Saturday 19th December
We hadn’t had the forecast snow at home but it was cold, frosty and bright sunshine so we drove to Ticknall and parked in the community centre. We followed the footpath beside the cricket pitch and into the new woodland where there was a smattering of snow on the floor. We found Bolt on By cache and then continued our walk towards Foremark. The views were good as it was so crisp and clear. We followed the footpath towards Bendalls farm and then walked along the road and into Foremark reservoir. We stopped at the visitor centre for a cup of chocolate, sitting on the snow covered benches - good job our trousers are waterproof! We then walked on to find a Cup of Tea beside the Sea cache. This was a bit strange as it was a sandy bay which looked like the seaside instead of beside a reservoir, although today the sand was covered in snow and white rocks in the water looked like ice-bergs! We continued through the reservoir park following a couple with a dog. At one stage the man climbed over the fence as the dog’s ball had gone over. As soon as the man got over the fence the dog jumped over and collected his ball himself!
We left Foremark and crossed the road to a footpath. We followed the path to The Scaddows and alongside strawberry fields (must remember this walk next summer!) where we lost the footpath for a while. A lady came out of her house and pointed us in the right direction. The last path was followed back to Ticknall. We walked through the churchyard which had several ruined arches standing in the grounds, the remains of a previous church. We had had a lovely walk of about 9.4km kicking through the snow and jumping in the icy puddles! Unfortunately I have mislaid my camera somewhere and so could not take any pictures.
Thursday 31 December 2009
Wednesday 30 December 2009
Lincoln Christmas Fair
Thursday 3rd December
We were up and hitched up by about 10.15 and arrived at Whisby at about 12. We are staying with South Lincs DA again for the Christmas Fair rally.
It was very cold and wet, the field is a bit boggy but ok. We decided against putting up the awning as it was so muddy. We caught the rally bus at 4.30 and got to Lincoln at about 5. We walked round the fair looking at things and eating lots of nice food. We had mulled wine and mince pie, some roasted nuts, then stopped for a hog roast roll with apple sauce. We bought some xmas tree decorations,ostrich steaks, kangaroo burgers and danish pastries. We had had enough by 7 so caught the bus back to the caravan.
Friday 4th December
We had a panic this morning as when I cooked the toast, smoke was coming from the back of the oven. We realised that the t-bag that John had dropped in the vent during the summer was now dry and smoldering on top of the grill. The smoke carried on for some time but then stopped. Hopefully it is now burnt out.
It was lovely and sunny, so we thought we would take advantage and go for a walk. We drove to Skellingthorpe, only 10 minutes away and parked in the community centre. We then walked along the disused railway finding a series of caches. They were all micros, but were hidden quite cleverly. We managed to find all 10 and then did the sums to find the final. It was a nice walk with good views and was surprisingly warm. The final cache was halfway back towards the car. We had walked about 10km by the time we got back to the car.
Saturday 5th December
We were ready early so decided to catch the 11 am bus which we only just got on. We were planning on doing a few caches, so set off to the conservatory to get some information. The fair was packed and it was almost impossible to move; you couldn't see any of the stalls as you were swept along in the crush. We finally got in to the conservatory and sat and had a coffee. We got out of the crush and walked to do the Seldom Seen series, they were all in nice little gardens around the city which are often overlooked . We eventually found our way down to the river and called into the Horse and Groom for some lunch. It took them over an hour to produce the sandwiches, by which time we had gone past hunger. While sitting there we discovered we were 40m from a cache, so went out and found a few along the waterfront before slowly making our way up Steep Hill, which was still packed. We went for hot chocolate at the referectory in the cathedral and then went into the cathedral for the carol's by candlelight service. We had planned on staying in Lincoln to eat, but it was pouring with rain and still crowded so we headed back to catch the 7pm bus.
Sunday 6th December
It poured with rain in the morning. We packed most stuff away and then went over to the Pride of Lincoln where there was a geocaching event. We went in to meet some new gcers and a few we hadmet before. We had lunch and a chat and then went back to hitch up the caravan. Everything was very wet but we got off the field ok and were home by 3.30.
