Cache 22 part 2, another grave, and ducks

Posted by Amy

Life doesn’t seem to leave much time for keeping this blog updated, but I’ll try and fill in the last month or so!

Firstly how we escaped from the reservoirs…. So we were standing on one side of the valley looking down at the dam that the footpath normally crossed, which now was a building site. The sign near the entrance didn’t seem to particularly indicate that the footpath had been closed or diverted, so we decided to make a go of it. After finding the little mans cave cache we made our way stealthily past the portacabin offices, and then moved quite quickly across the dam. About half way out a man came out and may have shouted something, but we had already squeezed out way through the fences blocking the path at the other end!

From there we climbed steeply up the other side of the valley, stopped briefly for a snackette, then found what turned out to be out penultimate cache of the day. Our next cache proved elusive, despite us searching everywhere we thought it could be and getting rather chilly, and the coordinates of the next took us right into the middle of the moor, with nowhere we could think to hide a cache. Feeling a bit deflated we made our way to the top of Knowl Hill where we had the most amazing views of all Littleborough, Rochdale, most of Greater Manchester and even to the snow on the hills in the Peak District! Descending a little way we found the K@’s Mountain Cache, and tried to find Wickers Hike 1 to no avail. Finally making it back to the car, feeling a bit tired but pleased with ourselves for a good days caching, we decided to drive a little way along a potholey track to find a cache left by a Scout group, but this turned out to be another disappointment, and given it was hailing quite heavily we didn’t feel particularly inclined to search for very long. It turned out that for the caches we couldn’t find I’d copied the coordinates down wrong….this probably indicates that recording where caches are at past midnight isn’t that good idea! Still 22 out of 26 wasn’t too bad!

The next day, having been thoroughly bitten by the geocaching bug, I decided to check if there were any caches near my Grandma’s house in Lancaster, who I was visiting. To my delight there was one a pleasant 15 minutes walk away, so after hastily putting a photo of me, Tom and Pete on the USB TB, I headed out accompanied by my mum. We wandered up to the Torrisholm Barrow (not that we have an obsession with graves….!), which I’d never been to before, where there were pretty amazing views over to Morecambe and across to my grandmas. Sadly there are plans to construct a ‘monster’ bypass for lorries on stilts across here, something that’s opposed by most of the local residents.

Having converted my mum to the wonders of geocaching, we decided to visit a couple on our walk in the Yorkshire Dales later in the week. We parked in the carpark near the …………. Pavillion at an extortionate rate of £5.50, and then walked along the path along the river. It was a very pleasant, easy going path along the river, that took us to a bridge over the River Warfe. The GPS did initially seem a little confused and didn’t seem to be able to make up it’s mind about where the cache should be, so we crossed over to the other side and sat eating out lunch accompanied by some very inquisitive ducks. We realised that the cache was probably on the other side, so we went back and checked, and found it in a very secure ammo box. We found a rather cool unicorn TB. Continuing along the river to Barden we did a bit of a loop to find the next cache. It took us a while to find as the GPS didn’t like the trees, but eventually we followed the footprints of what we presumed to be other geocachers in the mud and found the cache, taking a keyring TB.

The rest of the walk was very enjoyable, even if there were no caches. Continuing along the road for a while, until we decided eventually to ignore the ‘private woodland’ signs, and cut along the paths running through them. These were a little confusing to follow I have to admit, and we did see a rather strange looking trap, though we couldn’t work out what kind of animal they were trying to kill. We emerged from the woods, and joined a more conventional root that went quite steeply onto the tops, with the rain beginning ahead of the time predicted! We walked along the tops, and descended to our car though a very pretty valley, before having a cup of hot chocolate in the café, while watching the ducks enjoy the rain.

