01/09/12 - My Name is Earl's Common

Distance - 6.2 Miles
Caches - 21 - 19 Found, 1 Not Found, 1 Avoided due to Stampede
First Cache
What I fancy for Tea



Need to get out of the house this morning but need to be back before the social event of Stourport's year closes the roads to allow the locals to chuck coins at people on the back of lorries.

This local round of 21 caches looks just the job.  I have been in this area caching at Himbleton before so now what terrain to expect - although I don't remember the stiles being as challenging.

Park up near to cache number 1 and track back to find.  A little bit of road walking through Earl's Common.  The houses all look very nice.

Gap in the hedge and we are out into the countryside.  All the wheat fields have been cut, making the walking simple and providing a golden glow to the walk.

Golden

Caches come quickly.  Arrive at Ward's farm.  The stiles are getting harder for the dog and there is an exceptionally stupid one at Cache Number 9, which involves a leap over a 5FTer to balance on a beam and then another of a similar height.

I can enter the dog into next years BGT.

We have our first enounter with horses, but these have been blindfolded, allowing us through as long as we are very quiet.

At Number 10 we have a warning of more imminent animal danger.

Dog 4.5 Stone.  Bull 3300lbs.  Which one needs a lead?

At this point, the field is clear but at the top of the hill there are 100s of cows, at least one big bull and many smaller bulls and cows.  Enter with care and they start stampeding - not running at me, but running into the other fields.  Decide not to hunt for this particular one.

Drop down to Shell Brook farm.  Another stupid walk the blank, leap a massive stile and we are into a field with four of five ponies.  I get the dog on the lead and these decide to charge at us.  I hate horses more than cows and one of them is particularly frisky and keeps running around us and poking the dog up the bum with her nose.  The people from the farm come out and start shouting at them, but this seems to just spur them on.  I am getting seriously disgruntly and if I had a walking pole, they would be feeling the wrath of it.  Thanfully, we only have a short walk through before we are in wheat fields again.

Bull Stampede, Goosed by Horse, Dragged over Stiles.  Can we go home now?

Nice walking again now, free from farm animals.  We are on the Wychavon way, which takes us through woods.  Cache number 18 is the only one without a meaningful clue.  Its also the only one that I didn't find.  How long can a man go around a water trough!  Thought about putting my hand in, but this would have been stupid.

A bit of overgrown grass and a divertion around a very large fallen tree and we are back at the car.

And back in Stourport with half an hour to spare before the roads are closed.

Thanks to  unowho67 for the smileys!