11/6/11 - I bored a dog and I liked it

Location - Marshbrook
Distance - 4 Miles
Number of Caches - 19 and a Bonus.
Thing on my mind - How did I end up with a 17 year old daughter?
Happy Birthday Ellie!

Marshbrook Geocaching

Thinking of places to go today and thought its been an awful long time since I have been up Long Mynd.  There is a 10 mile route from CW magazine that I have had my eye on but when I looked at likely caches, there is an extended round from Marshbrook.

I decided that these could not be ignored.  Get up early and the dog does he now usual performance of hiding and then shaking at the top of the stairs when she sees my new walking hat on my head.  She's not overwalked, but I think over-cached.

Fortunately, even though I wasn't on the high ground of Long Mynd, I still got the views.  I was thinking of extending the walk to go up onto the Portway and get a bit of wild walking in, but the weather looked omnious after a terrific start.  Plus, taking in the caches adds time to a walk and these caches came thick and fast.

Long Mynd and Ragleth Hill

Park up at the bike shop at Marshbrook.  Nice of them to allow geocachers use of their facilities.  Head up on a short climb through fields of sheep, finding easy caches every few hundred yards.  It looks like this was a cache series with clues for a bonus, which was then extended to include additional caches.  As a result, I occasionally forget to get the clues and end up with around 90% of the digits required.  Don't bother looking for the bonus, but I think I was able to plot where it was likely to be.

Through the farm at Whittingslow and the trail gets you to go along a rather too busy road to catch a couple.  Not the easiest, searching on the side of a road with a dog on the lead.

Soon back on a green lane with only the sheep for company.  Apart from motorists, I don't see a soul on this walk.  At Manor Farm, I head down a much quiter road for 3/4 mile to return to the bike shop.  On the way, there is a cache in the hedge and the dog gets that bored with all the stopping that she lies down in the road in despair.



So bored of caching - I'm going to lie down here and hope a truck comes

 There you go.  I have managed to bore a labradoodle.


Views all along the walk were excellent and there is not much climbing to be done.  Dog needs to stay on lead because of the traffic and sheep - so I don't think she liked it so much.

No caching tomorrow - Ellie's birthday.  The dog will be pleased - not least cause she loves birthday cake.