02/06/13 - On Familiar Ground in Quatt

Distance - 4.5 Miles
Geocaches - 13 Found.  1 DNL.  1 DNF.
Previous Walk that was very Similar

I have been here before.  In fact, I start the round at Dunmaston overflow car park with a DNF, just as I did nearly two years ago.  I have even bought a Geocaching chum out to help but still no joy.  The clue is magnetic.  I am sure its wooden.

Never mind, we are off to cache two of the day, where I have also previously struggled.  The cache comes with a warning that you may get your feet wet.  I climb down and soon have the cache in hand, but as I clamber back up, lose my footing.  There is a moment where I realise I that I could be falling backwards into the drink.  Panic crosses my face and instead of helping, Mrs Mappiman tries desperately to hold in her laughter.  I balance, clamber up and by the time I have regained composure, tears of suppressed mirth are falling.  There is always some entertainment on a caching trip, even if is is watching your husband fall into streams.

We move on and reach the first cache of the trail that has brought us here.  First we need to navigate Boo, the world's least scary guard dog.  She even has a sign warning you of her potent threat.

Touch my cache and I'll bite your face off.

Cache one found and down the lane to cache two, which Mrs Mappiman finds, whilst I am running my hands through cobwebs.  There is something about bus stops, bridges and kissing gates that always has me looking in the wrong spot.

Cache 3 is next to an ice cream shop.  I make promises that we will return.  We do not look for it, as we are in a field of horses and regular blog fans will know that the only reason I watch the grand national is to see them erect the tents.  God has yet to create a more evil animal.  And I included scorpions in that.

Cache 4 is at a kissing gate.  Again, Mrs Mappiman does the work.  Cache 5 is in a field of horses.  This is why I get the horrors.  I have just written the day of the month when a huge one comes along and starts nudging me with its nose.  My caching partners leave me to it and for a minute, its nudging me around the oak tree whilst I try and finish signing the log.  The nudges get more insistent.  How do you tell a horse that my caching bag contains nothing more than a camera, spare pens and absolutely no apples or sugar lumps?

Catch up with my caching chums at number 6.  We are zig zagging our way down to the river.  The views are impressive enough over to the Clee Hills and the paths are in fine condition.  Cache 7 presents a hunt but is found.

Photo Opp at Cache 8, where I guess correctly the CO intentions.

You will get an ice cream

Cache 9 is at the water works.  I have walked around this area many times but never been to this bit. Are the isolated gaggle of house tied to the processing plant?  Cache 10 takes a while and then we are at the final cache of the trail, 11. 

We have choices on how to complete the walk but the most obvious is down to the river and back along the fine walking that is Long Covert.

Huckleberry Finn is operating his raft today.  We speculate as to why people use it when there is a pub on either river bank.  Why else would you risk drowning?

2013 - and there is a hand pulled Ferry still in operation

Walk along the river.  Ponder the age of an Oak that is nearly as impressive as the Major Oak in Sherwood Forest that I recently visited.

I am going for 900 Years.

Then we cut up to Long Covert. Always nice when you find a cache that you previously failed on.  There are no more until we get into Dunmaston Hall Grounds.  Some special walking along the stream and through the trees.  The last of the day is bagged under the noses of the muggle multitudes who are on a day out at the National Trust Property.

Back to the car.  A last hard look for that damned magnetic micro.  I would tell you if I had joy. 

And then a stop off at Quatt Farm shop for ice creams.

Thanks to spekey for bringing me back here.