21/11/11 - Play misty for me

Distance - 6 Miles
Geocaches - 31/34
First Cache

Wentnor

The weekend that keeps giving enters it final day.  Use http://www.geocachetrails.com/ to find a red round, which denotes more than 30 caches in a trail and the nearest one not completed is over towards Bishops Castle, promising fantastic views over Long Mynd.  Maybe, I should have saved it for spring, as it has been a real pea souper today out on the hills. 

Have the familar drive up towards Church Stretton, going through Cleobury, past Ludlow, actually giving way to a train at Onibury level crossing and turning left at Craven Arms.  Not sure where to park up - cache 1 looks like its next to a pub but this will be suspicious at 9am, so I park in the village.  Room for a couple of cars at the Church on a Monday Morning.  We'll come back through the church later.

Head east along the road to Long Mynd View - not for me it isn't, I can just about find the caches.  There are three along this northbound stretch behind the village (starting at 28 for me).  29 Shows how sneaky they can be... I struggle to find even the clue but eventually find it to be rewarded with FTF like moment (even if I am the 75th finder), as it has a new log. 

Despite the fog, I feel the need for some photo evidence that I am out and about.

Between Cache 29 and 30

Cross the road for another sneaky cache at 31.  Can't believe noone has had a DNF, as it took me a while to find something of this size, hidden so well.  There should have been great views here, as we have a valley to descend and ascend on the other side.

Nothing to see here.

Drop my way down.  There is a new build house here that doesn't show on the OS Map.  Couldn't get number 33 as the man who lives in this house is chasing sheep on his quad bike.  Its hardly one man and his dog.

Think long and hard about stocking up on supplies from the shop, but decide to pass as looking at the map, I haven't actually left Wentnor yet and I seem to have been at it for an hour.  Enter the caravan park and then have the stiff climb up the other side of the valley, taking in 6 caches until I reach the road at the top.  The fog is obviously worse, the higher you get, and I just have eerie sheep and a quarry to look at.  Good job the caches increased in size to ammo box containers!

There are evil stiles along this section - tested the labradoodles ability for some and then my ability to hoik her over on others.  Gets more challenging in the horses fields later on, where they add electric fences to the stiles as well.

I am the quarry

After a loop west and south, taking in 4 more caches, I am heading on a long stretch of road walking.  It doesn't really matter, as there is zero traffic.

Get into Norbury and looking at the map now, I can see that there is the beautiful blue symbol of a pub.  I never noticed it all, must have been because I have my only genuine DNF of the round here, spending a while looking for anything unusual on a traffic sign.  Must have been because it was number 13.  Happy to take a hint of where this one was!

Head back eastbound on the road, aiming towards Whitcot.  Not a lot here but a mill and I do manage to fall off a small bridge at cache 22.  Its OK, noone could see apart from Molly the dog and she's increasingly used to me getting in odd positions retrieving caches.

North East up hill (seems to have been a lot of up hills on this round) until returning into the grounds of the Church at Wentnor.  The caches point out an upside down face in the corner of the Church and a tomb inside to a family killed by a hurricane in 1772.  And we think we get freaky weather now.  Find the face, but don't enter for the tomb.

Face is on the Right Hand Corner

Third Stone Up.

And there's the car, all safe and sound.  In normal weather, I am sure this would have provided some amazing views.  Today, I will have to thank the shropshire seekers  for a well maintained round and the clue about the bonus, which if I would have checked mail on the round, I could have found.