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.