GPSr

A friend of mine, recently suffered a broken GPS (whilst out caching) and is looking for a replacement. Misguidedly, she asked for my advice, which started me thinking.

There are a number of methods of finding caches, which I will try to summarise.

Naked Caching
The title is a bit of a cheat (similar to the Naked Chef - who kept his kit on). Using geocaching.com the target cache is looked up and it's position noted on streetmap. The cache printout and a print of the OS map is then taken to ground zero. Usually, especially for the easier hides, this method along with the hint, should locate the cache after a short search.

E-trex
The stand alone GPSr. This was how it used to be done (in the good ol' days, when I started). The co-ordinates are loaded into the GPSr (Global Positioning System Receiver) either manually (lots of room for error), directly from geocaching.com or from GSAK (geocaching swiss army knife.) The basic GPSr devices do not allow for cache descriptions so the paper printout is still needed.

PDA
Personal Digital Assistants (PDAs) have many uses in geocaching. At a basic level, a program such as Cachemate can be used to store the cache details, removing the need for the paper printout. A fairly basic, cheap, Palm handheld can be used for this.
If the PDA has a built in GPS (or can use an external bluetooth GPSr), we can move another rung up the ladder and use Memory Map (or strictly speaking Pocket Navigator) to display one's position on an Ordnance Survey map. When correctly configured, a click on the cache symbol will bring up the relevant details in Cachemate. This applies only to Windows Mobile devices.
Certain mobile phones (running Symbian software - e.g. Nokia N95) can perform a similar feat using ViewRanger software.

Mobile Phones
As mentioned above, certain mobile phones can be used to help locate geocaches. The iPhone has an app. and for most platforms, I believe, Geocache Navigator can be used. These approaches utilise the inbuilt GPS and download the cache information, directly, from geocaching.com so may cost unless you have an unlimited data package for you phone. This approach is great if you find yourself with some spare time but you don't have your regular kit with you. The accuracy of the GPS may not be a good as a dedicated unit. Usually, the record of your find, or otherwise, can be uploaded straight into geocaching.com.

Mapping GPSr
Many, newer and more expensive GPRs units, have either built in maps or have the facility to load maps onto them. More information can be added to the waypoints providing cache descriptions and hints. The top-end devices, such a the Garmin Oregon, can even have OS maps (but they are prohibitively expensive). With an Oregon, you can load upto 1,000 caches (enough for even an all dayer) complete with descriptions, past logs and hints. On the map, you can navigate to the trail head (with turn by turn instructions) then switch to Geocaching mode to home in on the cache. When approaching GZ, you can switch to the compass and go for the kill. Once found (or not, as the case may be), a push on the touch screen will record your attempt along with any notes you wish to attach.
Back home, all the day's field notes can be uploaded to geocaching.com which make the whole logging process so much easier.

Conclusion
As you can see, there are many methods to be employed to locate those elusive caches. As is so often the case, it's very much horses for courses.
Personally, I use my N95 with ViewMaster to get an overview of the area and to locate footpaths etc. and my Oregon to actually locate and log the caches.
I would be very interested to hear how you do it.

Team Butter Fingers

Oh the embarrasment!

Last Sunday, I did the excellent "Follow the Arrow" series of caches between Coughton and Alcester, which I really enjoyed. However, the fist cache I visited, well, here's my log entry...

2912. What a start to a morning's caching. Found the cache easily enough but as I went to retriev it, it fell from my (butter) fingers and hit the ground - bounced and disappeared from view accompanied by a splash!

I crossed over and followed the path down to the river to see the cache bobbing past. I followed it downstream and was going to head it off at the wier but luckily, it got stuck in some tree roots and I was able to rescue it.

On the good side, I can confirm that the container is waterproof.

I signed the log and very carefully put it back.

Thanks for the cache and the riverside walk!

... which was bad enough; although I did manage to rescue that one. A while back, some may recall, I dropped half a magnetic nano in my van and it was never seen again (the nano not my trusty stead.)

