Gone Geocaching, be back soon.

I told you a while back about geocaching.  It's a great way to make a walk outdoors more interesting, it adds 'a reason', it send you on routes you would never have otherwise have taken or even known existed.  I've not been for a while but the bug has recently bitten again.

We went in dreadful weather in the half-term break. If it wasn't for the cache challenge and the fact we knew having less people around would make it a lot easier, there is no way we would have gone out.  Heck, we were wearing water proof trousers the weather was that wet, but even the teenagers still wanted to come.  If it gets teens out of their beds on a wet, wet day to poke around a field, it must be good.

 The upside of being out when not many others are is there is a lot more wildlife around and close up.

 Cog even insisted on a paddle.  We got 5 out of the 7 caches we had planned to find.  They were quite far apart and took some finding, so not many, but a lot of fun all the same.

 A few days later, with the weather a bit brighter, my friend and I set off again.  This time we found 11 on a really nice round walk.  She is much better at finding them than me.  She is far more tenacious.

It is supposed to be a secret that you are looking for something, they are hidden for a reason and it stops them being moved or broken by 'non-players'.  But at one point we were both on our hands and knees on a canal towpath, up to our arms in hawthorn and a couple of walkers went by.  Oddly they totally ignored the fact that we were not behaving entirely to 'canal towpath walking' order.  They were clearly either s geocachers themselves or perhaps regular London tube commuters, used to not acknowledging the absurd!

 Some are easier to find than others.  This was my quick find of the day.

 Always they seem to take us off on lovely walks.  This is only 500 yards from a road I drive on regularly, I had no idea this path was here.

I've another 17 on a round walk saved to my phone for the next opportunity.  I suspect my summer weekends are going to be a stick poking around the base of a tree sort of affair!