2016's caching in review

Hello!

This is my first post in months, sorry about that! I haven't been caching very much as I've been busy studying. However, I've still been on some fantastic walks and found some great caches this year. I've written several articles for the GAGB's Seeker Magazine about a few of them but sadly never got round to writing anything here.

This is my annual 'in review' blog post in which I recount the highlights of 2016's caching and assess the degree to which I've met the goals I set myself at the start of the year.

These were my goals:

1. Reach 3,000 finds
2. Find more than 576 caches (my current record)
3. Find more quality caches 
4. Complete more of my D/T grid
5. Place my next series

At time of writing, I've found 2,535 caches - so I am still not near to 3,000. I've found 258 caches this year. Whilst not my best count, it's still more than I found in 2013 and 2014. I filled in only one more space in my D/T grid with GC5X3MZ. However, it's not all doom and gloom! Far from it!

I have found some excellent, quality caches this year - and that's what matters most. I have just updated my Cache of the Year bookmark list highlighting my favourite finds. This year's winner is Mont Tendre: le sommet 1679m (GC59HC1). It's placed at the summit of Mont Tendre, which is the highest point of the Jura Mountains in Switzerland. The walk up was fantastic; the sun was out and our surroundings were simply beautiful. It was a unique experience to see so many friendly cows up there and hear their bells ringing, from both near and afar. The views were gobsmacking from the summit. We could see across Lac Leman to France and Mont Blanc, which is the highest mountain in the Alps. The sense of achievement was great and finding a nice cache container in good condition was the icing on the cake. We had a great walk back down the other side of the mountain too. You can read my article about this trip in a recent issue of the GAGB's Seeker Magazine.

The competition for my Cache of the Year has never been closer, with Amour Series Bonus (GC6D641) as the runner up. This was an immense ammo container that served as the finale of a super series of Multi caches. Each Multi had an ingenious first stage, each of which put a smile on my face. The caches themselves were all ammo cans. Other notable caches include Pi In The Sky (GC446E2), Magic Eye View (GCTV41) and Reloader's Cache#20 - Romainmôtier & le Nozon (GCQ8YJ).

I also thoroughly enjoyed various events. The Geolympix Mega was excellent and so was the GPS Maze, which was in the UK for the first time. I also had a great time at the CacheWalker Twixmas Bash yesterday. We were very lucky with the sunny weather for the pre-event group walk! Next year is CacheWalker's 10th anniversary so I'm excited to see how we'll celebrate it - I'm sure I'll have a lot to report in next year's 'in review' post!

In addition to meeting my goal to find quality caches, I managed to achieve my final one - to place a new series. It's called Brailes Bonanza and consists of 20 caches on a hilly route of 6 miles. I first walked the route back in May 2015, so I already had an idea of where I was going to place the caches. I really love the route - it's my favourite of all the series' I have placed! The views are fantastic and the area is so quiet. I chose the final route and designed the cache placements to reflect what I perceive to be the perfect formula for a series. Obviously this is subjective! I'm happy that several of the caches have quite a few favourite points now. I'm really looking forward to walking the route again and maintaining the caches in 2017.

Once again, I can conclude that finding quality caches is far more rewarding than seeking numbers and improving stats. The fact that I've managed to write a reasonably blog post having not found many caches or improved any stats is a testament to this.

Happy New Year and all the best to all for 2017.

Griff Grof

Ilmington Jubilee Walk

ILmington Jubilee Walk, 3.5 miles, 11 caches, Ilmington, Warwickshire
The cache page links to this walk guide. 

Hello,

I knew that we'd be a little busier this weekend so I decided that a shorter series would be ideal. Clearly, we were very pleased to see this new series being published on Thursday, as it certainly fitted the bill. After a day of relentless rain, and more forecasted for later today, we decided to head out to complete the series in the morning as a sunny interval had been forecasted.

Arrived in Ilmington where we initially struggled somewhere to park. It was then along some pretty streets and past the idyllic church, which had its bells ringing for its Sunday service. We were soon on the footpath, which was flooded! The little stream running across the field had burst its banks so we had to dodge the water to get to the first cache, which was quickly spotted.

