11/11/12 – Betty’s Hotpot

Distance – 4 Miles
Geocaches – 3
Mud – Sommelike
Walk from – AA 1001 Walks.

Perfect day yesterday.  After the walk, we had a tour of Buxton and then got back to Whaley Bridge to watch the scores come in.  Another Albion Win.  Then allow two hours for Ellie to ready herself and we hit the high spots of the town.

The meal was in the superb Cock pub.  Very posh inside and we make it just in time to see the winning goal go in for Utd against the Vile.  Makes albion’s win sweeter.  A quick look a the menu and we see that this is the pub that Betty Turpin used to be the landlady for.  After failing to hypnotise a student into not ordering starters, there is only one thing for main….. Betty’s Hot Pot.
That, two more pubs (Shepherds Arms cause its in the Good Pub Guide and White Hart cause they have broadband) meant that today’s 8.5 miles marathon was a touch ambitious.  Instead, I have an emergency 4 miler around Coomb’s reservoir.

We only failed to take into account the mud.  The first half of the walk was a chore and I learned some new words from Sonia as it threatened to remove her boots.

Should have been nice and pleasant as we made our way to cache one.

Tricky underfoot

Find the shoddiest bridge known to man… but at least it gets us out of the mud.

Walking the plank

Which is much worse when we make our way under the railway line.

Dirty Boots

Never been so glad to hit tarmac before, as we make our way down lanes to Coombs.  Nice village with a great looking pub in the centre. We turn left at Rye Flatt Farm and find the second cache, and see the steep climb we have ahead.

But what views we are rewarded with…. all over Chapel-en-le-Frith and the surrounding hills.

All worth it now

Tough Sheep

The highlight of the walk is the ridge section, overlooking the railway line.  We see a sign saying dogs on leads or they will be shot, but the sheep are already suicidal – all grazing on the track.  The train comes and has to give way.

Wrong type of sheep on the line

Drop down under the railway and some mudflats to make our way back to the reservoir.  The mud turns into a golf course, where a stray ball rattles the trees next to us. 

Golf Course

Get back to the car and I attempt to clean the dog off in the overflow.  The water comes to her ankles, if indeed dogs have ankles.  Nothing else for it, we have to take her back to the river from yesterday for a good old dunking.

10/11/12 – Peak Practice

Distance – 4.5 Miles
Geocaches – 6
Why we are here – Student Visiting

A great idea…  Lets book a cottage in the Peak District so that Ellie can catch a train and meet us from Manchester.  Whaley Bridge was chosen for its proximity to Manchester and a suitable cottage was found.  This was about two months ago.  As things would turn out, we have seen Ellie every weekend anyway.  No problems with this as university life is putting her in a good mood, where she is likely to break into spontaneous laughter at anytime.
 
However, as the first Mapp in university, you would hope that she didn’t say things like “is that Hadrian’s Wall?” when she looks out the car window on the way to Buxton.

We have the joys of a Friday night on the M6 but spirits are lifted when I get a visit to the offie down the road for wine and get to start a proper man fire.

Our Cottage - Saturday Afternoon Sunshine

Twisted Firestarter

Up early on the Saturday.  The plan was a family geocaching walk, followed by a walk around Buxton.  Somehow, this got lost in translation and Sonia thought the kids were only coming to Buxton.  They have no walking gear suitable for the Goyt Valley.

Ever get the feeling that you’ve been had?


So we leave the teenagers to the Jeremy Kyle show, so that they can learn all about life and Sonia and myself park up around 0.75 miles away from our cottage.  We should really have walked.

The walk is stunning.  Nothing planned, just the cache trail, but we are rewarded with some great paths and stunning scenery. 

Which Way?

First part of the walk is along Shallcross woods.  I clamber up a bank to get cache 1, just as three sheepdogs come and round up Molly. 

Their owner soon catches us up and overtakes us.

Not a sheep

Next Cache is at a nice footbridge, where we cross the River Goyt.  Bit of Mankneery is called for, while the dog auditions as a statue on a plinth.

Troubled Water

It’s a climb up to Madscar Farm, stopping for a cache in the ridge.  Molly is ambushed by another dog, who leaps over the wall and follows us for quite a way, until is owner manages to get it to go back.

Nice path along to the reservoir, with the first nano of the day at a gate.

