't act upon the urge until a co-worker mentioned it again earlier this year. I had been getting a bit bored of my main "hobby" which I have to confess was World of Warcraft and had been for over 5 years. The game was in a down-turn waiting for the next expansion and I was burnt out. I was also painfully aware I was very overweight and unfit. This comes of sitting down at work all day and being a lazy sod at night.
I registered on the site and did a bit of searching around. The timing coincided with a long weekend we had planned up at Kielder Water. We bought the iPhone application and headed off with half a mind to try some whilst there.
It looked as though it would be a disaster. We got there and there was no phone signal and therefore no Internet connection. We couldn't do searches or download any cache information. Disappointed we forgot the idea and started to enjoy our short break.
However! Whilst at the top of a big hill in the middle of nowhere Spandannah notices we have a faint signal. We both load up the app (we both had an iPhone 3G at the time) and quickly looked for a nearby cache.
Wonders will never cease and we were 40 feet away from our first ever cache. My iPhone was terrible and over the coming month we realised my GPS was useless but Span's was much better. So after 15 minutes of hunting, not knowing what we were looking for, we stumbled upon a HUGE cache containing all sorts of goodies, even a DVD!
We were hooked.
(For reference this cache was Kielder Sky Space [Nothumberland] http://coord.info/GC2C92 and currently stands as 1) My first cache 2) My furthest from home cache 3) My furthest North cache 4) My furthest East cache and 5) the biggest physical cache I have seen.)
We discovered that when added to favourites the cache was saved on the iPhone and no longer required an Internet connection. We 'favourited' several local caches and spent the next couple of days finding about 4 more.
More news in the next post and I promise the long posts will stop once I've caught up with myself!
From the dawn of time...
From the dawn of time we came, moving silently down through the centuries. Living many secret lives, struggling to reach the time of the Gathering, when the few who remain will battle to the last. No one has ever known we were among you.....
...until now.
OK so I stole the opening to Highlander for the opening to my new blog but it did seem quite appropriate. Apart from the fighting :-)
This blog is really for me, it's my own way of keeping track of my travels as I geocache around Yorkshire. Of course there are logs and comments that you post with each find, or did-not-find, but often I find myself trying to remain polite when I've been drenched, cold and scrambling around in grotty places at the behest of a cache-owner who should know better.
I once read something on the official forums along the lines of "Look at the place you're placing your cache. Why would someone else come here? If the only reason is to find your cache then you're placing it in the wrong spot." Simple words that I find very moving. I've had the urge to place several caches but I've held off (from the four I currently have) purely because I can't find the ideal spot for someone to visit but also one that is quite easy for me to maintain.
Maintenance. Another bug-bear. Why do people place caches and then ignore DNFs?, ignore notes about soaked or cracked cases? Geocache ownership brings with it some responsibility and it's a better sport all around if those responsible ARE responsible.
Anyway that's the intro to the blog. Now I'm going to write an intro about my Geocaching...
...until now.
OK so I stole the opening to Highlander for the opening to my new blog but it did seem quite appropriate. Apart from the fighting :-)
This blog is really for me, it's my own way of keeping track of my travels as I geocache around Yorkshire. Of course there are logs and comments that you post with each find, or did-not-find, but often I find myself trying to remain polite when I've been drenched, cold and scrambling around in grotty places at the behest of a cache-owner who should know better.
I once read something on the official forums along the lines of "Look at the place you're placing your cache. Why would someone else come here? If the only reason is to find your cache then you're placing it in the wrong spot." Simple words that I find very moving. I've had the urge to place several caches but I've held off (from the four I currently have) purely because I can't find the ideal spot for someone to visit but also one that is quite easy for me to maintain.
Maintenance. Another bug-bear. Why do people place caches and then ignore DNFs?, ignore notes about soaked or cracked cases? Geocache ownership brings with it some responsibility and it's a better sport all around if those responsible ARE responsible.
Anyway that's the intro to the blog. Now I'm going to write an intro about my Geocaching...
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