Before too long, we made an ascent up the northern face of the Cotswold Edge. We were rewarded with some spectacular views and we stopped to have a snack whilst we admired them for a little longer. There were plenty of other people up here today, from fellow walkers, to cyclists - great to see people enjoying the outdoors as well, and the sunshine whilst it's still here!

Looking back: some nice views

We spent ages searching for the fourth cache. The hint stated that it was in the bottom of a wall, which confused us as one of the cache placing guidelines says that caches should never be placed there. Knowing this, we widened out search but eventually, having almost given up, we spotted somewhere where the cache could be and I can confirm that there is no reason to move any stone associated with the wall whatsoever - I'll make a note of this in my log. How did we miss it to begin with?!

It was then across a couple of crop fields, and, with the recent rain, our boots were extremely muddy by the time we got to the other side. There wasn't really a path through the field either, so hopefully people will still be able to find their way across in the summer months once the crops are fully grown.

A nice lane with some great views

The next section of the walk led us down a quiet lane, where we enjoyed the great panoramic views ahead of us. It was surprising to see daffodils and snowdrops in flower, just goes to show that we really have had an unusually mild (and wet) winter.

It was very interesting to pass a healing well, which people used to heal their eyes in. It's a shame that a landowner diverted a stream into the pond in the eighteenth century which muddied the water! Unfortunately, we didn't finish the series soon enough as the rain caught us. Luckily, it didn't last for too long, and the sun was soon out again - talk about changeable weather!

The old healing pond

We were soon back at the car, having completed a good, pleasant walk in some lovely Cotswold countryside. The views were great and the caches were good, some were even a little challenging as they took longer to find than they should have. The route was quite muddy, though, but as you'll gather from my other recent posts - it's muddy everywhere! We really enjoyed the series.

Griff Grof

Walking in Warwickshire

Hi,

As some of you may know I really enjoy caches set by Wrighty. So, as you can imagine, it was a nice surprise to spot that he had a series called 'Wrighty's Warwickshire Walk' I had never really noticed! We decided to complete the walk today, in the sunshine.

WWW and part of the WeeW series, 14 caches, 5/6 miles, near Weethley, Warwickshire.

The walk took us through some very pleasant countryside, although the paths were certainly muddy to begin with. Of course, this is expected at this time of year, and it was no where near as muddy as our walk last week! It was an added bonus to be able to pick up some of the WeeW caches along the way, and these had been recently maintained which made them all the better!

Unfortunately, we got a DNF on WWW #1. The hint stated that the cache was near to a bridge, yet there wasn't one at GZ which threw us a little. I decided to read the recent logs, and noticed that the previous two finders had found it on the floor within the mud. We looked around for a little, both in the obvious places and on the ground around us, but we came away empty handed. One of the recent finders said they had replaced it within a tree, yet the next said they found it on the ground, so we decided to move on to avoid looking for a needle in a haystack. However, I later realised that these cachers had been caching together, thus the cache must have been in a tree - I shouldn't have dismissed the idea! A very annoying DNF; we'll be back!

Very pleasant Warwickshire countryside

Luckily the next few caches didn't cause us any trouble, although we also DNFed GC5WCTX, which was part of the WeeW series. The countryside was very pleasant and we were soon walking uphill through a ploughed field - you can imagine what our boots were like by the time we got to the other side. I tried to clean them in a puddle, but it was a little deeper than anticipated - which made us laugh!

Some fantastic views began to emerge, as expected from any good Wrighty walk. We found the final WeeW cache of the day as we continued towards the picturesque church ahead of us; unfortunately we decided to skip the Church Micro as there were people in the church when we passed by. We thought we had seen the best of the views, but once we crossed the road and joined another footpath the camera came out again as they were truly stunning, especially under the sunshine. Nice to have a change in terrain too, as it was no longer as muddy and we were soon walking on a lovely path through the Ragley estate, finding more Wrighty caches.

Some of the great views

All too soon, the walk was over and we were back at the car. It was a great route, taking us through some very pleasant countryside, with some nice views and great caches. It's a shame about the DNFs, but the good thing, as with all DNFs, is that it's another reason to come back.

Griff Grof

Caching in the Peak District

Hello!

My dad and I have been wanting to go to walking in the Peak District for ages; with stunning walks and some of the most favourited caches in the country, we knew that we wouldn't be leaving disappointed. We have some friends in Matlock who invited us to stay, and so after a few days in Devon we had three days in the Peak District to look forward to!

