25/4/11 - Habberley Valley Geotrail

Distance - 4.5 Miles
Number of caches - 11
Number found - 10
First cache

Habberley Valley Geocaching at EveryTrail


Wasn't sure whether to go today.... I looked at this trail and the lack of clues and some older logs meant that this was going to be a tough and igenious round.  As I am not the greatest at looking for things, I thought Mrs Mappiman would come and give me a hand... after all, she is the first port of call for when ever anything is put away missing in the house.

Alas, she was in the gym, along with generation +1 and generation -1, so I went out alone in Nature's gym to find this.  This is a small walk, but a couple of stiff climbs but you are rewarded with stunning views.  Good trails and all caches on footpaths to make it a very good circular walk.

I am proud of myself that I managed 10 out of 11 on a solo trip, as most had no clues and were incedibly well contrived.  Thanks to Captain Parsley for a stunning round.  In the interests of letting others enjoy the search, I cannot say anything here or in the logs but there is plenty to smile about on this round.

The other great thing is that I spend a lot of time travelling the country looking for the most beautiful locations and at times on this walk, I have forgotton that some of them exist on my own doorsteps.  Click on the everytrail link for some of the scenery photos.  Others below

Track

Stream part of the Walk

Miserable Labradoodle - Why do we spend so much time hanging around in the woods?

Released my first travelbug in one of the caches - lets see how far this goes.

A stunning collection of caches.  Highly recommended.

24/4/11 - Enville - but where's the hill?

Walk - One Hundred Hill Walks around Birmingham
Distance - 7 Miles
Geocaches - 8

Enville at EveryTrail


There was a major problem with this walk - despite it appearing as walk 97 in One Hundred Walks around Birmingham, there was no hill in the actual walk.  I can only assume that Richard Shurey was running out of locations as he neared the end of his book.

After taking in the first cache at a bench opposite the church, we headed into someone's back garden to pick up the Staffordshire Way.

Not trespassing, but if it was my garden, I would have built a dividing fence

Staffs way on the start of the walk.

The Staffs Way is a good path.  I have followed it south from here through the Enville Estate before but this is the first time I have headed north.  One huge cache on the way to Lutley.  Nothing at Lutley, but we turn right, still following the Staffs Way and Sonia demonstrates why she is useless at Hide and Seek.

Can you see me?

This leads on to Mere Hall Farm, with its Menagerie of animals - everything from a Peacock, to Llamas.  There is a cache here called "Animal Farm" and I ask Sonia what she thinks its is called and she replies "Donkey Derby".

More Midlands exotic wildlife.

After passing through the pools, we come off the Staffs way onto Highgate Common. More tiny caches here and lots of dog walkers.  Nice area, as you walk under the light planes coming into Halfpenny Green airport.  Again, nice walking.

Highgate Common

After walking through the common and realising there is no hill on this walk, we have a long, disappointing trudge back down lanes that are busy with cars - all 4x4 types whizzing down.  This is a pain and a sad end to the walk. 

Quite a releif to eventually get back to Enville... unfortunately, 20 mins too early for the Cat to be open, so we return home to find Ellie has covered the Kitchen, iPad and everything in between in Rock Cake goo.  Still, they were nice.

Pleased to get home.

22/04/11 - Stella with Mappiman

Distance - 10.3 Miles
Walk from - CW Magazine Sep 2008
Number of cache - Only Two
First Cache

The Slad Valley at EveryTrail


At school, they forced us to read Laurie Lee's Cider with Rosie.  They would have been better served if they had bought us on a field trip to the area where the book was set.  Although, I doubt the 15 year old me would have appreciated it as much as I did today.

The Slad valley always appears on Britains Best walks lists - including the top 100 that Country Walking Magazine put together.  Ticking these off has to be another life goal, so on a glorious bank holiday, I packed my camel pack and camera and headed off to Painswick.

Painswick represented the half way point when I completed the Cotswolds Way four years ago.  I completed it over two weekends, so was picked up after stage 1 and dropped off for stage 2.  As a result, I haven't explored the town before, but dropping down the steep streets, there are myriad shops and pubs tucked away.  The Royal Oak was a very welcome stop off place on my return and the Stella was well earned.

