Meon Shore CITO 2017

The usual affair with an annual CITO (Cache In Trash Out) event on the Meon Shore of Hampshire. Good weather this time... but my best piece of rubbish was this pipe. I think this should become a geocache but got about four or five potential uses for it. Suggestions welcome!

Lockerley ROC bunker

I love a good ROC bunker and went down my third not that long ago.

The ROC bunker in Lockerley Hampshire is where I chose to put my "War Post" letterbox hybrid cache (an ammo can with stamp) which I placed in the summer above ground not far away from the bunker. At the time the bunker was so overgrown that you'd need a machete to get to it! The cache, given its remote location and sturdy nature has meant that maintenance visits are not required!

I returned to the cache a good couple of years later with a friend, however, when we found that a recent visitor had reported that they had been able to get to the bunker and open it!

Right, time for that maintenance visit!! As it was, no maintenance was required but my friend, The Happy Panda, had not done the cache before so for him it was a chance to log and for both of us it was a chance to explore. Even in the early spring the area was still very overgrown but at least you could access the hatch from behind. It was indeed not locked but the lid was very heavy and I wasn't sure if it was going to hold. Importantly we decided to take it in turns to go down in case anything bad should happen. It would be almost impossible to open the lid from the inside and there is no phone signal underground. If you visit a bunker like this with the intention of going down, bring a trusted friend, torches, batteries, phone and whistle and ensure someone stays above the ground at all times. We even had a spare ladder in the car just in case the one in the bunker chose today to rust off and crumble away. They are very old and worn!

Down below it was quite well equipped with its bunk beds and matresses, a frayed rug under a couple of inches of water, tins of pain, cans of food that were rusting away but still unopened (!), cleaning chemicals for the toilet and other odds and ends. Whilst all these ROC bunkers are the same shape and size, each one presents a new adventure in what you'll find down there!

Here's the link to the ROC site and a photos from a visit many years ago.

Giving something back

I've enjoyed geocaching for almost eight years now and I am looking for new ways to give back to the game. So I know some people want to hide caches of their own or host events so that people can enjoy something in return but I have three ideas that should hopefully help enhance geocaching in my local area. Are you able to do any of the following for your local cachers?

Update your trinkets

It's a really simple thing to do, but stock up on small toys and other little trinkets which can really help put some joy back into geocaching. I tend to cache alone or with other adults but I know children tend to enjoy the prospect of finding "treasure". For me the treasure is the Tupperware, but for a lot of children (and some adults!), treasure is what's inside the cache. Surely you've found some pretty sorry excuses for swag before - used train tickets, sticky boiled sweets, leaking batteries. They may all be well-intentioned but they're not fun to find or clear up. Go to your local supermarket or pound shop and just buy a few really nice new items people may actually want to swap. Also, after Christmas be sure to hoover up all the toys that most people quickly lose interest in. I've acquired a nice big supply of cracker toys which will make someone's day more than my own! Even my toy potato was treasured by a young child, and I couldn't understand why anyone would want that at all!

Keep a supply of maintenance materials

It feels good to perform a bit of cache maintenance when you stumble across a neglected or vandalised container. Sometimes it's just that the rain has got in and made the log impossible to sign or the pencil is blunt. Having a supply of spares is very helpful to both the CO and future finders so I seriously recommend purchasing a Geocaching Essentials Kit - I got mine on Amazon here. This has all the basics including spare small pens, pencils and a sharpener. There are also log sheets of various widths for nanos and micros and sealable plastic bags of various sizes too. Finally there's a pair of tweezers to help extract trapped log rolls. This all comes in a nice compact zip-up case about the size of a pencil case and therefore easily taken with you on caching adventures. Perhaps this is a gift worth giving?

Spare cache containers

This one's a bit harder to achieve for a lot of cachers but I am fortunate in that I keep acquiring ideal cache containers which are otherwise destined for a bin. I initially kept the containers for my own hides but when I realised I had dozens and dozens of nifty containers of various sizes I wondered how I could put these to use. Now I haven't the time or inclination to hide them all, but someone in my area will be thinking about setting a new cache and I want to help them if possible. I've therefore designed a new cache called Cache Stash which is a large tub full of various watertight containers which hopefully other cachers can put to good use! I look forward to seeing some of these again. If you have a regular income of suitable cache containers, perhaps you could explore something similar. 

Help yourself, guys! New cache(s) coming soon!

Conquering my phobia of blue question marks!

