2014 in review

Hello!

It's been months since my last post - you've guessed it, I haven't been caching much! However, I've been working towards a cache known as TWW - when I find it, I'll write about it and the feeder caches!

Also, on Sunday I attended the 2014 CacheWalker Twixmas Bash, rescued by strongsRus and Calabrian Dreamer who executed a magnificent and uplifting group walk and a great, welcoming event in Shenington with delicious bacon butties by RTM.

Don't think I'm going to go in to the details though (I rambled on way too much in my log anyway) as this is my annual post reviewing my year's caching.

The year began with a find rate of 43/day - that would have equated to over 15,000 finds over the year. Of course, that's impossible - I'd be surprised if anyone could find 43 caches every day of the year. Yet, 43 a week is perhaps feasible at a push - that'd have upped my count by over 2,000. You've guessed it, I couldn't keep that up either.

In fact, I only found 149 caches this year - that's nearly half the total I found last year, which I already thought was the lowest I could go. What's more, I beat my own slump record - I went 128 days without a single find.

I wouldn't believe you if you said that I've been caching for five years - I'm certainly not where I wanted to be numbers-wise; I hit 1,000 in April 2012 and had aimed to hit 2,000 by December 2013 at the very, very latest; I've still got 296 caches to go!

But, you know what, who cares. I've felt disillusioned with Geocaching recently, but I hope that's about to change. It is a very different scene to how it was five years ago, with new caches and walks being of low standards compared to the 'classics' I remember from my early caching days. Change can be good though, and there are some excellent new concepts for caches popping up; such as what I've seen in the feeder caches for the TWW cache I'm working towards.

This year began with a surprisingly good larger series, before finding my first Lab Cache, completing a CacheWalker walk by Wrighty, a fantastic series in the heart of Gloucestershire, the summiting of two mountains, some great caches in Spain and a superb Wiltshire loop before we concluded the year with the Twixmas event's Shenington Shuffle series.

As is now tradition, I have selected my cache of the year. The title goes to 'Ashton Circular 1- ABFTN Dog & Bone' (GC5AWQ0) - as one of the feeder caches for TWW, I shan't go in to too much detail as I'll talk you through it in a future post. I will, however, say that the first stage was fantastic, the second good and solvable, the twist brilliant and the container superb and well-stocked - it's easy to see why everyone who's found the cache has awarded it a favourite point!  Not far behind were El Predró de Pals (GCVBCR), The First in Wales (GC2BA) and the CacheWalker Twixmas event day (GC5HGYE). If I had found more caches the whole result could have been different - for what I found, though, the winner and runners-up are no-brainers!

So, what does 2015 hold? Well, only time will tell - I'd love to finally hit 2,000, but I've said that for three consecutive years now - of course I'm going to try, though. Most of all, I want 2015 to be the year I truly rediscover Geocaching - enough with these milestones, stats challenges and find rates. Bring on the gems - virtuals in fascinating locations, great caches in beautiful spots, and loops so good that you realise why you've stuck with the hobby for so many years. I want to rediscover the brilliance of the sport; be taken to new locations, enjoy new experiences and be wowed by fantastic caches.

Happy New Year - hopefully you too will consider re-approaching Geocaching in the light you most enjoy it in.

Griff Grof

Sugar Loaf and The Blorenge

Hello! I have been quiet for around a month on here as I've, literally, not been caching! HOWEVER, yesterday was 'CacheWalker On Tour: Sugar, anyone?' event day, and so walktall, tarmacjohn and I set off early to head out to Abergavenny, located in the East of the Brecon Beacons national park, Wales.  

There was one thing on each of our minds: the weather. For the past week, the forecast was assuring us that we'd see heavy rain from 10pm. We were overjoyed when they changed their minds, promising a generous dry spell between 10am and 2pm, with heavy rain and thundery showers thereafter. They changed their minds, AGAIN, and we awoke to a prediction of rain for every hour of the day. Fantastic when you're heading out to climb a mountain (or two, in our case, as we had decided that we'd head over to the Blorenge after the Sugar Loaf event). 