Unfortunately, it was pouring in rain the day we arrived. However, this did not stop us exploring the local area. The first cache we found was the Derbyshire Little Quest, GC15KQD, which offered fantastic views over Matlock. It was placed right next to Riber Castle which can be seen from most of the town. This marked only my second LQ cache as I slowly work my way towards the finale.

Nice view over Matlock from the LQ cache 

We then went up High Tor, above Matlock Bath. There is both an Earthcache (GC5TZ3H) and Multi cache (GCHFP3) there. Whilst it was raining to begin with, it soon cleared up as we began our walk along Giddy Edge completing the Earthcache and Multi simultaneously. There were great views to be enjoyed along a path only made possible by geology and Victorian ingenuity.

The Earthcache was fairly straight-forward, however we encountered problems when it came to the Multi. Several of the answers at the different stages were rather subjective, but we went with our gut instincts and saw that the coords were a mile away across the Derwent gorge! We realised that this couldn't be correct, so we tried again and again. Eventually we decided to head home and email some recent finders as we read in nearly every log that people were finding it difficult to come up with  a logical final location. Fast-forward two days and we found the cache thanks to some help from the previous finder.


GC5Q5FZ, TRotAM, 14 miles, 50 caches, Hope

Let me start by saying that this is one of the best series' I have ever done.

We chose to do this series after our friends informed us that the views from Mam Tor ridge were beautiful and that it would be a stunning walk overall judging by the terrain on the map. I was unsure, however, as typically loops with lots of caches disappoint. How wrong I was.

The series takes you through Coleridge's The Rime of the Ancient Mariner, which tells the tale of a sailor who has returned from a long voyage. It starts and ends in the village of Hope.

Our friend decided to come with us to learn about Geocaching. After the very first cache, he was hooked, and decided he would register as 'moz63'. The series is split into two loops; the first is 6 miles long whilst the second is 7. We had decided to do the series in reverse, starting with the final cache of the second loop. This was only due to the weather forecast: with sunshine set for the afternoon, moz63 told us that it would be best to be walking along Mam Tor ridge at that point of the day.

The caches were all straight-forward finds in peaceful spots. At one point near towards the start of the walk, we passed through a field of cows. They didn't cause us any problems since they simply weren't interested in us. We then began a steep uphill climb which was worth it as we were rewarded with gobsmacking panoramic views and great caches.

Views. The clouds soon cleared!

As we continued to walk up, the views became even more impressive. I became immersed in them. I loved how the caches were placed at points which helped you appreciate them even more.

We loved one creative hide nearer the top. We were barely a couple of miles in and this series was already extremely promising with such beautiful views and a unique hide now thrown in. We were soon at the top of Win Hill, a stunning peak with superb views out towards Mam Tor and Kinder Scout.

Win Hill

We continued our walk along this ridge whilst enjoying the beautiful landscape. We crossed ways with some other cachers (Vandark) as we were doing the series in reverse. We then gazed into the spectacular Vale of Edale as we walked down a steep hill back into the lowland. In fact, it was so steep that we were glad we decided to do it in reverse and take the more gentle, although longer, route up.

Vale of Edale

We found several more caches before arriving back in Hope. Here, we enjoyed a delicious lunch and some cold drinks in The Old Hall Hotel. It was great to stop off there and cool down now that it was getting warmer towards the end of the first loop with the sun coming out.

Up to Mam Tor ridge

We decided to complete the next loop in numerical order. We weren't too keen on it at first, since we had to walk along quite a busy road for the first few caches. However, we soon forgot about this as we began our walk through some more lovely countryside, with Mam Tor looming above us in the distance. We had made the right decision this morning as there was (almost) not a cloud in the sky.

Before too long we began the steepish walk up to Mam Tor. Of course it seemed more tiring than the earlier incline, having walked 8 miles already. Again, it was worth it as stunning views began to emerge. Once we were up on the ridge, there were even more fantastic open landscapes either side of us.

Views from the top of the ridge

We decided that, whilst we were there, we had to divert to Mam Tor. This added just over a mile to our walk in total, but it was undoubtedly worth it. There were 360 degree views to be enjoyed and it was the perfect place to stop and have a break. It's hard to put it into words: it was simply stunning up there. The strong winds were invigorating and filled all of us with positive energy.

