31/10/10 - New trail in Peopleton

Distance - 4 miles
Number of caches - 8 and 1 Bonus
Starting Cache - http://www.geocaching.com/seek/cache_details.aspx?guid=06052431-9623-453d-be83-783e707bcb45

Back from a week's holiday, getting in at 2am.  Maybe it was the jetlag or maybe it was the cold, but I am up at the crack of dawn and logon to see there is a new trail layed in the village of Peopleton, around 15 miles from where I live.  Just the inspiration that I need, so I run a Pocket Query and pick up the labradoodle from the sitter and head off.

The only problem with new trails is that everyone has the same idea.  I meet cacher party number 1 at cache 2, lone cacher 1 at cache 3 and cacher party number 2 at cache 4.  What is etiquette here?  I always say hello to people that I meet, but when you are on a circular trail that both parties are following, do you really want to be walking around with a stranger for 4 miles?  I decide probably not and spend a fair amount of this trail lurking behind trees and rounds bends in path corners!  No way for a 41 year old to be spending his Sundays.

Think I meet some serious professional cachers - by the clues found on this car in a layby.





Geocaching.com Car.


Cache 1 is at a Mill House - literally at a house.  With people in the garden.  So i decide to give this a miss.

Caches 2-7 are between Peopleton and White Ladies Aston.  Flat countryside with extensive views and Wolverton Hall grounds to walk through.  Caches are all relatively easy finds - Number 7 has the co-ords for a bonus and number 8 is a very nice location - at a ford, with a right hand fork.

Loved by 4x4ers - The ford at Barrell Bridge

These green lanes are also popular for 4x4'ers, as I have to give way to they souped up 10 year old trucks on three occasions.  It must be the thrill of going through the ford that brings them here.  I get the same experience by sploshing through their water filled tyre troughs.

Return to the village and the bonus is in a fantastic place.  This didnt come up in my PQ, so I can only assume that it was not yet published - still, with the name and spot on co-ords, it was soon in my grasp.  Just as the heavens opended.

So, nice walk, nice trail, nice caches.  Thanks to the owners "Jayvon" for taking the trouble to set up the series.

17/10/10 - Nottingham City Centre

Normal walking and caching has been cancelled this weekend, due to a visit to Nottingham to catch up with old friends.  Stay in the hilton in the City Centre..... OK once you have parked.

After seeing our friends, my major requirement was to visit Ye Olde Trip.  Everytime I talk to anyone from this City, I ask them about this place.  I guess its because I am a regular in the fighting cocks in St Albans, which also claims to be the oldest pub in England...  The pub was excellent - loads of nooks and crannies and dead ends, which meant my exploring was increasingly embarassing as I walked into small rooms full of people with no exits.  The beers were good and there was one cache just outside, which I found on the Sunday.

Also found the other cache at the top of the hill by the castle - which means a 2 cache haul when sneaking out the hotel and leaving her indoors, indoors.

Englands Oldest Pub?  Dont Tell St Albans....

If I came again and had the time, there are a lot of caches down by the river in the east of the City.

14/10/10 - Hammersmith to Kew Gardens

Walk From - Andrew Duncan 50 favorite walks
Number of caches - 6
First cache - http://www.geocaching.com/seek/cache_details.aspx?guid=6bb92e8d-903c-4b0a-b858-abf73371831c
Distance - 6 Miles

Stay in Hammersmith - the Bridge is the natural start of this walk, but I started at the Novotel Conference Centre - which was hosting some sort of Media conference, mainly populated by septics.

Hammersmith is an impressive bridge - looks like the golden gate - and has a cache slap bang in the middle.

Theres a Cache here

The the walk heads up stream, following the thames path.  There are some excellent looking pubs at the start of the walk, but I dont want to go in to early.

The caches on route are mainly 35mm pots or key safes - attached to signs, stuffed into the railings, on the back of road signs and impressively, 7ft in the air under the tunnel at Kew Bridge!  All reasonable to find, even in the dark.  There would have been more in Chiswick Park - but it closes at dusk, so 8pm in October has no chance!

Highlights of the walk were when I came up from the river at Powell's Walk, through a church yard and up into Chiskwick...... at night, with its victorian lighting, lent itself to an atmospheric walk.

The strand on the green is a nice area...... the cache outside the Bulls Head is worth an attempt - complete with a decoy.  I couldnt find on first go and had to go in for a pint of inspiration in the flavour of Timothy Taylor Landlord.  Easy find when I got out!

Then stopped at the City Barge for something to eat... probably made a mistake, as the food in the Bulls head looked better.

Then down to the bridge at Kew, crossing over and getting to the train station before my journey back to the hotel.

Cant really go wrong with LDN river walks, but this was especially quite - had most of the walk to myself.  Some people live in fantastic houses as well....

9th October 2010 - Badger Round

Number of Caches - 14 in route (found 12 today, having already had one and missing one)
Starting Cache - http://www.geocaching.com/seek/cache_details.aspx?guid=948c2cfb-4cf4-44c2-ad5f-027132f8ab2d
Distance - Around 6 miles...

