06/05/17 - The Banbury Fringe

Geocaches - 50
Distance - 10.3 Miles
Walk Inspiration
First Cache


You might be mistaken for thinking that the Banbury Fringe is a comedy event run by students.  It's actually a 10 mile way-marked walk, circling the town, completed on green lanes, footpaths and canal towpaths.

And Grange Road Dragons have kindly laid a rather huge Geocaching Trail.

Way Marking on the Fringe.  A Geocache.

Number 1 in the series is near the canal, with no way of parking - so I follow the advice given by the walking leaflet and park in White Posts Road in the rather charming, two pub village of Bodicote.

Just as I am getting booted up, I spy three gentlemen, armed with Garmins and paying far too much attention to a street sign.   Reading's top caching team are out in force and they're dead professional. They have a stamp and everything.

I need to upgrade my caching kit

We are of course, heading the same way.  However, they are calculating the bonus and with me actually starting at #6, I feel that may be impossible for me.  I leave them in some discussion as to how they have ended up with two values for "B".

Look forward to your logs chaps and to see if you had the same couple of DNF as myself.  And if you DNF any, it wasn't my fault.  I left them all exactly as I found them :-)

The walking is straightforward - head down the Salt Way - an ancient track running from London to not far from my house in Droitwich.

A rare shot of the Saltway - Dog Muggle Free

Fine walking Northwards, with decent views and a mixture of woodland and fields.  The locals are interested, but not offering too many clues on cache whereabouts.

Neddy, laughing at my attempts at finding this cache.

Only two DNF on the whole route for me and of course, they come in quick succession.  A good hunt for #26 and #27 but no joy.  I will see if six eyes prove better than two, when the logs come in.  At least it is fine walking.

Good Walking in DNF Alley

After a stretch along a former railway line, I am delivered at the Oxford Canal for the last leg home. The canal runs right through the centre of Banbury and a suitable spot for a quick refreshment break among the Castle Quay Shoppers.

Guess what is on that Bridge.  Yep, a Geocache.

Those crazy bargers

The canal proves muggle central, with a mixture of boaters, runners and cyclists but I do manage to get a clean sweep all the way down to #49.   Leave the canal close to one of the Swing Bridges that I always see from the M40.

Swing Bridge

Just the last (or first) six to get before I'm delivered back in Bodicote, 5.5 hours and 10.3 miles after leaving.  Just a case of which of the two pubs gets the Mappiman Dollar.   It was a close run thing. The Horse and Jockey is Cask Marque approved.  But the Plough has a Geocache opposite.

The Plough, Bodicote

I'm not really that desperate for the Smiley's.  The Plough is a Wadworth pub and I'm quite a fan.  The 6x was in fine form in a proper old school pub.

A Fitting End to the best Caching day of 2017

Now I just need to spend an hour logging the finds.  Thanks for the well maintained trail, Grange Road Dragons.