Views from the top of Mam Tor

After our worthwhile visit to the top of Mam Tor, we enjoyed more views along a superb walk on the ridge. It was great how we could see out towards Win Hill where we were just a few hours earlier. The caches kept on coming and unfortunately we had to skip out two extras since we had ascended Back Tor too early - and we weren't going back down after the walk up!

Mam Tor ridge

There were even more views as we descended back down into Hope. After just over 14 miles and 50 caches, we had completed possibly the best series we have ever done.

The views as we finished

It had everything: an outstanding walk over varied terrain (riverbanks, pastures, woodland, moorland, rocky peaks, ridges and green lanes), fantastic scenery and views, and purposeful caches. Whilst some were a little forgettable, there were a few creative hides, some of which I had not seen before. I don't think moz63 could have had a better first day caching!

I definitely recommend this series, especially to those who love elevated walking within a beautiful landscape. We won't forget this marvellous series. What a cracker. 

GC2M97J, Alphabet Soup, 9.5 miles, 25 caches, Darby Dale

We have read rave reviews about this series, and it has also been personally recommended to me. As we were staying just a couple of miles away, we decided that we couldn't leave the Peak District without having a go at one of the most favourited series' in the UK.

It's a shame that the CO doesn't seem to be as active as they once were, and as a result a few of the caches weren't in the best condition. Although broken, the first cache was awesome and from this point on we knew that there would be more treats in store.

We went wrong to begin with; couldn't quite understand why the second cache was placed on a parallel footpath to the one we were meant to be on. So we had to backtrack. Once we were on the correct path it was an enjoyable walk to begin with.

There were some nice views as we began to ascend. The great thing about this series is that many of the caches were ingenious hides - you never knew what to expect, so you have to commend the CO for keeping the cacher on their toes.

We were soon in Ladygrove Wood, which was beautiful. There were some great paths, and it was a brilliant surprise to find a waterfall there!

Waterfall

Unfortunately it was a DNF at cache J (which was disabled, but people had been finding it). Glad to see that we weren't the only ones to get a DNF that day, though... perhaps it is now truly gone?

Good paths

We were then in Halldale Wood, which was another lovely piece of woodland. Several great caches later, we found ourselves on the final stretch of the walk. There were still some more super caches to be enjoyed. Perhaps the only downside of the series was that that some lengthy sections of the walk followed roads. However, thankfully they were mostly quiet lanes, but of course it would have been ideal for even more of it to have been along footpaths! 

Overall, this was a nice series in a lovely part of the country. The caches were brilliant, and I can only imagine what they were like a few years ago when the series was newer and feeling less tired. It's good to have finally done this famous series. 

We thoroughly enjoyed our trip to the Peak District, finding some outstanding caches along some stunning rights of way. What another great county for caching. We will be sure to return very soon. 

Griff Grof

Caching down in Devon

Hello!

It has been months since my last post!

Now that it's the summer, I've got a lot more time for caching! My dad and I went down to South Devon for a few days, and I was pleased to find my 2,000th cache there. In addition, we completed several series' near to where we were staying in the South Hams district.

GC2FPKC Frogmore Creek Series, 5 miles, 7 caches, Frogmore.

We arrived in Devon with 10 caches to go until my 2,000th. Frogmore is a village that I know well. When we spotted this series we thought that it would be perfect to bring my numbers up ever closer to the looming milestone.

It was a glorious sunny day, and we began the walk on the foreshore by the estuary. It is important to note that this series should only be completed during low tide, ideally 2 hours after high water. The views across the estuary were superb to begin with.

Frogmore Estuary

However, we suddenly realised went wrong - the GPS was indicating that the cache was to our right, on the footpath running alongside the estuary. Before I continue, I should emphasise that we were wrong in our thinking. Nevertheless, we scrambled up and soon found the first cache. On our way to the second, we realised that we had gone wrong, which meant that we had to find a safe point to descend back into the estuary. This added around 0.5 miles to our walk as we consequently had to backtrack a little in order to find this cache on the foreshore and inaccessible from the footpath.