It was a cache 22 situation

Last week we decided to take a giant hike alson a large set of cache in witworth around knowl hill, we set of early after noon and we hoped to get a full 32 caches. We arrived at our starting position and put on our boots to the greesy but lovely smell of the burger van in the car park. Unfortunately we had no time for fast food as we had some serious fast caching to get on with. he first cache was easy an so we moved strait on to the second this involved moving over a wild meddow of tusoc grass,(I never knew you could really wade through grass) as we did so we got a fantastic view of the new wind farm being built. Hot and sweaty from the meddow crossing we started searching around for the second cache and again found it with very little difficulty. With the sun out we moved off to the next cache. As we did so we got a fantastic view of the vally below. From his we were rather alarmed to see a large pillar of smoke rising from the area of Bloton (we never found out what it was). Now at both the second and first caches there had been logs left from the same day from a person name Mick, from the log we had suspected that it was a person we know our old octopush coach (octorpush is alsoknown as under water hocky and is exactly what it wounds like, basically lots of snorkels flippers, and violence) anyway when we again saw his name in this third log we started to speculate wildly that we could actually be doing the same set of Caches s as our freind. We headed on to our fourth cache which was situated in some ruinins and search for nearly 20 minuets before actually finding it when we did we started to examine the the area of land where we expected the next cache to be and lo and behod we see two figures in the exact spot where it should be... now we had more than just wild ideas cold this actually be Mick and Helen(His wife). Well now we just had to see if it was them. We set of a t afurious pace sure tha wecould catch them and get all the caches on the way, so we thundered along untill be arrived where they had been. Of course they had moved on but we were catching up and at this cache we found definate evidence that it was indeed them we found mick's calling card with a picture of a snorkeler on it and a time showing that he was only 20minuets in front of us. We took off and found the next two caches with lightning efficiencey. Now we were onto the same cache as they were and we raced off confindent that we could catch them while they searched for the cache...we did!!! and it was mick which was a good job too otherwise we ould have looked totally insane! After excanging pleasentries and geocaching tales they set off on their way back and we had lunch. We at this point realised that unless we were planning to walk on in the dark (not somthing we planned on doing) we would have to rethink our 32 caches and settle for somthing a little more mundane like 25 . We set off at the same break neck speed and because of this we at first over shot the cache and had to head back but we gotit in the end. Realising that no matter the rush we still had o be vigilant we found the next two caches. The next again took us agaes as it was so masterfully hidden. At this point i feel the need to describe the weather which was fuctuating between hail and glorious sunshine, which is annoying weather for geocaching as you don't know wether or not to take off your cagool. we took the next several caches at a furious pace and admired the windfarm up close in a vicious bout of hail. It was when we looked down at the resavours that we were supposed to cross tghat things got interestion....however, it late and i will give you all parttwo soon

A geocaching tour of Littleborough.....part 2

Posted by Amy

So continuing the tale...... After Tom and Kate had left to catch the bus, me and Pete took a path of the main track to head towards the Hidden Water #1 cache. It turned out that this wasn't really the path we had thought (it wasn't marked on the map) so we headed across country following the bearing from the GPS. It wasn't too bad going (although it could be a bit squelchy if it had been wet), and we made it quite easily to the 'hidden water'. Making our way a little way around the mere we soon located the cache. Unfortunately the lid of the box was cracked, so the log was a little damp, but we managed to write an entry. We also found a travelbug (the Molly TB), which we took, and left some paper cranes. This was a lovely peaceful spot, and probably my favourite cache of the day! We then made our way back to the main track along the path that we had originally intended to take. Avoiding about 6 or 7 cars leaving the nearby golf course we made our way back to Peter's house.

After dropping Kate off at the bus, Tom met me and Pete on the canal and we headed homewards for the last cache of the day. This was the Top Road cache that Tom had planted the day before. Tom accompanied us, but left the searching to us with the GPS. We found the cache quite easily, and to our delight (and suprise!) someone had already visited the cache earlier that day, taking the Joker card! Tom left the diabetes travelbug we had found at K@'s eye view in the first cache of the day, and we took nothing. A good end to a brilliant days geocaching!