Today, in deepest Earlsdon, I was fumbling around for another magnetic cache - a key box this time (does anyone know a cheap source for these?) when I...

reached in, felt the cache, then felt it fall ! And of all the places where it could have fallen, it landed in the one place which is inaccessable. I'm really sorry.

What am I to do? I'm tryng to avoid ICTs as it is. If I add magnetic caches to my "don't touch these caches with a barge-pole" list I'm going to severly limit my choices. Perhaps, I could add a small net to my caching kit and position it under any magnetic caches I find. Maybe an elaborate electro-magnet affair so that I could suspend the cache in mid air (it would have to have that buzzing werr-werr sound.) Any suggestions would be most welcome.

Now how do I apply a GSAK filter for caches that are already at ground level?

Up North

After our 72 cache-fest back in March, during the debrief, we agreed that it hadn't been to bad and that one hundred caches in a day, on foot, was do-able.

The UK Mega series was chosen in March ahead of the Blackburn Letterboxes which was our next objective. Our researcher (Stokesy) got to work and found us a route which would give us that elusive ton. Word went out of the impending expedition and, with a week to go, we had nine members (and one in support!)

05.15hrs (yes, that's in the a.m.) I received a call informing me that Stokesy was on his way. I was picked up, bleary eyed, and we were away heading north. One good thing about being up so, so early is that the M6 is almost empty and we made good time arriving at our rendezvous just before seven thirty. Obviously, Graham was already there!

We said our welcomes and kitted up, before setting off for them thar hills. The weather looked very promising, so much so that many elected to leave heavy waterproofs behind (a decision we did NOT regret.) The terrain was gentle and we soon started bumping up our tally. We did waste a little time on a couple of DNFs, but were on target. We were having such a good time that wwe hardly noticed as the terrain changed and were acsended onto the moors for some cracking views.

As the day wore on, and the numbers increased, it became apparent that we may have bitten off too much and with aching limbs we decided to call it a day at eighty four. Some were a little disappointed at not reaching our goal but, hey, 84 caches in a day is not bad going.

Although, we did not achieve the hundred (this time) we all had a great day out in great company. All achived new PBs (I know it's not about the numbers) and at least one member is chomping at the bit for another attempt at the ton.

Arran Industries

As the week on Arran draws to a close, Team Balders has dealt a devestating blow to the island's tourist industry. Today, I found the last cache of the series so there is no need for anyone to come to Arran (actually there are lots of other, less important reasons to come.)

The Arran Industries series by Jango & Bobba Fett, is a series of twelve caches dotted around the island at sites of past or present industries. The full list includes, Whisky, Fishing, Coal, Slate, Bobbins, Barytes, Limestone, Sand, Iron, Cloth and Cheese. Those who can do adding up may be saying "Eh, that's only 11!" and how right they would be. In each cache is a number and in two, special instructions for calculating the co-ordinates of the missing "Quarry".

Of the eleven, there is one cache inside a cave, one in a very long hedge (not quite an ICT) and one which involves a three hour walk (which I had to do twice). Just to add to the fun, two of the caches are not listed on Geocaching.com (apparently, there are two other listing sites, Terracaching and Navicache.)

The series was placed in 2007 and I have been picking at it on our regular breaks to the island. This time around, I was determined to finish the series and through Geocaching.com, I made the aquaintance of JackieC who also likes to visit Arran and had the same plan but arriving a week later. We compared notes and although, I think, she was a little niffed, wished me well and was also myArranach PAF.

Earlier in the week I tried the Terracache listed Coal . This cache is a multi but I couldn't find two of the numbers (although one was easy to guess) so resigned myself to not finishing the series this time around. I then decided to mop up a few of the island's other hides including an FTF on Blue Lagoon.

Although not actively trying to finish the series, I found the rest leaving just coal and the final. After talking to Jackie, I was persuaded to give coal another go, which I did this morning. This time I spotted the missing number and made my way to the cache which was soon found. Inside, I found the last piece of the jigsaw, in this case, a big formula to plug in all the numbers so far collected.