Photo - Ham Point

After passing Ham Point, we walked uphill towards a Millennium beacon overlooking West Charleton. The cache here had not been found for months with a string of DNFs, and so we were pleasantly surprised when we spotted the sneaky hide.

View from the beacon

It was then through the village and into a valley we knew quite well. There were some friendly horses here, and there was a lot of wildlife to be seen including a vixen fox. This was perhaps my favourite stretch of the walk.

Valley

Unfortunately, we couldn't find the last two caches of the series. The penultimate one was literally inaccessible due to GZ being so overgrown (this has never happened to us before), whereas the final cache was like looking for a needle in a haystack - we had to move on after a while.

Overall, this was a great walk in a beautiful area which we were already familiar with. Yet, we still walked along footpaths we had not been on before. Would recommend this series to anyone who finds themselves in the area.

My 2000th find ~ GCPM39, Start Point

Due to the two DNFs earlier, we still had five caches to go. We were originally meant to be in Spain this week, and so the plan for months was to make GC2D4, Montserrat (the oldest cache in Spain) my 2,000th find. I still hope to find this cache at the end of the month, but now that we were going to Devon I had decided that GCPM39 would be my 2,000th instead. I love the coast and have wanted to go to Start Point for years, so this made sense.

We decided that it would be good to walk the South West Coastal Footpath from Torcross. This would enable us to find four more caches on the way (GC4A5AX, GC367VC, GC28Q5E and GC10WT8) which would bring my total up to 1,999. The weather was brilliant and the walk was fantastic.

As a keen geographer, it was great seeing the coastal bars at Slapton and Beesands as well as the haunting remains of the lost village of South Hallsands. It collapsed into the sea in 1917 as a result of coastal erosion. There was a quote at the viewpoint which I quite liked: "But that its wretched ruins then - though sunken utterly - will show how the brute greed of men helps feed the greedy sea".

Some of the remains of South Hallsands

The caches we found were in good locations which showcased the superb views. I liked how you could see Start Point right at the end of Start Bay throughout the whole walk; we had our eyes on the goal.

Start Point in the distance

Once we arrived at Start Point we followed the coastal path around the headland towards the cache. This stretch was also very enjoyable, and I felt even more immersed in the view here. Once we arrived at GZ, my 2,000th cache was found after a short search in a peaceful, beautiful spot .We had hoped to see some seals but there were none today.

View from the cache

It was definitely a fitting cache for the milestone, and GC2D4 will serve as my symbolic 2,000th find to commemorate the achievement. This second thousand has been even better than the first, and I hope that I will have found many more 'special' caches by the time I reach 3,000 - hopefully it won't take me as long!

GC48P2Z, More Ups than Downs, 5.5 miles, 26 caches, near Bridford

We had decided that we didn't want to leave Devon without a trip to Dartmoor. We initially considered walking around Haytor, but when we turned on the GPS the Pocket Query we ran for it didn't seem to have downloaded. We then noticed the More Ups than Downs series, on the eastern edge of Dartmoor. The name sounded promising (I like hills!) and we saw that the final cache had 97 favourite points. Consequently, we decided we would have a go at this series instead.

The beginning of the walk was a little strenuous. It consisted of a long and fairly steep uphill walk through Bridford Wood. This woodland was beautiful and there were some good views emerging behind us. Once we got to the top, we realised that it was worth the climb since there were some spectacular views to be enjoyed.

Super views

There some very nice vistas, including some towards Exmoor as well as Dartmoor, as the walk continued. Overall, it was a very peaceful walk with only a few stretches along minor roads and very few muggles about. We thought that all the caches were well maintained and there was no cache that was part of the series which we had difficulty with. Upon the return to Bridford wood, our GPS went crazy and we found the last few caches with at least 70ft to go displaying on the screen. Thankfully, the CO provided us with good hints so the caches were still easy finds.

Lovely views

We really enjoyed the walk and the series as a whole; whilst it wasn't really on the high moor it was a stunning walk within the Dartmoor National Park and all the ups prepared us well for our trip to the Peak District the next day... will publish a post on this latter trip very soon.

I've really enjoyed these few days walking in South Devon, it truly is an area of outstanding natural beauty. Will hopefully return soon and find many more of the great caches the county has to offer.