Once dropping to the Valley floor, I climbed up through Cockshoot and Blackstable woods.  This was good walking with excellent view of Painswick in the distance.  The woods provided a bit of shade from the Sun, which meant that my hat and glasses, which undoubtedly made me the coolest walker in Slad, were not really required.  A few photo opportunities.

Painswick From Cockshoot

Coolest Walker in Slad - My dog's arse

Bluebells

A little bit of roadwalking - although very quiet country lanes, before picking up the most scenic part of the route in the valley at Famish Hill near the Camp.  This was exceptionally beautiful and I had the place to myself.  It's a lengthy stretch of walking, climbing up and down the valley sides and criss crossing the valley floor. Frequent gasper stops were required to survive Nature's gym.

I speak dog - she said "What are you doing?"

After all this strenuous walking in the sunshine, we arrive at Swift's hill.  The route doesn't actually require me to climb this one last stretch, but there is a cache at the top, so it would have been rude not to.  I am rewarded with the best views of the day, looking out to Stroud in the distance.  It was a bit too hazy to make a good photo, but I did stop for a while to drink in the views.

Time to roll over and nap.

Convice the dog to pose... there is a treat in it for her - no walking tomorrow.

There are other humans on this hill - for the first time today.  Being at one with nature must have brought the romance in a couple of 60 year olds.  As I walked down off the hill they were lay down in a passionate embrace.  We respected their privacy and gave them a wide berth.

Another drop down into the outskirts of Slad (some expecptional properties here) and have another stiff climb up to woods.  I must admit, after nine miles of this, I am getting a bit fed up with another climb, but I know that I am not far from the pub now.  Get up onto a long wooded ridge through woods, emerging at Bull's cross for my 2nd and final cache of the day.

Then, it's just a question of the drop and climb through Painswick.  Decided on the Royal Oak, not because it was the first pub on route, but because of its promised of good food (met) and beer (met).  Sat in the garden, eavesdropping on a group of ladies planning their route on the Cotswolds Way.

A great way to enjoy the unseasonably warm Easter and another top 100 walk ticked off my bucket list.

11/4/11 - Capital Ring Phase 2

Distance - 4 Miles
Starting Point - Falconwood
Ending Point - Grove Park
Number of Caches -2
Walk Details
Stage 1

Capital Ring Phase 2

Having never been to Falconwood before, who would have thought I would be back so soon.  Take the train  from Waterloo East to Falconwood and avoid the temptation of going for a chicken and ribs combo again and head off.  The skies are omninous and although it never rains too much, the hood is up for a large part of this walk.

I modified the start slightly to take in a couple of caches on the Green Chain walk, which the Capital Ring shares for many miles along the route.  The caches are straightforward and there are only two but at least I have recorded some progress on this odyssey.

Interesting building number 1 is the Eltham Conduit... there is no sign or anything saying what it was or did, but it looked interesting enough to warrant a photo.

Answers on a Postcard

This soon leads to Eltham Palace.  You have to pay to get in, and the Website says that it is worth it.  I tried to sneak a peak over the walls.  Didn't get a photo that did it justice.... so I lifted one from the web.

This leads onto St John's Walk which is easily the best part of the walk.  I almost didn't notice, as the texts were coming in about the boy being safe and well in America but look to your right for an awesome panorama of the City.  I think we are about 5 miles from Canary Wharf but you can pick out all the major structures from St Pauls, to Post Office Tower and the Eye.  What is amazing is how the Shard is going to dominate the sky line.

Lots of Photos on the everytrail link.

What I am circumnavigating

From this ancient walk way, I am deposited in Mottingham... this looks a nicer part of London than both where I start and finish on the walk.  Across a few fields and I walking alongside the wonderfully monikered Quaggy River.  It looked like an open sewer, if the truth is told.

The one rule I have on this walk is stop at any pub on route.  Phase 1 had a grand total of 1 - at the end.  Phase 2 follows suit.  I checked Grove Park on google maps and the Baring Hall hotel looked like it would do.  You can zoom in and read the menu.

Alas, like all explorers, I had to man up and cope with the major adversity on reaching the destination.

No tea for Mappiman

20:03 Back from Grove Park back into Charing Cross and a closer look at many of the sites that I could see in the distance.  A quick visit to the Coach and Horses on Romilly Street.  If you are ever in London go to this pub.  They have a cockney knees up on the old joanna on a Wednesday.