Just in case the bonus, Quarry, was placed nearby because I'd hate to have to do this walk yet again, I sat down on the beach and plugged in the numbers. Horror of horrors, the numbers didn't add up. In my notes, from an earlier trip, I had put a question mark by one of the numbers; I substituted other values and came up with three possible solutions.

Back at the car, an hour and a bit later, I set off for the three possibles (all within a few hundred metres of each other). I had to bushwhack my way up to the first but after a search I couldn't find anything that matched the clue so battled my way through a gale to option two. After a short hunt, I came up with the goods. I opened the ammo box to find a blank logbook (now wouldn't that be a bummer if someone had beaten me to it?), and a bottle of Arran Milestone beer. On the label it states that it's bottle conditioned. It is also now ammo-can conditioned - it must have been frozen up there over two winters. I have yet to open it but I shall keep you all posted.

The descent was marred by sinking up to my nether regions in a peat bog but, hey, I'd completed the series!

So as the holiday draws to it's conclusion, I am a very happy bunny and what a great way to end. I've had a week of caching (well, mainly, caching early and then family stuff later) in some brilliant terrain. I've had a variety of cache types and two FTFs. Best of all, not a single 35mm film pot in an ivy covered tree.

Arran

Tales from a Scottish Isle

As followers of this Blog will know, I am up in Bonnie Scotland just off the Ayrshire coast on the beautiful Isle of Arran. Know as Scotland in miniture, Arran has just about something to offer everybody, from Golfing (waste of a good walk) to rock climbing calling in on canoeing, cycling and walking on the way. There are also nearly 50 caches on the isle which measures only about 30km by 15 and rising up to 874m (Goat Fell). We are staying in a lovely house on the shore of Lamlash Bay overlooking Holy Isle.

Team Balders has been to Arran a few times in the past and we have managed to find a few of these caches including an FTF after 9 months (wouldn't last nine minutes back home - eh, Graham?)

There is a series of caches on the island called "Arran Industries" with caches place need sites of past and present industries on the isle. For such a small place, it's had a lot of stuff happening, including the obvious Whisky, cheese and fishing to Barytes (?), sand, coal and satellite technology (I may have made one of those up.) Each cache has a number which somehow give the co-ordinates of the bonus cache (quarry). Anyway, I've been slowly picking away at these but totally failed to find Coal (listed on Terracaching) so am unable to complete the series. I have e-mailed the cache owner (CO) a number of times but he is yet to reply.

I have also been trying for an FTF this week but with little success. King Hakon, on the nearby Holy Isle, is a puzzle cache which I was sure I had cracked but on the ground it just wasn't right. Again, I've contatcted the CO but it's the same guy as already mentioned so that's that one scrubbed.

Another puzzle, Teddy's Picnic also looked promising with no logs on Geocaching.com. I solved the puzzle and drove into the hills to look for this one. There was the cache just where it should be so I opened the log - to find that someone had logged it five days earlier! Perhaps they're still on holiday and haven't got the luxury of mobile internet so that one's on the watchlist.

Looking further down the GSAK list I spotted Ard Bheinn - Into the Volcano. No logs but on the top of a 512m extinct volcano. There are no paths on this hill so it was going to be hard going, then on the day, the clouds and rain came down. I was going to make the ascent today but a new friend, JackieC, told me of a new Arranach cache, Blue Lagoon, so I went for the easier option and finally bagged my long deserved FTF. How sad am I? I changed my Facebook profile to ... at 350m signing a log as FTF while at GZ! (and I took a photo.)

JackieC, also enjoys caching on Arran and was a little worried that I was going to beat her to the Arran Industries series, but with my earlier DNF, it's her's for the taking next week when she is on Arran - good luck girl.

The geo-mutt and I have walked many kilometres this week over terrain including sandy beaches,
grassy glens, muddy swamps and boulder fields (and that is hard going). The dog is totally knackered so we're having an easy day tomorrow. All this walking should be good practice for the upcoming Blackburn Letterbox trail - if it doesn't kill me first!

Well that's enough for now - I dare say I'll have more to add when I get back to Brum.

I.C.T.