Griff Grof

Winchcombe series

W (Winchcombe) Series, 25 caches, 9 miles, starting nr. Farmcote

Hello!

I really wanted to go caching this weekend but the weather didn't look promising. As the week progressed, it seemed as if it was, in fact, going to be sunny on Sunday morning, so we decided to be up and walking by 9am at the latest so that we could complete this new series before the forecasted rain began.

We were glad that the forecast seemed correct on the morning, and we set off with high hopes for a good walk in an area we know is beautiful. It was surprisingly chilly once we stepped out of the car, and we were already captivated by the great view before us - and we hadn't even gotten our boots on yet!

The views were even greater once we were on the footpath, it was stunning how the landscape was lit by the early morning sunshine.

Fantastic views; Dumbleton Hill and Bredon Hill visible in the distance

There was also plenty of sheep to be seen right from the beginning, which signalled that we were in proper Cotswold country.

Sheep and the view behind them

There were some super cache placements, all of which were in sensible, purposeful locations. Also, the caches were all well-stocked, which is a rarity these days. For this reason, it felt like a real back to basics series.

The views continued; after walking around a farmyard and along a quiet lane for a few hundred metres, we turned right to battle a strong westerly wind. The views towards Cleeve Common, however, more than made up for it.

View towards Cleve Common 

The superb views and good caches continued right down into Winchcombe. We could see dark clouds in the distance, which we reckoned were two hours away, and we were only just nearing the half way point - we hoped that we could continue the walk in the lovely sunshine, which was enhancing our already breathtaking surroundings.

Just before entering Winchcombe, we saw some lambs, the first I've seen this year.

Lambs

Winchcombe itself was filled with muggles. There was a newly completed path which welcomed plenty of dog walkers and runners, so we had to be patient and stealthy at the locations for the caches along this stretch.

We then walked along a section of the Cotswold Way known as the Pilgrims Way, which was a historical causeway, with many of the residences named after monasterial terms.

We knew that having walked down the hill into Winchcombe, we'd have to go back up at some point. It was worth it, though, as we enjoyed even more views which were emerging all around us. It's always great to feel elevated on a walk, and that's exactly what we felt along this stretch.

Even more great views as the walk uphill begins

As we continued uphill, we spotted a familiar name in one of the logbooks: castleferrets - they must be out walking in the area as well... would we bump into them? Once at the top of the hill, some of the best views of the day could be enjoyed as the sun continued to shine.

The views remain, even better on top of the hill again

We were then nearly at the end of the series, with just a couple more caches to go and a Church Micro - if 'Church Micro Awards' existed, I think that this Farmcote one would easily win 'Best location'! We chuckled at the sign on the stile, and then crossed the ploughed field to the final cache of the series which was quickly found, a unique container in another good spot.

We bumped into castleferrets on the way back to the car. After a quick chat, we went our separate ways as they had another cache to do and we needed to head off to the Bonus, which was a large, well-stocked container and a fitting end to a fantastic series just as it began to drizzle.

I cannot fault this series; the landscape was beautiful, the views consistently superb and the caches were all well stocked and of high quality. There was also a wide variation in terrain, which always makes a walk all the more enjoyable. I definitely recommend this series, a simply stunning walk on a sunny Sunday morning.

So, I think that's it from me! Unfortunately, I won't be able to go caching until the end of May (although I may find the odd cache from time to time), so until then... happy caching!

Griff Grof

Great Cotswold Walk: North loop

The Great Cotswold Walk, 132 caches, 23 miles, Quenington, Glos 

We weren't sure if we would be able to go caching this weekend! We awoke to three inches of snow on Saturday morning, with the forecast promising more overnight. It's always surprisingly difficult to find caches in the snow, so we were hoping that that they were wrong... luckily, they were.

We decided to complete the Northern loop of the GCW today; here's a reminder of how we're splitting the series:

GCW North, 36 caches, 6.5 miles (38-70 + a couple of others) 

Once again, we were lucky to be setting off under some lovely winter sunshine; we parked in the beautiful village of Ablington for this section. 

The River Coln in Ablington

The paths to begin with were great, and they offered us some nice views over the Gloucestershire countryside. Once again, the caches were easy to find, which meant that we could build up a good pace.