We were up and hitched up by about 10.15 and arrived at Whisby at about 12. We are staying with South Lincs DA again for the Christmas Fair rally.
It was very cold and wet, the field is a bit boggy but ok. We decided against putting up the awning as it was so muddy. We caught the rally bus at 4.30 and got to Lincoln at about 5. We walked round the fair looking at things and eating lots of nice food. We had mulled wine and mince pie, some roasted nuts, then stopped for a hog roast roll with apple sauce. We bought some xmas tree decorations,ostrich steaks, kangaroo burgers and danish pastries. We had had enough by 7 so caught the bus back to the caravan.
Friday 4th December
We had a panic this morning as when I cooked the toast, smoke was coming from the back of the oven. We realised that the t-bag that John had dropped in the vent during the summer was now dry and smoldering on top of the grill. The smoke carried on for some time but then stopped. Hopefully it is now burnt out.
It was lovely and sunny, so we thought we would take advantage and go for a walk. We drove to Skellingthorpe, only 10 minutes away and parked in the community centre. We then walked along the disused railway finding a series of caches. They were all micros, but were hidden quite cleverly. We managed to find all 10 and then did the sums to find the final. It was a nice walk with good views and was surprisingly warm. The final cache was halfway back towards the car. We had walked about 10km by the time we got back to the car.
Saturday 5th December
We were ready early so decided to catch the 11 am bus which we only just got on. We were planning on doing a few caches, so set off to the conservatory to get some information. The fair was packed and it was almost impossible to move; you couldn't see any of the stalls as you were swept along in the crush. We finally got in to the conservatory and sat and had a coffee. We got out of the crush and walked to do the Seldom Seen series, they were all in nice little gardens around the city which are often overlooked . We eventually found our way down to the river and called into the Horse and Groom for some lunch. It took them over an hour to produce the sandwiches, by which time we had gone past hunger. While sitting there we discovered we were 40m from a cache, so went out and found a few along the waterfront before slowly making our way up Steep Hill, which was still packed. We went for hot chocolate at the referectory in the cathedral and then went into the cathedral for the carol's by candlelight service. We had planned on staying in Lincoln to eat, but it was pouring with rain and still crowded so we headed back to catch the 7pm bus.
Sunday 6th December
It poured with rain in the morning. We packed most stuff away and then went over to the Pride of Lincoln where there was a geocaching event. We went in to meet some new gcers and a few we hadmet before. We had lunch and a chat and then went back to hitch up the caravan. Everything was very wet but we got off the field ok and were home by 3.30.
Tuesday 29 December 2009
All Tooled Up
Monday 30th November
We decided to do a different sort of cache today. We sorted out a tool kit and drove to Croft to do a cache called "All Tooled Up". We were quite impressed when we walked into the playground beside the car park as there was an outdoor adult playground included. There were exercise bikes, rowing machines, ski simulators etc for a bit of a work-out. We walked across a playing field and the first task was to extract a film cannister from a hole, using the bit of cane we had brought. We collected the co-ords, and then onto the next stage where we had to find some numbers stamped on a gatepost. They were very small and required a magnifying glass. The next stage was missing but it didn't matter as there was only one footpath to follow. On the bridge over the river some more numbers were stamped. The next two stages involved using a magnet to remove a bolt, and a spanner to extract a bolt.The co-ordinates were stamped on the shaft of the bolts. We followed round the church to a tree where we had to use a bit of steel to pull out a bolt. Then into a new woodland where the co-ords were attatched to a chain inside a long tube. We had to make a hook to pull the chain up. We were then stumped, as the footpath was closed and the diversion was under a foot of water. We walked via the road to find the last clue but could not get to the cache as the bridge was also under water. It had been good fun solving all the clues even if we hadn't got the final cache. We will have to come back in the Summer when the water level has gone down a bit. We walked on to do "Neither on the hill or the hole" cache which was found easily and then we walked to the top of the hill where we had good views of the quarry and Leicestershire.