I was in Milton Keynes today so had to try a few caches at lunch time. Is it something in the water down there, but why are there so many "camo 35mm in ivy covered tree" caches in MK?

Is it a lack of imagination or do the locals really like rummaging around in the green stuff? Surely (don't call me Shirley) with all the parks and other green areas, there must be plenty of places to hide a slightly larger box or if it has to be a micro, some other location - in a tree, base of tree, under stone etc. etc.

It makes my blood boil !!!

Rant over - well that one at least! Next rant is STAMPS and not the one from the Post Office. I mean those useful ones that let you put your personal mark in the log. Now mine's not huge (stop tittering at the back) but if I'm doing a micro (having extracted it from the ICT) my stamp usually takes up 2 lines; which some may think extravagant. But what about this one I spotted today...
Count them with me;
1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 8 and a bit lines !!!

I popped out last night with Sue and the geo-mutt to bag some of HillHappy's latest batch and ran into Taff Hunter - nice couple, so we did a few together. Of course, we had to do a maintenance visit on KissKiss while we were out.

Apart from my ravings, I've had a couple of good caching days and am looking forward to the event in Knowle, hoping to meet lots of people.

That's all for now - cheers.

My Oregon got lost

Out this evening, enjoying the longer evenings (well one at least), doing the Hidden Gems series in Perry Bar when my Oregon tells me that the cache is a further 180m away which happens to be the other side of a tall steel fence. I checked on my Nokia N95 and that told me that I was 20m away. I used the Nokia to home in on the cache as the terrain suited the clue and there is was. However, the Oregon was still indicating nearly 200m to go!

I switched off and back on and moved on to the next cache. The N95 was spot on but the Oregon, again, 200m off.

The battery was showing 1 bar but I'd had no warnings of low battery. I shall try new batteries tomorrow and I hope that is the cause of the problem.

By the way, the Hidden Gems series is a true hidden gem and well worth as visit.

It's not about the numbers

Seventy Two Caches

Stokesy was Home Alone last weekend and had decided that he was going to do a spot of caching (as you do) and fancied a bit of a binge on Sunday. "Where are WE going?" I asked, inviting myself along. After rejecting an inviting series of letterbox hybrids near Blackburn, we decided on the North section of the UK Mega Series, between Fleet and Basingstoke in Hamshire. The whole series comprises of 126 caches, mostly regular sizes and nearly all with clues.

Word must had gotten out because I was informed that Steve-e-b would be joining us. The final seat was reserved for Stokesy's hound, Sophie.

Stokeys picked my up from Balders Hall just before 6am. and we had Steve in the car before half six, heading towards the M40. The M25 was fairly quiet (probably the best time to do it) and we arrived at the day's parking space, boots on and away by 8.30.

The first few went by easily and we made good time pausing for refreshments after our 20th find of the day. We passed close to Odiham airfield (which reminded me of my time at Birmingham airport) and we strolled along the picturesque and very clean Bassingstoke canal. I should also add that the canal is very popular with dog walkers, so much so that Sophie just had to pick a fight - they do say dogs resemble their owners!

As the afternoon wore on, and the relentless sun beat down, the legs where starting to protest but we pushed on, completing our trek in just under 9 hours. We all know that it's not about the numbers but the stats. are...

72 caches along 18 miles in 9 hours...

8 caches an hour or 4 caches per mile.

Arriving back at the car, somewhat fatigued, we all agreed that it had been a cracking day out. Doing 70+ in 9 hours makes 100 in 24 hours seem very do-able but where? We shall also have to return to Hampshire to do the other half.

Nokia N95

As some of you may be aware, I've got me a new phone. It's the Nokia N95-8GB. This smartphone has a built in GPS (I'm not sure if it's just mine but the GPS isn't very good), 8GB of user RAM, internet access plus lots of other goodies. The N95 runs the Symbian operating system meaning that there are lots of nice add on programs for this smartphone.

One of the first things that I managed to do was install TomTom using an external Bluetooth GPS which works very well. I've got a GSAK macro which exports to TomTom .OV2 format with different icons for the different cache types. TomTom also (annoyingly, according to Sue) beeps when in the vicinity of a cache.