After just a few caches there was an obstacle in our way: the path was blocked by what appeared to be a natural dam. We followed in the footsteps of the walkers ahead of us, and navigated across by turning right down the valley for a few hundred metres until there was no water in sight. This actually brought us closer to an existing cache, GCT492, and so we decided to go ahead and find it. A stunning spot, with fantastic views; you could almost picture the valley being carved by meltwater at the end of the ice age.

The valley on the way to GCT492

We then enjoyed a stroll through some wooded areas. Unfortunately, the sun disappeared around this point, but this our spirits certainly weren't dampened as a result. We even saw some snowdrops, so spring can't be too far away!

Snowdrops 

The only thing the Southern loop lacked, if anything, were views from an elevated position. We were glad that this stretch of the series offered that; although we weren't too high up, the open wold views at #58, in particular, were fantastic. In fact, it even started snowing at this point!

Nice views looking back

Before too long the clouds made way for the sun, as we embarked on the muddiest stretch of the walk, which was also home to the most wildlife. We spotted four hares, and a fox and deer were less than ten metres from us at one point! This also turned out to be the quietest part of the series, with not a single person in sight, so I guess you could say that walking through mud for two miles was worthwhile!

We arrived back in Ablington all too soon, marking the end of another superb part of the Great Cotswold Walk. We had a brilliant time yet again; the walk was fantastic with some great views and a variation in terrain. Some of the caches were great hides, yet they were all straight forward finds which is just what you want on a walk like this.

We can't wait to complete the final, larger Central loop, which has around 60 caches! However, we've noticed that a few of them seem to be missing, so we're not sure whether we'll hold fire until they're replaced, or just go ahead anyway...

To summarise the GCW so far: magnificent.

Griff Grof

Great Cotswold Walk: South loop

The Great Cotswold Walk, 132 caches, 23 miles, Quenington, Glos

We had two options today - we could either join a group to find some more Below Above caches, or complete part of the Great Cotswold Walk, a large series which has been on my To-do list since it was published in 2013. We decided that we'd let the weather decide, and with the forecast promising that there'd be sunshine, we settled on planning for what we hoped would be a good walk.

At the moment, I'm trying to find as many caches as I can before August in order to get ever-nearer to number 2,000. Since its publication, I had my heart set on completing the entire GCW in a single day. However, I decided that it would be wiser to do it in three parts instead, especially given the time of year.

Below is a map of the GCW, illustrating how we've decided to split it (as suggested by the CO). I'll be referring to the three sections in my next few blog posts as the North, Central and South loops. Today, we completed the South loop...

GCW South, 38 caches, 7 miles (94-130 + the two 'Links') 

We began this section of the series from Quenington, although I suppose it's possible to start from Fairford. We were lucky as the sun was shining as forecasted; we knew we were in for a good walk from the go-ahead since the area was picturesque the second we got onto the footpath. 

Picturesque meander at the start near #94

We were glad that the caches were straight-forward finds with no-nonsense hints - just what you need when you're trying to build up a good pace; this also meant that we could spend more time enjoying our surroundings. Having said that, there were some neat hides and it wouldn't have been quite as fun if there hadn't been caches to find! 

I've got to be honest, I was a little surprised when I saw that the Great Cotswold Walk was the resounding winner of Cotswold Caching's Series of the Year 2014. However, after just a couple of miles, I could clearly see why - the landscape was just so beautiful and untouched, plus the paths were quiet which is always a bonus. 

I always love walks where there's something unusual to see, and this stretch of the GCW had that. Firstly, there was a sphere wonderfully crafted from horseshoes besides the entrance to an blacksmiths. 

Sphere made of horseshoes 

And secondly, the Ox Pens in Fairford was a rather interesting structure. It's an ancient agricultural building with wooden stalls that accommodated pairs of oxen which used to pull ploughs. We actually had to walk through it since the doorway (yes, doorway) to the permissive footpath was located at the back of the building. 

Ox Pens, Fairford - doorway to the permissive path

The route of the permissive path was absolutely stunning. We were walking besides Pitham Brook, parallel to the River Coln. The Ernest Cook Trust, who own the land, have done a brilliant job in managing the Coln, with various diversion spillways and beautiful streams in addition to Pitham Brook - as a keen geographer,  I was very interested; we even diverted off the main route a little to admire the Coln itself. 