A cache tour of Littleborough

Me, Kate, Amy and Pod spent an entire day Geocaching around Littleborough, it was a very good day. We set off from Pod's house, and had a great track though a small wood, and came to Hollingworth Lake Country Park. We knew that the cache was within a 100m radius of where we were, unfortunately it took us a full 20 minuets to find it. A full 20 minutes of wandering through bog and crawling through thorns. We did eventually find the cache and in it was a travel bug( a travel bug is a trackable item that is tracked via a code on the geoacaching website). We moved on to the second cache of the day that was at a car park near Hollingworth Lake and found it with very little difficulty, inside was a plastic man with a parachute, which me and Peter obviously wanted to take, but Kate and Amy told us was immature, we agreed, and instead took a goblin finger puppet. We then sought out a micro cache( a cache containing only a small log) but unfortunately it eluded us. Felling hungry we foraged for food at Mr Thomas' chippy and had a brilliant chippy lunch that was enjoyed by the whole group. Our hunger satiated, we sent a small way round the lake to find the third cache of the day. This one I fell upon by accident by nearly relieving myself on it! Luckily I spotted it in time, and only logged our entry instead. We moved off towards our penultimate cache. We dropped down into Hollingworth Lake caravan park, a colourful, but mad little place more suited to Blackpool than Littleborough, but interesting non the less. Suddenly from above there came a roar... I was not aware that dogs could roar but take my word for it they can. Anyway we made our way onto Deep Lane, a lovely old path leading from Littleborough to Milnrow which is flanked by stands of holly trees. From here ascended Castle Hill and found the cache with very little event. (Appart from Amy getting pricked by nasty thorns) Unfortunately the cache was flooded, so we took nothing and left the card wrapped in a plastic sleeve. We then flew some kites we had brought from the top of the hill, while overlooking the motorway. We then passed under the motorway and then went over it again, passing a strange grey caravan on a private road. ( I suggest that anyone who ever crosses a motorway bridge stands to one side and watches the oncoming lorrys pass under you... it looks like they will hit.... it's really fun trust me...again.) Me and Kate then, due to a timing mistake made by me, decided we didn't have time before Kate's bus to go to the last cache, so we had to head to Littleborough centre, and Pod and Amy went on to find the cache so the story continues with them....

Another cemetery???

No i'm not some sort of graveyard stalker, its just the way that geocaching works you never know what your going to find. Anyway... as Me and KAte were going into manchester with fellow MBET member Pod and a group of others we decided to nab one that was very close to victoria station. The cache's name was "St Micheals feild" so it only took a moerate ammount of searching to find. We did and the whole group was very happy to do so. This is a superb area of manchesteran oasis of calm in what can be a very busy city. The feild is commonly known as "The flags" although a cursory glance around this small park will reveal that there are no flags. During the asiatic cholera epedemic that struck Manchester during the idustrial revelution it was used as a mass grave fo the poor and was capped with beautiful stone flag that over time unfortunately have been stolen. If you want to try your had a geocaching or already are one i would suggest this cache as well as the general area for a visit.

Geocaching with the dead!!!!!!

When you need something to do on a sunny Sunday afternoon Geocaching is a good way to wile away the afternoon with some entertaining insanity. Basically you look on this website (http://www.geocaching.com/) and it tells you the location of caches is the area that you choose then you have to go and find it. It sound simple but it's not!!!!!!! You only get a grid reference or a GPS location and the cache(A box containing a log book and goodies that people leave to be found) is hidden. Anyway on with the story to read it you need to highlight it (It's hidden sothat if i describe where it is i don't ruin it for some)

A travel experiment by Tom and Kate We decided to visit "Dead centre of Rochdale" a cache located not 2miles from where we were sat watching "Malcolm in the Middle" we set off and had an uneventfull trip to the area. It was only when we started to draw close that we started to realise how aptly name this particular cache was....it's in the cemetery!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! .....anyway we accidentally walked past the cemetery so we entered by an unconventional manne (we climbed over a wall and then through the bushes) we headed straight for the giant tree on the far south west of the cemetery, unfortually on the picture on google earth wads taken in the summer (there were no leaves on the tree when we got there) and the landcape looked a little different. So we went to tree that we thought it was and seqarched high and low around it but found nothing :0 so we wndered aropund the entire cemetary searching high and searching for the cach thinking that we had got the wrong tree but with no luck, we decided to head back looking depressed, which was rather more appropriate than the smiling and joking mood that we had been on in entering the cemetery. We decided to have one last look at the tree, kate climbed up and descovered that Dave would be famous and i checked inder the concrete at the base of the tree it was there all the time !!!!!!! very happy to have found it we wrote our message left a playing card with the blog address on (the MBET) calling card and took a Gorden the steam engine spinning top. If you read this because of finding the card please contact us and tell us and pass it on to another cache please, we are trying to send them as far as possible.

Hope you enjoyed our avdenture hopefully more to come.