I have gotten into the habit of ignoring caches that pop up in my inbox if they come with a blue question mark icon. Now that challenge caches are on hold, I can't even get excited about them. I do not have the right type of mind for puzzle-solving so unless it's really simple or spelled out, I am likely to fall at the first hurdle. I like to think that all of the mystery caches I've published have been relatively easy to work out. I haven't had to give out many hints anyway!

So, I've been getting a bit depressed by my caching map.

I can't keep ignoring this problem, hoping it will go away. There are certain cachers in my area (you know who you are!) who keep hiding puzzle caches and I just look at the map with my head in my hands. Fortunately I think things are going to improve, for I have recently purchased this:

This is a large and easy to navigate book and I am hoping it is going to develop my brain so that puzzle-solving becomes second nature to me. I shall have a read then give the nearby puzzles another stab and hopefully get somewhere this time. I know the icon moves location once you've solved it but does anyone else wish that it would change colour or something so that we can see at a glance which ones have been solved?

Once I've read the book and solved all of Hampshire's mystery caches, I'll come back to this blog and show off some smileys where previously there'd only been blue question marks!!

Make It Snappy Camera Content

The content of my first camera load of snaps from "Make It Snappy" at Thruxton Library (GC5NYXC).

Sponsored walk from Salisbury to Winchester

So last May I walked around the Isle of Wight for my chosen charity Crohn's and Colitis UK. At the time I both enjoyed it and struggled to find the enthusiasm to keep my feet moving. But as the time has worn on, I've felt enthused to have another stab at a long walk.

This time I decided to walk from Salisbury Cathedral to Winchester Cathedral for the same cause, most of this was along the Clarendon Way which was about 26 miles. This is quite a common walk to do for fundraising but I was keen not to join a herd but to do it with just a couple of close friends. It's also usual to walk from Winchester but again, I preferred to go the other way for logistical purposes.

At Salisbury Cathedral at 9:15am

Leaving Salisbury

On a rest break with my friends

We met at Winchester Cathedral where we left one car then drove to Salisbury and it was a mile's walk or so just to get to the Cathedral. From there we followed the Clarendon Way markers and enjoyed the sunshine which stayed out the whole way but became a little hot at times.

Roughly at the halfway point

Found a few caches along the way!

Time for another quick rest of the legs!

Funnily enough whilst I can eat and eat when sat down doing relatively little, whilst out walking I very rarely want to eat at all; drink maybe, but not eat! We stopped a couple of times to get a sandwich or small snack from a corner shop but never had a sit down meal.

One of the most picturesque parts of the walk

A rare sight: mud! Shame this was on the bit we didn't need to do!

9:35pm - Winchester Cathedral!

The journey got harder and harder as we became more weary, and especially when we followed the wrong marker and ended up going round in an unnecessary loop. Arriving at a junction and being able to say "I've been here before" bring about that sinking feeling. Still, we persevered and towards the end we were grateful that it was all downhill from Crabwood into Winchester city centre. It took us 12 hours and 20 minutes to complete the walk. We started at 9:15am at Salisbury Cathedral and we got to Winchester Cathedral at 9:35pm. I had a painful left leg for a few days and blisters on both feet but it was worth it for being able to raise over £500 (+ gift aid!) for Crohn's and Colitis UK! Not too late to sponsor me through JustGiving!

Accessorising my bike

I've had my share of bikes during my life so far, but I've either outgrown or neglected them for too long. I have a poor excuse for a bike in Wales that probably needs recycling (no pun intended) because of years of neglect. Whilst I can't see myself riding that one any more, I did get a new bike a few months back, a lovely Muddyfox Country 26" dual suspension mountain bike in what I thought was this shade of bright green:

It's not; it's a sort of shiny olive green but it's still pretty nice. My first green bike. The first time I've ever had to assemble a bike too. Hmm, might want to take advantage of one of those bike services Halfords do to make sure your bike is actually safe...

So the purpose of this blog entry is to begin a journey of renewed determination to keep a bike loved and used for more than just a few months. I am pretty crap on a bike, to be honest. I am slow, uncoordinated and clumsy. And I have no stamina. The first sign of a hill and I'm off pushing it whilst sweating profusely and gasping for air. I am not a very good cyclist... yet.

Really, what I'm aspiring towards is a tenth of the skill of Danny MacAskill. His mountain biking videos are awe-inspiring and I love watching them. My favourite is The Ridge, a challenge he completed in his home country of Scotland in the bleak Cuillin Mountains on the Isle of Skye. Talk about Skye Ride!

So yes, if I can be a confident, safe, and ever so slightly adventurous mountain biker, I will be happy in my progress. I think I will leave road biking well alone; it's controversial but I'd rather see cyclists on the pavement than the road, and I'm speaking from the perspective of a cyclist, a motorist and a pedestrian.

