Day 362: A Pleasant Geocaching Walk

Today’s post is all about geocaching. So if that doesn’t interest you, you may return tomorrow.

Today we made a trip to Briestfield near Grange Moor, which we knew fairly well. The main part of the route involves a series called Away With The Fairies (AWTF).

1. Ruined (GC2KDY3): A puzzle cache which I solved a few days ago with a little nudge from a geocaching friend. It involves Excel. The actual cache was just by a footpath and we could park and grab it virtually.
2. AWTF 1 – The Fairy Ring (GC18M5A): We had found this cache once before, 18th May 2011, just before band but we needed to visit it again in order to get the numbers for the multi cache at the end.
3. AWTF 2 – The Elf Tree (GC18M5F): This nice little cache was hidden by a tree, under a piece of slate. Nothing special but lovely surroundings.
4. AWTF 3- The Water Cranky (GC18M5T): This was another we had found before (15th May 2011) and went straight to – to the delight of some fellow cachers who were struggling a bit!
5. AWTF 4 – The Pixie Field Gate (GC18M5Y): The walk to this one was horribly boggy, but it was a nice easy find overall.
6. AWTF 5 – Pudding Hill Cross Roads (GC18M66): The path was getting worse here as recent rain had turned the path into lakes at many points. We remained ahead of the other cachers here but we were taking a short detour next.
7. Abi in Chemistry (GC39BB7): Another puzzle solved the other in preparation for this trip. Yet another walk through slippery and boggy fields, but in a lovely secluded spot. We bumped into the other cachers who were a little surprised that we were behind them.
8. AWTF 6 – Dimpledale Fairyland (GC18M6J): The tarmac appeared to have reclaimed the path again here. We grabbed this then took another detour to another solved puzzle…
9. Charlie in Biology (GC39BA5): The cache proved harder to get to than the puzzle made out to be. The walk from AWTF 6 involved entering a live shooting range. Always thrilling. Walking past a couple of dead ducks and pigeons is never nice. Getting the cache itself ranks among one of the worst finds I’ve had to do. Unpleasant.
10. AWTF 7 – Avoiding the Bog Hobbits (GC18M6B): This detour and subsequent uphill walk really took it out of us. We, rather short-sightedly, hadn’t brought any drinks with us. We were both becoming increasingly shattered as a result. This was a nice little cache though.
11. AWTF 8 – The Secret Garden Gate (GC18M6N): Hunting in what is essentially someone’s back garden is never a nice experience, but this is the exception. Sat in a hollow in the middle of nowhere – literally – this was such a lovely little place for a cache.
12. AWTF Multi Cache – The Fairy Treasure (GC18M54): All of the above AWTF caches had a number in which completed the coordinates for this cache. A lovely little walk overall, some 2.5 miles apparently.
13. Jack in Physics  (GC39B8P): This was much like the first one we found today, a nice easy drive by. In a sense. Mrs Pitts stayed in the car on the single track road in case someone needed to pass while I hunted. In the end, she was ok and the cache was grabbed.

Now then, we could have logged AWTF 1 & 3 again, but that’s not quite in the spirit of things so 11 caches from today overall. A cracking walk.