Nevertheless, the weather remained dry on our drive over, and as the car ascended up the lower reaches of Sugar Loaf we were welcomed by jaw-dropping views behind us. However, as we parked the car and met up with other event attendees, we were disappointed to see that the view was fast being hidden by low cloud: and if we were having trouble seeing the views down here, would we be able to see anything at all 300m up on the summit?! 

It was a pleasant ascent up the mountain, in good company, and stories were shared as we approached  Sweet Spot and Mick's Stash, the two caches we'd planned to take in on this pre-event group walk. The landscape was lovely, the hillsides carpeted in fern, and we were now well above the tree-line, and approaching the summit. Sadly, though, we could not see further than 15m, thanks to the low cloud. It was great having Funk to Funky with us, as he's part of the local mountain rescue team, and so he could share some of his local knowledge with us! 

And after a last push upwards, we had done it: summited Sugar Loaf, at noon, marking the start of the official event! For about half an hour we had the whole summit to ourselves, which we admitted was a rarity. Details for the YOSM and Earthcache were jotted down, before a picnic lunch was enjoyed - whilst we couldn't see far, to our surprise it was STILL dry, against all odds! Therefore, we were having a good time anyway, as we continued to geo-chat.

Is that a view emerging from the low cloud?!

It was nice to see the clouds clearing a bit just as we were about to descend, which meant we could catch a glimpse of the fantastic view we'd seen in previous photographs! As we approached the car park on return, the cloud had lifted even more and the views were amazing - such a shame we couldn't take them in from the top.

View from Sugar Loaf car park; cloud now lifted - imagine them 300m further up!

From the parking, we continued to admire the views! We then bid farewell to our companions. In my opinion, it was a great event, and we were extremely lucky not to get soaked whatsoever! We found some quality caches in nice spots, and we did enjoy the glimpse of the views on the way back - admittedly, it was a shame we weren't met by sun today, but I feel that this didn't dampen our CacheWalker spirit. I wonder which mountain we'll tackle next?! Well, for myself, TJ and WT, the answer was looking straight at us...

That's where we're heading: The Blorenge from Sugar Loaf car park.

Off to the Blorenge - almost certainly to get wet! Whilst the forecast at one point had hinted the dry spell we had experienced, rain was always promised thereafter. However, we just had to grab a couple of special caches, so we decided to head over anyway! 

First, it was The Punchbowl Earthcache; a valley formed by a glacier, with a small lake left over from melt water, presumably. I won't go into Geological detail here - otherwise I'd be giving you the answers. It was an idyllic, peaceful spot though, and some locals turned up to go swimming just as we were leaving - brave souls!

The Punchbowl

One Blorenge gem down, another to go, and still no rain. TJ had noted that there was a lightening storm heading over from the East, but we were glad when twenty minutes later we found out it was actually heading North. From where we had parked, it was a very steep climb up The Blorenge. By now the cloud was really lifting, and there were some stunning views on our way up, lit by the sun which was trying to break through the higher clouds. Our target was The First in Wales, a cache placed in February 2001, just below the summit.

There were boulders everywhere - which one was it under? WT thought he spotted something, and I went to check it out - there was the cache (a large ammo can), filled with swag and TBs all these years later. This is now my oldest cache find, and what a location.

It's sad to think that you don't see caches like this one published these days. Gone are the treasure-troves at the end of a great adventure. It was a pleasure finding this cache whilst they still remain.

The First in Wales: nicer caches placed back then! 

To round off the day, we continued on to the summit to enjoy the far-reaching views and log the YOSM. There was even some sunshine, now! An absolutely brilliant spot to reflect on what has been a fantastic day, summiting two mountains, in good company, whilst picking up some superb caches. The Blorenge wins for me, but perhaps that's because we got to enjoy the views this time. Will have to return to Sugar Loaf soon, as they're meant to be even better over there! Really cannot believe we didn't get wet one bit, and were left wishing we had brought our sunglasses! Next time, don't listen to the weather forecast!

Sunshine?! Absolutely stunning views from The Blorenge summit! 

Griff Grof.

Avening Circular Walk

Avening Circular Walk, 12 caches, 5 miles, Avening nr. Stroud, Gloucestershire 

Hello!

We were back out in the field today! We initially had another Wrighty series planned, but we noticed that a couple of the caches appeared to be missing, and so we chose to venture a little further today, instead.