South Downs Way

So, here at the start of my journey I'm going to review and comment upon a few of the extra accessories I've already bought for my bike:

Lights: I'm not entirely sure why I have bought such crap lights to be honest. I think it was the appealing nature of not needing batteries but the faff I had trying to get the magnets to line up properly on my spokes. I don't cycle at night, and something's probably wrong if I'm still out when the sun is setting but I figured that you never know when you will need them. These were from Decathlon.

Pump: Again, a safety thing. I felt a pump would be a useful addition to the bike and decided to mount it to the down tube instead of a bottle holder or bike lock. Ideally, I won't need to use this too often!

Action camera: I had a cheap old one that I used to mount to my helmet with limited success. Thought I'd try it on the handlebars but it's just not a very good camera. I'm going to wait until I can get my hands on a Garmin VIRB or, better still, VIRB X! (Three totally shameless Garmin plugs coming right up!):

eTrex 20 holder: Essential equipment for me, and only cost a couple of pounds. Most of the time, when I'm out on my bike, I'm looking for geocaches. What else? So, having my Garmin eTrex there in front of me on the handlebars is soooo handy and much better than wearing it around my neck whilst cycling. Recommended for any bikacher, even if it is a bit fiddly!

Mud guards: Came back from a muddy ride wishing I'd had these installed so bought some Muddyfox ones from sportsdirect.com - knew they had to fit a Muddyfox bike! Undecided about how best to fit the front one for a while but chose this way in the end to best protect from mud, as intended!

Saris Bones Solo Bike Rack: I was really struggling to track down a good bike rack for one bike. I don't have a big car, the money to throw at a roof rack or a rear tow bar so my options were limited. I spoke with the helpful people who work at Cycle Experience and was recommended the Saris Bones Solo. It was cheap yet looked easy to install and effective. I'm always frightened I haven't fitted my bike properly and it will come off and kill someone so I take ages tightening the straps and making sure the bike itself is secure. It's a bit of a pain because the rear suspension and wide top tube make it slightly the wrong shape to fit as securely as I would like and then I become paranoid. Advice for bike racks gratefully received!!

Clothing: I get it - as a wannabe mountain biker I should be wearing mountain biker clothing. I must have some cyclocross blood in me though because I'd rather be out in road gear and I don't care how uncouth this makes me.

So that's my starter kit fixed. I'm planning to get some action filming done once I've got a VIRB. Maybe I'll get an action shot of me flying over the handlebars - I'm surprised it hasn't happened yet! Until then, my bike will solely continue to be my alternative mode of transport for caching, and that's the outdoor pursuit I will probably always pursue most!

(I'm not a true mountain biker, and I doubt I ever will be. I can't tick most of the boxes in the video below!) Nope, I am a proud "bikacher" and I welcome advice and anecdotes from other geocachers who cache by bike. :)

Geocaching Blogger Interrogation Challenge

Well Washknight has challenged me to answer some questions on geocaching / blogging in his "Geocaching Blogger Interrogation Challenge", so, reminiscent of when reposting Facebook notes was in vogue (I think we were all avoiding writing our dissertations!), here are my answers:

1. When and how did you first get into geocaching?
Summer 2009 I was in the university library, undoubtedly procrastinating (or posting a note on Facebook - see above!) when my boyfriend came along and told me about an activity his housemate had just discovered called "geocaching". He wanted to show me what he was talking about so we headed out and went back to find the first two caches he and his housemates had all tracked down together. On returning to the library, we logged onto geocaching.com and then I entered my postcode and that was it! I saw another one near where I was living, and one in a park, and one by the beach... well I didn't have a GPSr at first so I depended on detailed hints and logs and enlarged satellite imagery from Google Maps. After twenty or so finds, including a virtual in Cyprus, I bought my first GPS unit and the rest, as they say, is history.

2. Do you remember your first find?
Very well. It was actually quite a tricky one, Swansea Micro [later Nano]: Victorian Iron Bridge which was a tiny black magnetic container stuck to a huge black iron bridge structure. Thankfully my boyfriend had already found it so that after a few minutes of struggling, he pointed me in the right direction. My first real solo find was Singleton Wheel #1, and I was chuffed to bits to find one without assistance.

3. What device(s) do you use for locating caches?
My first device was a Garmin eTrex H, you know that really cheap and cheerful yellow device with a black and white screen, which loads of cachers bought because it was miles cheaper than any other device and because when we all start caching we don't really want to fork out hundreds of pounds only to jack in the hobby two months later!