We decided to do a different sort of cache today. We sorted out a tool kit and drove to Croft to do a cache called "All Tooled Up". We were quite impressed when we walked into the playground beside the car park as there was an outdoor adult playground included. There were exercise bikes, rowing machines, ski simulators etc for a bit of a work-out. We walked across a playing field and the first task was to extract a film cannister from a hole, using the bit of cane we had brought. We collected the co-ords, and then onto the next stage where we had to find some numbers stamped on a gatepost. They were very small and required a magnifying glass. The next stage was missing but it didn't matter as there was only one footpath to follow. On the bridge over the river some more numbers were stamped. The next two stages involved using a magnet to remove a bolt, and a spanner to extract a bolt.The co-ordinates were stamped on the shaft of the bolts. We followed round the church to a tree where we had to use a bit of steel to pull out a bolt. Then into a new woodland where the co-ords were attatched to a chain inside a long tube. We had to make a hook to pull the chain up. We were then stumped, as the footpath was closed and the diversion was under a foot of water. We walked via the road to find the last clue but could not get to the cache as the bridge was also under water. It had been good fun solving all the clues even if we hadn't got the final cache. We will have to come back in the Summer when the water level has gone down a bit. We walked on to do "Neither on the hill or the hole" cache which was found easily and then we walked to the top of the hill where we had good views of the quarry and Leicestershire.
Monday 21 December 2009
Caching and the search for a new GPS
Tuesday 17th November
We decided on a trip to Nottingham to have a look at new GPS’s. We caught the park and ride (£4 per car) and got to the town at about 11. We first found a micro cache at Fletchers gate and then followed the GPS past the station and towards "Nutts in Nott’s" cache. This had been a puzzle cache which had had interesting logs posted on the web site so we felt we had to give it a go. We ended up near Anchor Supplies in an industrial estate. We spotted the "Geocachers Welcome" sign so wandered in. It was an Army surplus store and was filled with ammo boxes, old bits of artillery and various other equipment. We knew we were looking for an ammo box but didn’t fancy searching through all the boxes on display. We wandered up and down for a while and then someone gave us a knowing grin. He pointed out the Geocaching sign on a shop door. We hadn’t thought that it would be inside the shop -being against geocaching rules. We went in and the assistants grinned and we soon spotted a small museum, where we found the correct ammo box. The shop owner came over and had quite a chat with us. He has become very interested in Geocaching recently and was pleased to meet so many people in the shop. We eventually got away and walked towards the Trent where we found another micro cache before heading back towards the city. Our last cache was by the station – there had been youths lurking when we had walked past earlier but they had now gone. However, just as we had retrieved the cache a transit van full of police turned up and parked opposite. We felt a bit suspicious relacing the cache under their gaze. We had some lunch in the Salutation (very uninspiring) and then went to Blacks where we found both the Dakota and Oregon GPS on display. John tried the Dakota but found that the compass was dificult to calibrate.The Oregon was nice, with a big screen and extra functions. Looks like his birthday present might be ordered on-line when we get home!
We decided on a trip to Nottingham to have a look at new GPS’s. We caught the park and ride (£4 per car) and got to the town at about 11. We first found a micro cache at Fletchers gate and then followed the GPS past the station and towards "Nutts in Nott’s" cache. This had been a puzzle cache which had had interesting logs posted on the web site so we felt we had to give it a go. We ended up near Anchor Supplies in an industrial estate. We spotted the "Geocachers Welcome" sign so wandered in. It was an Army surplus store and was filled with ammo boxes, old bits of artillery and various other equipment. We knew we were looking for an ammo box but didn’t fancy searching through all the boxes on display. We wandered up and down for a while and then someone gave us a knowing grin. He pointed out the Geocaching sign on a shop door. We hadn’t thought that it would be inside the shop -being against geocaching rules. We went in and the assistants grinned and we soon spotted a small museum, where we found the correct ammo box. The shop owner came over and had quite a chat with us. He has become very interested in Geocaching recently and was pleased to meet so many people in the shop. We eventually got away and walked towards the Trent where we found another micro cache before heading back towards the city. Our last cache was by the station – there had been youths lurking when we had walked past earlier but they had now gone. However, just as we had retrieved the cache a transit van full of police turned up and parked opposite. We felt a bit suspicious relacing the cache under their gaze. We had some lunch in the Salutation (very uninspiring) and then went to Blacks where we found both the Dakota and Oregon GPS on display. John tried the Dakota but found that the compass was dificult to calibrate.The Oregon was nice, with a big screen and extra functions. Looks like his birthday present might be ordered on-line when we get home!