Hunter's Bridge

Duck Pond at Start of Walk

There are two cache trails layed by the same people (thank you Lost and Found) that actually meet up - so you could have one full day or two half days.  I have already completed the Beckford round, so came back into the area to run through these at Badger. 

The caches are easy to find, thanks to great clues and spoiler photos.  But don't be misguided - the paths are very hard to find on both routes, many of which arent on the O/S Map.

The first cache of the badger round is at the church.... I then moved onto number 2 (already found last time out) and number 3 by going along "the chase" path.  In October 2010, parts of this path are closed - with a big sign announcing "badger activity"  - oh the irony.



Footpath closed

 I manage to go around by sticking to the field edge.

This series of caches in not circular and you will have problems trying to get around all of the them without repetition.  I managed an awful lot of repetition on this one.  Started with Number 4, where I dropped of a TB and then a bit of road walking before a bridle path to number 5.  Not confident that the beasts in the field have udders.

Mouthy udderless teenage beasts

 

After surviving what could have turned out to me the Shropshire version of Pamplona, I get an tricky find at number 11 and then an interesting backwards and forwards attempt to clean up 3 on map unmarked paths.

If you are reading this before doing the round, pay attention - it may help!  Take the path number 12 - this is by sandstone paths and down towards the water - although this is so steep that I wouldnt recommend it after rain if you want to get back up.  Of course, it had been raining when I did it, but I need the numbers.  Continue along the path, but keep your eyes open for what looks like a cave in the sandstone - go investigate, its actually a path through which you need to take if you want to get number 13.  Most unexpected, and you also get the first of two temples on route.

a cave that has holes at both ends is a tunnel

Temple 1

You should then return on the high path, if you want to pick up number 14 - there is a discarded half vodka bottle that will identify the tree that the cache is behind.

I then had a circuit of the pooled Wharfe River to pick up three more caches and, going past the second temple which someone has converted into a type of summer house (who lives in the woods like this?).  Return to Hunter's Bridge for my final one, but on logging this, I can see that I missed number 7!

Very enjoyable trail  - Thanks for the owners who have put it together!

1/10/10 - Blencathra Round

Distance - 11 miles
Geocaches - 2
First Cache - http://www.geocaching.com/seek/cache_details.aspx?guid=22bc13ce-af4d-46b0-9e68-24a76cc0f06d

No photos today - took camera with me but there are no views, with the exception of horizontal rain.

Start at my pub - the Mill Inn.  Superb food and beer and a stonking breakfast, which means I waddle up the road and then up Souther Fell at a slow pace. 

The heavens open and the mist comes down - there are occasional glimpses of exceptional views on the zig zag path up Blencathra but on the whole, its a very miserable day.

I was going to go up Sharp Edge, but there is no chance today.  I would have been blown of this exposed arete - probaly all the way back to the car.

Rest of the walk is increasing misery, although I am out of the wind, if not the rain.  Mungrisdale Common is not really a peak - Bannerdale Crags would have had decent views if it wasnt for the mist and Bowscale is notable for its near vertical descent back to the road.

Saw one man with his dog - have my feet ripped to pieces through new boots which were tested ok last week.  Maybe it was the half pints of water that I tipped from them that soften my feet up to allow the blisters to come.  Rucksack is equally soaked - thought my camera might have been ruined - but remarkably resistant.

On the plus side - its the last 5 wainwrights of 2010 and I did get another couple of easy caches.

Somewhere more gentle next weekend I think.

30/09/10 - Carrock Fell and High Pike

Miles - 6

Geocaches - 4

Starting Cache - http://www.geocaching.com/seek/cache_details.aspx?guid=c60ce08c-16bd-4ba3-ba48-c59b22d824fe

Using up a the last of my 2010 holiday allowance, I head up to the lakes for the last time this year to knock off a few wainwrights.  Today, I complete Carrock Fell and High Pike, following the route in CW Magazine in Sep 2006.

Park up by the side of the path up - which is barely visible and stupidly steep.  Desolate starting place, as shown in the photo, I have the place to myself.



Starting Point

Quickly (although stop for many rests) gain height until I end up on the decent peak - complete with Cain and a cache.  The only person I see all day is approaching from High Pike, so I have a quick route around to find the cache, which has the handy clue of "under a rock".  In a field of rocks, this is less than useful!  Eventually find and am rewarded with a TB.

Nice views from the top....

View fro Carrock Fell

With the height gained, its an easy walk across to High Pike across some boggy ground on a indeterminable path.  Mess around with the camera on auto settings for a self portrait, with Carrock Fell in the background.

On High Pike, with Carrock in the background

Path down to the road is quite straightforward - there are three caches at ground level, one hanging from a tree, one under a boulder where the car is (forgot to get at start) and one a short drive at Mosedale Bridge.

Good walk today - 2 more wainwrights knocked off and good weather.

Stayed at the Mill Inn - top, food and the starting point for tomorrows walk.