I now cache mainly with my Garmin eTrex 20, a superior update in the eTrex series (see previous article here) and it serves me well with its thumbstick, colour screen and detailed maps courtesy of Talkytoaster! I have attempted to use my iPhone for caching but as I am on PAYG and not a contract, I don't like using up all my data online. I have never had much confidence in the iPhone's GPS capabilities compared to a specialised device anyway and I am extremely brand-loyal to Garmin who make excellent car SatNavs and other navigation technology that I also own and trust.

When caching was ruled by eTreces! (pl?)

4. Where do you live and what is your local area like for geocaching? Density, quality, setting etc.)

I am a Sussex girl by origin but I discovered geocaching whilst living in Swansea where I made some true life-long caching friends (cheesescones, cloudspotter, mitch.mob to name a few) but I now cache mainly in Hampshire. There are plenty of caches in the area, mostly very good in quality but the scenery and locations were all the more stunning in Wales; in Hampshire I am more dependent on creative hides than interesting locations. Fortunately I live in an area rife with challenge caches, my favourite type, whereas Wales is still very much lacking in them which is really disappointing!

5. What has been your most memorable geocache to date, and why?

I've had lots of exciting caching adventures but those shared with friends are the best. My favourites have to include my 500th find, Wind Farm Wilderness in South Wales for the absolutely stunning location (and I am a huge sucker for wind farms!), Dark Side (a fabulous night cache I was FTF on with Fraser-Cole), and Bunkered?, my 2000th milestone with cheesescones looking on as I crawled through a cramped bunker to find the Tupperware! Passers by on the outside couldn't see the aperture I'd crawled in through and assumed she was talking to the wall! 

6. List three essential things you take on a geocaching adventure excluding GPS, pen and swaps.

From a caching perspective, a tool for extracting tiny log books is essential so a pair of tweezers is always worth keeping handy. I also like having a pocket mirror on me to avoid putting my hands in cobwebby or icky places unnecessarily, and a torch is super helpful too. I have a fantastically bright little torch / power bank which you can charge in the cigarette socket of your car, and then also use as a charger, if necessary, for all your other devices. It's super handy and you can even get trackable ones! I bought mine at the Kent Mega from Bodcharger. A camera is also a must, but this is not necessarily linked to geocaching; I just find myself in lots of very cool places on my outdoor adventures.

7. Other than geocaches and their contents, what is the weirdest thing you have discovered whilst out caching?

You get some pretty bizarre rubbish during CITO events sometimes. I found a massive number 30 wreath underneath a fishing platform during the West Midlands Mega!

8. On a scale of 1 to 10 where 1 is I am obsessed by numbers and 10 is I am all about the experience and the quality of each individual cache, where do you put yourself?

Probably bang in the middle at 5. If I had the time was out of work again (which I hope I never am until I retire), I would cache all the time. I just want every single box on my map to be a smiley, so I am quite obsessed with numbers in that respect, and yet I can't afford to be because I don't have the time to cache regularly. When I am pressed for time, I'd rather go get a good one with lots of favourite points than whatever's convenient.

9. Describe one incident that best demonstrates the level of your geocaching obsession.

I was trying to make sure that I filled my calendar so I could claim the challenge cache, A Year, Lost! 365 Days of Caching! and I knew that there was one day I knew I was not going to be able to get out to find one due to other circumstances, so the previous day I waited up and identified a cache 'n' dash then left the house just before midnight so that I could claim the cache just the other side of midnight. Job done!

10. Have you picked up any caching injuries along the way?

Nothing of significance, just the usual scratches and stings from brambles, nettles, gorse, hawthorn etc. I have never landed myself in A&E but I don't trust my tree-climbing abilities so I have to leave those or I'd probably have broken my neck by now. I would love to do more extreme caches but I don't have the equipment myself, nor am I close enough friends to anyone who does. 

11. What annoys you most about other geocachers?

Out in the field: 

• When someone thinks it's clever to write their name lengthways along the entire side of a nano log book. I mean, why?! 
• Rehiding the cache where they would rather it was. I had to do a lot of maintenance for one of my caches because people kept putting it back where they would rather find it, which then made the hint wrong and defeated the purpose.

Online:

• "TFTC" log on a cache that you spent absolutely ages planning and making. I don't expect an essay, but something a little more imaginative is appreciated! 
• Geocaching politics. I just want to enjoy going outdoors and finding containers, not have to find yet another row or bickering on the Facebook pages because someone's thrown all their toys out the pram. I could never be on a committee because it would sap all the fun out of caching for me.

12. What is the dumbest thing you have done whilst out caching?

Done several dumb things whilst caching, but I remember following some reflective markers on a night cache once until they suddenly disappeared and a cat ran away!

