23/02/14 - Asking Questions of Myself

Distance - 8 Miles
Geocaches - 13 Found, 4 DNF

Cutnall Green at EveryTrail



Now, I am the sort of person that does not like losing things.  This has been borne out today by a lost magazine before I got going on the day and then only being able to find one shoe when I got home and had to de-mud both myself and the trusty geohound.

The magazine was found.  The other shoe remains elusive.

So why do I spend my weekends out in the great outdoors looking for treasure that has been deliberately lost?

Initially, this was to be a rare walk free weekend.  I had too much on.  However, a change of plan caused mainly by old age, meant that I am free and available for a Sunday walk.  Initially, I was planning a trip over to Warwickshire but the planned walk had zero caches.  Not one.  And I couldn't bare what would be 14 days without recording a smiley.

So instead of the walking books, I look at the geomap and see that there are a few around Cutnall Green that have not been explored.  Hastily assemble them into some sort of walk and head out, finding parking around the back of the village store shop.

Pub Car park totally empty, but not in the mood for post walk pint today.

Short walk down the lane to pick up the Monarch's Way.  Cache one of the day is here.  I have my head in various bushes as the wind picks up in this exposed part of Worcestershire.  Its always the first of the day that causes the most problem and as I am passing this way on my way back, I decide to leave it for when my cacher's eye is in.

This part of the walk is as good as it gets.  The Monarch's way is a long distance path that follows the route that Charles II was meant to have taken on his escape during the English Civil War.  I am constantly bumping into it, including the part where it meets the tree that he hid in.  Today's stretch weaves through woodland, past fishing pools and strangely through peoples' back gardens.

Feeling like a trespasser but signs give me confidence

Find my first cache of the day but fail at the next.  1-2.  Worse than the Albion.  Things pick up where I find an amusing one in Lunnon Lane, that is worthy of both a TB drop off and a Fav point.

Make my way towards Rushock Church, famous as the burial place of John Bonham, Led Zep's drummer.

Head for a Rock and Roll Shrine.  Grave always adorned with drumsticks

It's at the point, the walk take a turn for the worse, even if the caches take a turn for the better.

The wind has been picking up all walk.  Then it starts to rain.  The terrain goes from slippy to gloopy on the mud Richter scale.  The stiles, which are frequent, are worthy of an olympic event.  Its bad enough for me, but almost impossible for a dog.  Especially an 11 year old one.  She valiantly plods on, requires only occasional assistance, but the unspoken words between hound and master are "We could be reading the paper and eating bacon sarnies".

At least the caches have shown plenty of imagination and the series is a challenge.

After nothing but farmhouses - some drama.  Its also a GZ for one of the best of the day.

I don't know if it was the misery of the stiles, mud and weather or just that the caches were getting harder but it seems strangely apt that the last three of the day, including a repeat of number one, are all DNFs.

As we slop back to the car, our bottom 30% covered in mud, I fail to find the answer as to why I cache. 

I just know that I will be back again next week.