28/10/12 - The Caching Chief of Staffs

Distance - 4.3 Miles
Geocaches - 12 found, 4 DNF and two TBs.
First Cache

The scandinavians celebrate the autumn equinox by turning off their crime thrillers and having a good old knees up.  I will do the same today, and welcome in the cold dark evenings that last from now to March by using the extra hour to go caching.

Then I'm off to the pub.

Look for a local round of caches and am reminded of the trail from Enville.  I have walked here before on the Staffs way and remember it as excellent walking country.  Now is has perhaps the greatest cache trail that I have ever completed.

The caches are varied, all home made and on the fiendish side of difficulty.  This, with the walking, meant a fine morning out.

We park up at the village green.  Leave number 1 till last and walk past the imposing stately home. Sonia's fiddling on the phone reveals that the home was owned by the Earl of Stanford, is now privately owned and occasionally is open for parties.  We will await our invite.

The Earl had moved his clock back an hour

Cache number 2 is the first we look for.  We fail on the way out and spying a dog walker coming up behind, leave it till last.

We get Cache 3 and fail at the old Ice Bunker at Cache 4.   That's 1 out of 3 and not looking too good for decent return.  However, from this point on, we soon get our eyes in and find the majority of the rest.  Some of the execution is superb - we really like the ones that are "visible" yet containing booty.

Cache 5 deserves a mention as it takes us off the track and despite having walked past this before, I was never aware of the old house carved into the sandstone.  Its complete with a proper fire place and tiled floor.  This is what caching is all about.

Previously Hidden from view - revealed by caching

As we walk towards the Compton road we have a big discussion as to whether which is the most mature hobby - caching or mountain biking.  This is a popular route for old men on bikes.

Work our way around White Hill farm - pondering on how the cache owner managed to get all these caches out into the field.  Can only summise that it must have required multiple trips.

A little confused around here as the OS map doesnt show the cache on a right of way, but all is revealed at GZ.  A new path is signposted and means I need to buy a new map.

Keep picking them off as we go through Compton and navigate a well tricky stile for the dog and into a field.  Here, I tell Sonia that there's nothing in the field and she can release the dog from her lead.

How wrong I was.  There is a man with a guitar, sat in a tree at the top of a field, recording a video for his new song.  We should have got closer to ask what it was.  Sonia wanted to sneak up behind and see if we could get in the video.  Instead, we compromised on taking a distance shot.

People think I make this blog up.

We were a touch worried about the cache called Stinky but all is revealed at GZ and there is nothing to fear.

Caching assistants look on, whilst I get Stinky.

Drop around Temple Pool.  Sonia asks me how long is left and has a fit when I tell her we are about Half Way.  Honestly, its like shooting fish in a barrell.  We have only three more to find. 

The one by the pool eludes us, but we do find number two back at the stile.  What a cunning cache.

Sonia takes the keys to sit in the car whilst I have a quick look for number one.  After three minutes, I hear the horn go and call off the hunt. She swears it wasn't her.

A superb round of caches - thanks to Fairview Hunters for providing our entertainment for today.  There's gonna be a number of favourites awarded.

Now I'm off for a Pub Sunday Lunch.  A man of simple pleasures.