11/10/20 - Harrogate West Geocaching

Distance - 10.5 Miles

Geocaches - 66 Available

First Cache

I had a plan of 6 activities to do in my week in Harrogate.   And then I was intrigued by this on the Geocaching Map.

Look at all those potential smileys!

I loaded up the details for the first cache and my mind was instantly made up.  Something (yet to be decided) is getting demoted.  The clincher?  The trail starts at a pub.  

You could argue that #1 is actually attached to a pub :-)

Shepherd's Dog

After having no chance at #2 due to muggles, reality hit home at #3 (or maybe 2.5).  I'm going to be out for ever and day if I am searching for a mossy tree in pathless woodlands.  My GPS is elderly, has lovely OS Maps loaded on it but doesn't like woodland.   Round in circles I went, getting increasingly suspicious looks from the dog walkers taking advantage of the fine weather.

So I decided to just plough on and just enjoy the walk, spending no more than a couple of minutes at each GZ.  Potential excuses for failing to find include, but are not limited to;

• Muggles
• Not being arsed to walk down steep embankments
• Romantic couples in old T4 vans parked bang on a GZ
• Farmers
• Cows - lots and lots of cows
• Being a fairly impatient and hopeless solo cacher
• Did I tell you about my GPS?  Might be going on eBay.

The walking in the main was fine but the rains have taken their toll at the section after Whin Hill Farm.  It was here that I hoped the sloppy stuff was only mud. 

Here are the best of the photos...

Early stages and a DNF GZ

Nice Yorkshire views over the route back

My favourite GZ - where the clue was Oak.  And there were two Oaks :-)

I know the cache pages have a roll call list.  I am sure that my pathetic attempt today probably wins me a wooden spoon.

I leave plenty for another day

I pondered this back that the Shepherds dog, where I paid for my parking with a pint of Harrogate Brewery Yorkshire Pale Ale.  

Very nice, in the sunshine.

Thanks to JimmyLizDewhirst1809 for the setting up and maintenance of a challenging round.

Feel free to message me through the App as to what ENT means on a cache hint. Must be a Northern term to confuse midlanders :-)