28/12/10 - Cache 1000 - Kings Heath Urban meets Rural

Distance - 6.75 Miles
Number of Cache - 19
Starting Cache - http://www.geocaching.com/seek/cache_details.aspx?guid=b2fad2e8-3d8d-4234-adee-e57c6f7fa9d8

I set myself a target of 1000 caches by the end of 2010 - which is two years since I found the first one.  This trail should more than comfortably get me to my goal.  19 caches on a stretch of the of the Stratford to Birmingham canal.

The day was pretty nasty - the snow from the last 10 days has melted into ice with top puddles of water.  Twice I nearly ended up in the canal after some spectacular slips.  Brasher hillmasters aren't made for icy towpaths.  It was also foggy and a bit of misery.

Scene at Cache 2

The cache trail is well thought out and makes the most of its theme - taking you along the quiet canal, along Chinn Brook, around Tritiford Mill Park and then back down to the canal for the return.

I would like to say that you don't know you are in the city.  This would be true, except for the rubbish - which the residents of Birmingham have been using to test the strength of the ice.  I think I lost track of what I saw, but it included

• A chest of drawers
• Chairs
• Kids plastic motorbike
• Bins bags of bottles
• All the life presevers around Trittiford Lake
• The ubiquitious Shopping Trolley
• Pants
• Socks

All a bit depressing really.

The caches were very amusing - especially number 2.  I looked hard and found something that I instantly dismissed.  Gave it up as a DNF and slipped/slided away only to reconsider with a "What If".  I was returned and was rewarded!

There were a higher than usual list of DNF or Did Not looks.  The snow was still quite deep in places and in respect to the detritus, I was not going to stick my hands in some places.

And the 1000th cache - if I got my counts correct, it was Number 10 by the lake. http://www.geocaching.com/seek/cache_details.aspx?guid=53ec1a71-5a06-4924-9d1b-87f10876baeb

Cue Fanfare - Cache 1000

So I achieved my goal by doing two rounds over xmas that couldn't have been more unalike.

The goal for 2011 - I think I am going to concentrate more on the walks than the caching!  I have been going after these big rounds of caches to keep the numbers up and I think I would like to concentrate more on the locations and quality of walks next year.

And do 100 in a month!

Thanks to the gogetters for setting this up.  Especially Cache Number 2 - that made me smile!