13. What do your non-caching friends and family think of your hobby?

They all understand and humour me. A few of friends have asked to come with me and one of my colleagues is slowly getting hooked! My husband, who despite introducing me to geocaching, never wants to come along but lets me go enjoy myself. We enjoy travelling so it's a perfect excuse for me to tick off more counties and countries.

14. What is your default excuse you give to muggles who ask what you are up to of if you need help?

"I'm geocaching, you probably haven't heard of it: It's an online treasure-hunt." I don't want lie to anyone, especially not the police, who have only asked me once. You never know, you might find that they know what caching is and want to help. 

15. What is your current geocaching goal, if you have one?

I am one step away from completing the Up the 13 Steps Challenge cache but I would also like to complete as many challenge caches as possible so I keep an eye on their requirements when they pop up.

16. Do you have a nemesis cache that despite multiple attempts you have been unable to find?

Not at the moment, I don't think. Recent nemesis caches have included:

• A Half-Jasmer Challenge Cache in Dorset which I found eventually and as it was inspired by one of my own caches, I was absolutely determined to find it! 
• The Park in the Dark which a friend and I struggled for hours with on two occasions and were feeling a little depressed by all the "easy find" type logs others had left.
• SideTracked - Southampton Airport Parkway which I had failed to find numerous times for three years despite being an easy one. It was on a bridge by the railway station near the airport and I was looking over the edge when the police stopped me and asked me what I was doing. Aware that I may have looked like I was planting a bomb, I was actually relieved to find that they thought I was suicidal. I explained caching and they made some suggestions for where I might find it (which were rubbish, but I didn't tell them that!) then DNFd for the umpteenth time. I found it eventually, and it really was very straight forward do I have no idea why I made such a pig's ear of it!

17. What three words or phrases best sum up what geocaching means to you?

Outdoors, adventure, challenges.

18. What prompted you to start blogging about geocaching?

No idea, really. I wanted to see if I could get to grips with Blogger and geocaching was an area of interest to me so I used it as my basis for blogging. In reality I don't write much on my blog and don't tend to read them either. I've been a long-term creator and manager of full websites rather than blogs, my main ones being for the video game Metal Gear Solid and about my faith, Why Believe in Jesus? 

19. Which of your blog entries are you most proud of?

I wouldn't say I was proud of any of them really. It's not like I've done lots of research or hard work for any of my entries on my this particular blog. I wrote a bit about my adventures caching by bike once, which is something I would like to do more of as I am now cycling more than I used to and it is becoming a hobby in its own right. 

My best publications have been in FTF Geocacher magazine which I contribute to fairly regularly and have never missed an issue. I think it's absolutely fantastic and I feel very privileged to have my contributions on its pages sometimes.

20. Which other geocaching blogs do you enjoy reading?

As mentioned above, I don't blog much myself, or follow any others. My online time is normally spent poring over maps! I think it was Tortoiseshell's blog that got me thinking about blogging about caching but I have also watched a few vlogs on YouTube too. The late Sven's, though sometimes controversial because of their spoilers, were always good value.

Blog of blogs

If you're reading this then chances are you are a geocacher and you like blogs.

Obviously as geocachers we all have very different experiences of caching and interesting and exciting experiences to share and my blog is not exactly updated often so I have great pleasure in sharing a caching blog with you which you can use as a directory for other caching blogs. Yes, a blog of blogs!

Washknight has kindly added Fun-Gal-Caching to his list of blogs, and has done lots of research into other caching blogs and summarises each one so you can find the type of information you're interested in. Check it out here!

Seven Sisters Sheep Centre

Not a caching adventure this one, but a fun morning in East Sussex worth mentioning. My husband and I had a leaflet for attractions in Sussex and we were drawn to the Seven Sisters Sheep Centre in East Dene near Eastbourne. It's obviously great for children who love newborn animals, and there certainly were a lot of young families there, but it's not exclusively for children and parents!

In the spring it is open for people to come and see newborn lambs, and feed some extremely tame ewes and rams. There are also times of day when you can feed orphan lambs from a bottle, such a fun and rewarding experience. The centre has lots of other animals to see and touch too - rabbits, guinea pigs, goats, ducks, geese, pigs, cows, chickens, donkeys, ponies etc. and there's plenty to keep children entertained. There's a play area and frequent tractor rides. The on site cafe and gift shop are good too.

In the summer you can watch the sheep being sheared and have cuddle sessions with some of the animals. There are also opportunities to try out shepherding. I think we will go back later in the year to try these new experiences!

If you are considering visiting, check out their website and Trip Advisor so you make the most of your visit.