Slight diversion - the River Coln 

The views soon opened up; we were obviously in a valley, and so they weren't very far-reaching, but the views across the fields ahead of us were still fantastic. We could only imagine how amazing this area must be in the spring and summer. We'd have loved to have seen a kingfisher along this stretch too... maybe next time. 

Lovely countryside and nice views ahead

All too soon, we were back at the car in the charming village of Quenington, having found all 38 caches. 

I can't speak for the rest of the GCW (yet) but this section was simply superb. The landscape was extremely picturesque - well, absolutely stunning in parts - particularly along the watercourses. The caches weren't too challenging, which meant that we weren't distracted from the lovely walk. What's more, there was a good variation in terrain - from low hills, to ploughed fields (we did get muddy!) to tarmac, to tracks, to riversides. Having set a couple of series' myself, I know it's difficult to find a route with a variation in terrain, so the CO has done a great job here - the variation always makes it that little bit more interesting. 

If all's well and the weather's pleasant, we'll be completing the Central and North loops over the next couple of weekends - so watch out for those posts. The South loop was excellent, and has certainly built up our appetite for more... 

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.

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

Hill Clumps Tour

Hill Clumps Tour, 18 caches (plus 1 other en-route,) 5 miles, #1: GC4M31B 

When my premium membership ran out several months ago, I wasn't caching as much as I wanted to, and so I decided to wait before renewing it. As a result, I missed a lot of local cache notifications, and so it wasn't until I was browsing the Geocaching map searching for a quick cache to do near Shipston-On-Stour that I noticed this series. I've found most of the gnome-ads' caches and they're renowned to be good - so this series moved to top of the To Do list, and, after finding the two existing caches in Honington on Friday, it was back to this picturesque village to set off to complete the series today. 

Honey-coloured stone cottages dot the unspoilt village of Honington.

Honington is a beautiful village, idyllic and unspoilt. At the same time, however, you get that feeling that you're being watched. Nevertheless this wasn't a problem, and, when we couldn't find the footpath (which was actually what what appeared to be a private drive) the locals we asked [for directions] were friendly, and so it just goes to show not to judge a pretty place by its cover! 

Fizz, the puppy, was joining us again today; we soon found the first cache but decided to go around the field via the road, rather than through it, to the next cache, as we were concerned by the warning of cattle - especially after the tragic story in the papers recently: better safe than sorry. The first leg of the walk reminded me of the parkland in Stanway, (the footpath where you'll find #12 and #13 of my Snowshill Scramble series.) There were nice views emerging behind us, and we could already tell this series was going to be a good one - the sun was even trying to break through... unfortunately, with little success. Not far from the kissing gate into this field, there was a sheep skull on show, Fizz was obviously scared of it as she started barking like crazy! :-D 

Sheep's skull 

Before too long, we were already half way round - not many notable views yet, but some very nice caches, well hidden but at the same time quick to find - just how I like it! I was a little worried as we arrived at #8, the Multi, as I had read that there was a puzzle to solve. And when we found stage one and took the puzzle out we were stumped... but we needed the solution in order to find the final cache. After ten minutes trying to deduce it, we moved on. Luckily, we bumped in to some familiar faces moments later, who were doing the series in reverse, as stunning views emerged around us. It was Mr and Mrs Tarmacjohn! Fizz was over the moon to meet their dog, Maggie. We told them about the puzzle, and handed what we had done, and they had a go at completing it. They were successful, and so backtracked with us as we continued, to find the cache. The walk was becoming truly superb at this point, with stunning, often panoramic, scenic views around us. We found and signed the cache together, even though it was a little hard to open, and parted ways. 

The last few caches enjoyed a backdrop of even more beautiful views; you really have to be there to enjoy them fully, you simply can't capture them on camera in the same way, as always. 

Cracking views all round

We descended back in to Honington, a couple of caches later, after breathing in more brilliant panoramic views; this really is a lovely area, which we'd probably never have walked in if it weren't for Geocaching. 

We found all the caches, including the Bonus, and had a thoroughly enjoyable late morning/early afternoon walk. This gnome-ads series did not disappoint, and we'd recommend this superb walk to all. 

Griff Grof