Last week, I splashed out on View Ranger (VR). This excellent piece of software is very similar to the Windows Mobile version of Memory Map (MM). The 1:50,000 scale Ordnance Survey maps are (c) 2008 and are more up to date than my old version of MM, for example the "new" A5 from Lichfield is shown on ViewRanger but not MM.

I've missed not having the OS maps with me (after the card reader part of my HP WinMobile device packed up) and it was nice to welcome an old friend back. The Oregon is very nice but I do miss my OS maps and I'm not forking out £100+ for each national park !

The installation of the software was simple and quick but copying the maps to the N95 took a while with the whole of Great Britain taking up about 2.5GB. The software reads .gpx files and I found a GSAK macro which exports the cache details with a bit more finesse than reading the native .gpx files. I changed the default icon from a rather ugly ammo box to a green ball which makes homing in a lot better.

However, all the caches are displayed as the same icon. After using Lordelph's Lovely Icons on MM, I decided to modify the GSAK macro to display different icons for each cache type. I also changed the way the caches are listed from GC numbers to the cache name which I find a lot more useful.

I now have the whole of the UK at 1:50,000, a load of unfound caches with their own symbols and desciptions; all on my phone!

Happy New Year

Firstly, let me wish all my readers a Happy New Year. 2008 went rapidly downhill and personally I've got to be interviewed for my own job or face redundancy.

On the caching front, my stats. dropped like a stone towards the end of 2008, with November being my worst month of the year with only 34 finds during 4 days of caching. This just happens to coincide with my bout of Man-Flu but hopefully, I'm just about over it as we enter the new year.

2008 ended with a frantic dash out on the 30th to bring my year end total to a nice round 2300. Then Stokesy spoils it all by putting out two new caches yesterday which I just had to go for. In my haste in getting the co-ordinates for the first one and getting out of the door, I missed the other until I returned, elated after an FTF.

I had to wait for Mrs. Balders to get home from work before I could get out again but was rewarded with another FTF - what a way to end the year!

New Year's Day found me dropping Mrs. Balders at work for 8am then heading off towards Redditch for a spot of you know what. I picked up a few of The Stranglers caches on the way and started the year with 19 caches found.

With a bit of luck, I should reach 3000 by the end of the year, needing, on average, about 2 caches per day.

I mentioned a few days ago that I'd upgraded my Oregon software to version 2.7. An extra benefit I've discovered is that waypoint co-ordinates are a LOT easier to enter, so much so that it is now usable!

Also, the problems I had before with the unit locking up when plugging into the PC have totally gone - it hasn't played up once since the upgrade.

Well, that 's about it for now. Up-coming this month we have a meet at The Barn, Hockley Heath on the 28th ( link ) and the next Brummie Meet sometime in February.

Kev goes caching

Dropped Sue at work then I was off up the A38 heading towards a bunch of caches near Derby (Black Widow country). I totally failed to find "Sidetracked Willington" (again) and have now officially given up on it!

I managed to pick up a few drive-bys then parked up and took a stroll along a chilly canal finding a few more on the way. A short drive brought me to another stretch of cache strewn canal. Not all the finds were straight froward but at least with an out and back course, you can have another stab on the return.

After these "mini-series" or power trails, I cut across country heading roughly back home. One cache I had to visit was Heron's Wood. At my Birthday Bash, I was given a LARGE travel bug which I was challenged to hide. This container swallowed the TB easily. I was on my way to this cache when a passing mountain biker asked if I was geocaching - is it THAT obvious?

I was very cold so I wound up my caching activities around one and made my way home, finally picking up Stokesy's Collector 4 cache, which is only 120m from home on the way.

Oregon Update

Browsing the Garmin website, I noticed that software version 2.70 was available. I plugging in and upgraded from 2.50.

No great difference it's mainly little bug fixes but no mention of my problem (with the Oregon - not the other problem!!!). However, I've turned tracking back on and so far (touch wood) it connects to the PC without any of the difficulties I used to encounter. Let's hope the firmware updat has fixed the problem.

