Glen Howe Dragons

Sunday 10/07/2011

Meeting up with The Hills (Patdhill & co) at Glen Howe Park near Wharncliffe Side, Sheffield, we were also introduced to the LongTailedKites, a family who I believe value their privacy so I'll say no more except that they were a very pleasant gang, still relatively new to Geocaching, and it was lovely to meet and walk with them.

I'm pretty familiar with Glen Howe Park as my mother and her parents lived at Wharncliffe Side and I recall spending several Christmas afternoons walking off lunch in this area and also playing ball games in the actual playground area in summer. Alas the playground is no more and is now just a field.

We parked at the recommended parking and set off up Storth Lane to do a newly published series called 'Tracking Dragons', a set of nine caches in and around the park.

I've never actually been up Storth Lane so it was new territory to me as we wandered up there before getting to our third cache in a field. We then headed back down past a farm and back into the wooded area.

The series seemed a little bizarre in that it crosses the park several times rather than being your typical circular route, however it made for a good walk only spoiled a little by the abundance of flies and midges that were out in force on this warm and humid morning. We steadily criss-crossed the woods picking up the eight caches required to find number nine, which again was in a non-typical location.

As we passed several times I was sad to note that the bandstand has gone, now replaced by a wooden shelter - probably more functional but of course less historical.

We left all the kids and Donna in the centre of the woods as we headed off to the final cache which took an age to find. As soon as it was in hand Patrick dashed off back down to his family who had called suspecting their dog was hurt - thankfully it wasn't, maybe just a temporary thorn. The LongTailedKites and I signed the book, did some swaps and headed back down on another route. We didn't know whether to laugh or cry when Mr LongTailedKite slipped in the river and landed on his posterior; it looked like a heavy fall but he seemed OK, if a little wet.

Back down through the woods, unable to find my kids but fortunately the phone was working and I told them where to meet us. While waiting I noted the name on a dedication on a bridge over the stream - 'Brearley' - surely some relation on my mother's side? I must ask her.

Now off to The Castle in Bolsterstone for a pub lunch with the Hills. Overall a nice morning out which set me up fresh for the day.

[9 caches, 2.7 miles]