Avening is an idyllic Cotswold village located in South Gloucestershire, a corner of the county which I absolutely love - you can be sure to enjoy sweeping hillsides and lush valley bottoms here!

We set off in the sunshine with Fizz, for what was promised to be a super series - I had been reading great things about it!

Cotswold cottage in the idyllic village of Avening

 The cache owner was very helpful in including detailed directions on the cache pages, which took away a lot of stress as we began to meet footpath junctions. Found a Church Micro en-route before embarking on the first cache of the series; this was an easy find. The second took longer than needed; I was expecting a really unique cache container and so I was a little surprised when we spotted the hide, nevertheless it certainly wasn't a common cache. The path opened out in to a valley meadow packed with an array of wildflowers, which were almost twinkling under the sunlight.

Fizz resting amongst the wildflowers between #2 and #3

We then walked past some long barrows thought to be around 5000 years old. We always like it when a walk takes you past somewhere with a story, and so we enjoyed admiring the barrows as we continued to ramble through the sweeping meadow.

Oh, guess what? I had forgotten what it was like to cache during summer. There were nettles which peaked at heights well above me, and I had to wade through them to grab a couple of caches. Shortly after this point, the nettles joined forces with other high-reaching plants to block a track needed to reach the GZ of another cache! Thankfully, I had long trousers and a light sweatshirt on, so they didn't really cause me a problem - I certainly wasn't expecting their presence in such a way, though! I was obviously still used to winter caching!

I thought the walk had an excellent variation in terrain. We were ambling through a lovely (ancient?) forest before too long, which was welcoming after roasting in the sun for an hour.

A walk in the woods

There was only one thing missing: views. The last series we did in this area was the Pinswell Loop, and so I was a little disappointed in their absence, to be honest. However, I guess they say not to speak too soon, as we were soon greeted with pleasant views; although not far reaching, they were stunning in their own right - sometimes these are the best of views.

Great views - follow the arrow!

We got lucky at #9! Just as we went through the gate, the farmer arrived and let in a herd of cattle from the next field - that would have been a disaster, especially with Fizz! The walk was completed with a descent back to Avening, where we found the final two caches of the series. 

To summarise: a fantastic walk, with a superb variation in terrain (from country lanes, to grassland, to meadows, to woodland, to hillsides) and good caches, each surviving well. I would definitely recommend this loop to anyone who hasn't already had the pleasure of completing it - I'll make a post on CacheWalker all about it tomorrow! 

Until next time... happy caching! 

Griff Grof

The CacheWalker Five

The CacheWalker Five, 6 caches, 5 miles, Willersey, Worcestershire. 

Hello, I'm back!

Have had a hectic few months sitting and preparing for exams... I even handed over administration of CacheWalker to walk tall until I had completely finished! So, apologies for my lack of updates on here.

Today we contemplated over where to go... we could locate a series with a healthy number of caches to boost my plummeting stats, or we could try an unfound Wrighty series near to home. Easy choice, then!

The CacheWalker Five was originally placed to coincide with the very first CacheWalker event back in 2007, and it's been on the To Do list since I started caching! When we were going to set-off and do it, we changed our minds upon noticing that the third cache was missing. It still was today but we thought: hey, you can't wait forever!

It was a brilliant walk. Starting in Willersey, the route took us gradually up-hill before we were met with an extremely steep climb in comparison. We were, however, rewarded with fabulous views over the Vale of Evesham:

The first cache took us a little longer than it should have, due to the fact that everything was so overgrown thanks to the time of year - the last time we went caching was January, after all! The second cache was Vale View, which existed before the series was placed, and the above photo was taken not far from it.

The third cache was, indeed, missing. I was hoping that this wouldn't prevent us finding the Bonus, as we approached the fourth cache and gathered more info for it. The views were still very pleasant here, and Fizz (accompanying us once again) was having the time of her life as she explored the area.

The fifth cache was excellently placed; I was a little concerned upon approach when I saw a beer bottle situated in an ideal hiding place! With the hint checked, however, I made the find - nice one! Decided to compile the Bonus details I had, but was very doubtful that we'd find the cache.

If you decide to do this series (which you should) take care choosing which path you take, as we turned left instead of carrying on past Farncombe Estate - this led us to a field of unfriendly cows, where we double-checked the route and realised that we had gone wrong.