Birthday Bash

It was two days before my actual 50th Birthday but it definitely felt like a real birthday party. We had loads of cachers turn up, luckily not all together or the conservatory would have burst at the seams!

Graham1875 came in telling me of a new cache which I had to go and find immediately. He handed me a printout but when I protested about a lack of GPS he told me that he had one all set up in the car. We traipsed into the carpark and with GPS in hand I followed the arrow to find a black bag propped up next to my Kiss Kiss cache. With some trepidation I opened the bag to find a bottle of whisky - luckily it didn't have a TB around the neck so I logged it as took - whisky, left - thanks.

This was not the only pressie, and please forgive me if I've forgotten any. I got another bottle of whisky, a geocoin from Stokesy and not one, but two cakes including a gorgeous Parsnip Cake from Jackie of Shank's Pony.

Someone passed around a showerhead to much amusement (I still don't get it).

The beer, as to be expected at The Griffin", was excellent and I was lucky to have one of those magic glasses that never seemed to empty - thanks to all who contributed to my subsequent hangover.

All in all a cracking night. I would like to thank all again for turning up and making it a night to remember.

On the road again

After my near-death experience with the, often fatal, man flu and the general yuletide malaise, I finally got out today and into the caching mindset.

There has been a bunch (not quite a series) of caches in Sheldon which I've been meaning to do for a while now so after dropping Mrs. Balders at work, I made my way to The Raddleys. The caches where all found without any problems although I had to be careful with one of them for fear of it falling down and being lost forever!

Then it was up the Cov. Road to Corley to check on one of my caches (Motorway Mayhem - Deja Vu). I'd had a couple of reports of series foliage clearance so went to check it out. The cache was hidden in the hedgerow and the hint used to read "behind the split tree". As you can see from today's photo, the tree has been split to ground level and it is out in the open. Amazingly, the cache was still there!

I've now moved it 20m away to what I hope will remain a move secluded spot.

From Corley, I nipped into nearby Nuneaton to bag "Don't Get Muggled" which was easily found. Of interest was the last signee, a certain HillHappy1. I gave him a call and had a quick chat and it appears that he's had more important things than looking for plastic boxes to concern him. It's nice to see Haydn back on the scene, his presence has been sorely missed.

Whilst in Nuneaton, I dropped in on my mate Birder1951 for a cuppa and a natter before picking up "Grandpa goes for a pint", in the dark, on my way home.

I've got the next two days with nowt to do - any ideas?

Nearly There

I saw this excellent picture whilst idly browsing and thought "this time tomorrow, I'll be getting ready to go to The Griffin". A quick glance at the web page hints at around 30 attendees so it should be nice and cosy!

Hopefully, I should get there just before seven to meet and greet before moving (squeezing?) into the conservatory for, hopefully, a night of jollity and general geo-chatter.

I have knocked up a bit of a quiz so if there's room I may roll that out. No big prize, in fact, so far, no prize - I'll have to have a rummage and see what I've got that would make an appropriate trophy.

I'm not sure what beers they've got on, I've been rather busy with the panot the last week or so, but I've never been disappointed with the selction at The Griffin.

Well, that's all for now - I've curtain call at 7.30 - hope to see many faces tomorrow night.

Clavedon

Feeling a lot better after my near-death experience with the man-flu, I decided on a bit of caching to blow out the cobwebs. A new series of 14 caches appeared last night so they had to be done.

After breakfast at the Gay Cafe, I drove out to Claverdon, near Henley-in-Arden, picking up a Tutti-Fruitti cache on the way. I parked the car and walked back to the first cache of the Langton Lane Loop series.

As I approached the cache I spied a couple acting suspiciously in the trees. A gps hanging around a neck and a handful of paper confirmed them as geocachers. After introductions we decided to do the rest of the series together, signing the logs Lorri-Ann and Kev and Kev (well almost). We then spent the next couple of hours or so slipping, sliding and sloshing in the mud around this excellent series.