All Resevoirs look the same

Then its a case of walking back on the high ground, with the valley below.  At times, the fields turn into a quagmire.  I can only imagine the moaning that the kids would have given me, so quite glad they are back home.  I also get the added bonus in that they can let me know if he really did spend the kids xmas money on cocaine.

We get one more cache, then a couple of DNFs.  We probably could have got them, but our stomachs are rumbling and there is only so much appeal in tupperware that doesn’t contain sandwiches.

Arrive at the pretty little church at Taxal and more importantly, when we reach the Goyt, there is ample opportunity for the dog to get clean.



Home for bacon sarnies and then a trip to Buxton.  Fine old town….. just thought it would be bigger.

3/11/12 - Roundhead, or Cavalier?

Distance - 7.2 Miles
Geocaches - 7 found, 1xDNF, 1 GeoCoin
Walk From - 100 Hill Walks around Birmingham
Inspiration


23rd October 1642, the Parliamentary and Royalist forces bumped into each other in a vale under the shadow of Edgehill, Warwickshire.  The skirmish was the first of the English Civil War and by nightfall, a thousand were left dead and the battle petered out to a draw.

On 3rd November 2012, I was awoken at 2am by a nightclubbing student returning home and then at 4am by a heeby-geeby suffering adolescent shouting "GET OFF THE SOFA" at the top of his voice. 

I then got up properly at 7am to hear the sound of rain on the conservatory roof and headed off to Warwickshire to the moans of "Where's my bloody toast" being shouted from upstairs.

Tine to get things in perspective....  it could be worse, I could be on a countrywide tour of all the UKs universities and polytechnics. 

The weather is not a problem.... it gives me the chance to test my latest ebay bargain.  A Montane Atomic jacket sniped for 1/5th of its retail price.  It's selling point is that it rolls up to the size of an apple.  I showed Sonia.  She grumbled, "Bloody big apple".

I can only assume the moon is entering the wrong phase.

This walk soon sets my spirits right.  I park up in the village of Radway, where the royalist forces were positioned.  Nice looking village, thatched buildings and very quiet.

Head up the hill, discovering where the shop keeper from "League of Gentlemen" has been buried.

Local Grave, for Local People

Enter fields and I can see that I have the climb early in the walk.

Big Apple Jacket - Edge Hill Behind

Pull myself up to the top and can see that they have put a warning sign up for any antipodeans thinking of entering the field.

Country Folk, Country Ways

Over the above stile and into the woods, turning left onto a ridge path.  This is the centenary way and a damn fine path, leading to Camp Hill.  It was from here that Charles 1 was said to have watched the battle.  Good spot for it..... the killing was 1/2 mile away.

A little road walking and a detour to get the first cache of the day.  Retrace my steps and then have to cross ploughed fields to get reach Ratley.  Bad underfoot, but decent views and caches along the way.

Ratley is even better than Radway.  It has a pub.  The pub was built in the 11th Century.  1000 years of British Boozing.

Brings a patriotic tear to your eye.

Head out of the village at Manor Farm.  Some uninspiring road walking to Upton House, where I follow an extended family of cachers as they make their way to the booty.  The sight of all the kids excitedly looking for the treasure makes me think of my two.  One is playing his xBox in his pants and the other is drinking cups of tea in the bath.

A very short, but incredibly dangerous bit of roadwalking on A422 at Sun Rising hill is a shame but this is made up for when we pick up the ridge walk and Centenary way at the opposite end.  This is stunning walking... the sun has come out and the vale below is swathed in sunlight.

Kings Eye View of the Battlefield

Drop down and I can see an obelisk and investigate, thinking its to do with the Civil War.

Nope - Waterloo based memorial

There is a cache here, but its not been found for a while, last person recorded a DNF and I couldn't find it either.  Head back to the path and look behind me.  The castle, is a pub.

I'd go in, if my boot weren't covered in mud and cow pats

Instead, I make do with the views and thoughts of the battle.

Lovely

Get back to the car and head out past Kineton MOD to find the memorial to the battle.  It's on the side of the road and I am surprised.  Not so much by the flowers, but the strength of the sentiment.

Memorial

Bet they have Charles and Di Tea Towells

The walk has exceeded my expectations.  Great walking with a bit of history thrown in.  Love it.

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.