Studying the photos on the Bonus cache's gallery gave me an idea of where it could be, and I was relieved when we approached a similar-looking location on the home stretch: and there it was! We were the first to find it since October 2012, meaning that we easily qualify to find GC2FPDY - hurray!

A great series which we, and Fizz, thoroughly enjoyed. No, it won't have bumped my numbers up much, but (as with all Wrighty walks) you take away far more than cache finds. I definitely recommend this one, if you haven't done it already!

Griff Grof

New Year's Day caching in the rain

Oversly Trail Two, 8.2 miles, 41 caches. Alcester, Worcestershire. 

Caching in the rain seems to be becoming something of a habit lately - the CacheWalker walk on Monday, and, again, today. What can you do? - I mean, this is Britain I'm caching in!
I've had my eyes on the [first incarnation] of this series since I started caching back in 2010, and had solved all the puzzles and planned it all for today as a back up option, were the weather to be playing up, resulting in cancelling the intended trip to the Brecon Beacon's. It was a bonus to see the series archived and re-listed with three times as many caches... and, after waking up to heavy rainfall, we set off kitted up to brave the elements in Worcestershire, rather than Brecon.

We actually waited in the car for an hour once we had arrived, hoping that the rain would ease off. And what do you know, it was worth the wait, as we kicked-off the series in dry - but windy - conditions. Understandably, all the caches on this series were bison tubes... a shame, as there were some spots which could have housed a much larger container. The walk was muddy right from the start, and we got our first DNF (since October!) at #2: couldn't spot it quickly enough, and we were right at the end of someone's garden, and so we wanted to move on quickly, in order to not look too suspicious. I enjoyed the first stretch, despite the road noise, with open countryside around us.

And then came the rain - heavier than ever coupled with the wind. We were drenched by #15, but this didn't dampen our spirits, as we continued; at this point we were pretty certain that we would call it a day after the first loop (the series is set in a figure of eight). The day was delivering pretty much what I wanted, though - a good walk just CACHING - it's been a while since we've done this! By the time we were nearly at the car, it was dry again... obviously, we decided to go for the second half of the series, we were there and having a good time, with promising weather.

So, off we marched; we soon bumped in to another cacher who was also a member of the West Midlands Regional Geocaching Forum, Team Airtomoreira. We decided to team up as a three for the rest of the series. I was really glad that we'd chosen to continue as we were now walking across some really lovely countryside, with some nice views.

Open Countryside: Nice views 

There was a rather odd looking white tower (house,) which must've been constructed prior to planning laws, as we couldn't believe that the council would allow it these days. We continued with more easy, but well hidden, caches in the dry whilst enjoying the surrounding countryside around us. Then, we decided to divert to attempt a Church Micro. There was a very rare early 18th century structure in the churchyard, of hurdle and gorse walls with a thatched roof. It was constructed for the mounts of visiting clergy from neighbouring parishes... we found this very interesting! It was just a shame that the three of us couldn't find the actual cache - the third, and final, DNF of the day for us.

Very rare 18th century structure, originally for visiting clergy, in the churchyard. 

The final stretch was particularly muddy. The route effectively takes you around Oversley Wood, a pity that the CO's couldn't get permission to place some caches inside it - I'm sure it's lovely in there, though, and I'm sure the now-archived Wherigo would have showcased  it well. We saw quite a humorous sign near to one of the caches - you can see the bridleway mentioned to the right... yes, it is that narrow muddy path:

Duh! Who would even consider taking their lorry up a muddy path which is just one foot wide?!

With three caches to go, the heavens opened once again, so we rushed to the car. Despite the changeable weather (thankfully it was dry most of the time,) this was a most enjoyable morning's caching! The caches were quick and easy to find, and the walk was very pleasant, with some lovely open stretches and good views - I can't think of anything negative to say, and that's because this series has been executed extremely well. A must-do, perhaps save it for a sunny day -  you could enjoy your surroundings a little bit more!

That's 45 caches found today, less than 24 hours in to 2014 - I doubt I'll keep this find rate up! Happy New Year to all, and thank you for continuing to follow my blog through 2013!

Griff Grof