Saturday 19 December 2009
Afternoon at Zouch
Monday 16th November
We had planned a walk but just as I was loading up the GPS a new cache came in at Zouch. We changed our plans and decided to walk there instead. We parked in the little car park in Zouch and walked along the road towards the river. We were first to find the cache which was by the wier. The river was flowing fast so was quite impressive over the wier. We crossed the road and walked along the canal and river towards Sutton Bonington. We were aiming for the Soar Navigation cache but realized after a while that we were on the wrong lane. We continued to Sutton Bonington and then headed across the fields towards Kegworth. It turned out that we were doing the walk backwards as I had planned the field walk for the return route. However, it was quite pleasant and not as muddy as we had expected. We eventually got to the river and the new Kegworth lock. The cache was hidden near the old Kegworth lock which we didn’t realize was there. It was on the other side of the canal and involved walking carefully across the lock gates. The old lock has been filled in but the top of the rotting wooden gates could still be seen. We found the cache and then walked beside the river for the rest of the walk back to Zouch. There were plenty of ducks on the water so it was quite atmospheric walking along the towpath in the dusk. We found the Soar Navigation cache which we had missed on the way out, by which time it was getting dark. We got back to the car at a bout 4.30 after having walked about 9km - a nice short afternoon walk.
We had planned a walk but just as I was loading up the GPS a new cache came in at Zouch. We changed our plans and decided to walk there instead. We parked in the little car park in Zouch and walked along the road towards the river. We were first to find the cache which was by the wier. The river was flowing fast so was quite impressive over the wier. We crossed the road and walked along the canal and river towards Sutton Bonington. We were aiming for the Soar Navigation cache but realized after a while that we were on the wrong lane. We continued to Sutton Bonington and then headed across the fields towards Kegworth. It turned out that we were doing the walk backwards as I had planned the field walk for the return route. However, it was quite pleasant and not as muddy as we had expected. We eventually got to the river and the new Kegworth lock. The cache was hidden near the old Kegworth lock which we didn’t realize was there. It was on the other side of the canal and involved walking carefully across the lock gates. The old lock has been filled in but the top of the rotting wooden gates could still be seen. We found the cache and then walked beside the river for the rest of the walk back to Zouch. There were plenty of ducks on the water so it was quite atmospheric walking along the towpath in the dusk. We found the Soar Navigation cache which we had missed on the way out, by which time it was getting dark. We got back to the car at a bout 4.30 after having walked about 9km - a nice short afternoon walk.
Saturday 12 December 2009
A walk fro Ruddington Country Park
Monday 9th November
As it was another lovely day we thought we should take advantage so drove to Ruddington, (Nottinghamshire) for a walk.
We parked in the Country Park and after making use of the compost toilets - very clean and much nicer than normal public loos, we walked through the park and onto the public footpath running around the outskirts. The path passed a dog kennels - The Premier Hotel for Pets! The noise of barking dogs was awful and we could hear them for quite a distance. We walked beside the track of the Great Central Railway; There were no trains running today but the path was flat and dry and we had good views across to Gotham hills. We followed the path over Fairham brook, which was in a surprisingly steep gully, and then passed around a bridge. We found a cache here and sat on some concrete blocks to enjoy our lunch in the sun.
We continued beside the railway for a bit further and then walked under the railway and started to walk across Bunny Moor where we crossed a bridge over a ditch and found another cache.
We followed the footpath to Bunny and then footpaths towards Bradmore and finally back to the Country Park. It had been a lovely days walk, the sunshine and autumn leaves giving everything a golden glow. We had walked about 10km and found 3 caches.
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