Abbey, the lab, really enjoyed all the water even when mixed with soil !

After the series, we went our seperate ways but I think that I spied my new friends turning into Bearley railway station as I was pulling out.

I was going to do the Webbie Womble series on the way back but the weather was looking a bit iffy so I wimped out but still managed a few more easy caches on the way home.

The more observant may have noticed 15 smilies on the map; "Edstone Adventure" was caught up in the middle of the series, so did that one as well!

Caching Up

I'm been a bit quiet on the Geo front lately due to a number of things including, grandkids waking (everybody) at 6am every day, man flu and work.

I'm on annual leave this week but was literally dying from man flu earlier in the week but finally got out for a spot of tubbyware hunting yesterday. I'm going through a bit of a retro-HiFi phase at the moment, buying (slightly) older HiFi gear on eBay! The current set up is mainly Denon including receiver, CD player and a (soon to arrive) MiniDisc recorder. I've also got a ProJect turntable for the old vinyl which can be picked up for a song at charity shops!

What's all this to do with geocaching? Well the receiver needed picking up from Worcester so Sue and I made a day of it. After a lazy start, we picked up a few easy caches on the way down ending up at Upton-upon-Severn for lunch. Following some gorgeous cauliflower & brocolli soup, we made our way to Malvern for a few more caches and the Oxfam shop (where I picked up Elton John's "Goodbye Yellowbrick Road" on YELLOW VINYL).

After a very nice veggie curry we picked up the audio gear before driving home. A nice relaxing day.

I've still got two caches with a kilometre of Balders Hall which I really should do (sorry Stokesy).

The Birthday Bash is less than a week away and I'm really looking forward to spending the evening with my geo-buddies.

Sorry

Sorry Guys but I have been busy with other "projects" lately and have, sadly, neglected this blog.

I have, belatedly, discovered Facebook (kev@byke5.co.uk) and have found that very time consuming especially winding up a certain Strangler without even trying, apparently!

Cachingwise, I have been rather quiet over the past week or so but am off work for a week so may have to nip out and bag a few!

That's it for now; I'm still getting over a cold (man-flu) so fortified with medicinal alcohol I'm off to my sick bed.

Watch this space.

Oregon - Gone?

I think that I may have mentioned a little problem with my Oregon where it freezes when I try to synchronise it with my PC (or any PC, as it happens).

I've had a few problems when I connect the Oregon to my PC. I've tried everything, and finally I called Garmin, on Friday, and explained the situation to them. They have decided that my unit needs to be returned for repair, so on Monday, I'm going to have to package it up and send it away (sob, sob). Garmin assure me that we will be parted for no more than 10 days!!!

I've had to dig out my iPAQ PDA and re-install Cachemate and Pocket Navigator to use for the next couple of weeks.

The last outing with my Oregon before we are seperated, will be tomorrow (Sunday) when we're off to Bromsgrove for a caching-fest with around 30 caches within walking distance (blisters allowing).

That There London

Thursday 2nd October

I'd got another cheap coach ticket down to London for a spot of Urban Caching. I had to get up early to get into Brum for the 06:45 coach to London Victoria. I arrived outside Argos at 06:10 and as there were few people around, I managed to grab "The Strangler's" "The Lad Himself" on the way to Digbeth.


I arrived at Victoria just before 10 and made my way to the first cache just of Picadilly - an old, disused, underground station. I, then worked my way roughly east crossing the river at London Bridge to bag a total of 20 caches in the capital and one in the second city. I even managed a Sidetracked cache (Waterloo) near to one of my favourites "Banksy Was Here" near a 200 metre long, grafitti covered subway. The photo shows what was probably my favourite "art-work" of a Scalectric track on the pavement.

A few observations...

GPS coverage in central London is crap - even with my, supposedly super-duper Oregon, the map showed me upto 40m away from the road I was obviously walking along.

Make sure that the insoles in your walking boots haven't slipped down. As souveniers of London I brought back two stonking blisters!

Not a vast number of caches but it was a day out, seeing a few of the sights and getting a few ideas for future caches!?!