Dingle Delight - GC1PD4R

This one proved to be an absolute b**ger for sarahjones65 and me. We'd been earlier in the year with RiggyRob and CathyMay and although we had a very enjoyable walk through the Dingle, we had not managed to find the cache. This time we were on a mission just to find it as we'd seen that it had been found since we were last there. We left the sprogs at the caravan (can't stand the moaning when the dreaded 'G' word is mentioned) and parked in a nearby housing estate as close as we could to the path. Then on down the newly laid stone steps on the valley side, across the stream and on to the boardwalk platform over the stream's upper reaches.

We scarcely looked at the GPSr as we knew where were going and upon reaching GZ, we set about meticulously searching the area. We went over everything with a fine toothpick but after fifteen minutes of intensive examination, we still had not found it. The hint made it pretty obvious as to where the cache was located, but even so we started to broaden our search into nearby areas, not really believing it was going to be there.

At the point of giving up, we decided to go over the whole lot just one more time. Well this 'we will not be thwarted' attitude paid dividends and a few minutes later Sarah found the little b**ger. It was a golden coloured micro in a place we must have looked many times but just not seen it. Elated, Sarah signed the log whilst I went off look for the moorhens that were squeaking amongst the reeds. Sarah said they sounded like a squeezy airhorn on a child's bike.

On the way back over the boardwalk platform we met a very nice gentleman walking his dog. He asked if we were looking for blackberries to make a crumble and if I seen any wildfowl. He went on to tell us many things such as how he used to fish in the stream here with his son avoiding paying the licence fee for using the fishing lake upstream. He was a retired welder originally from Wrexham who used to work on Anglesey for the mining company Rio Tinto Zinc (RTZ). He'd worked at the Yr Wylfa power station and for Anglesey Aluminium as well on the pipeline from Amlwch to Stanlow. He went on to tell us about how RTZ didn't care about the local environment, just doing whatever it took to make money and leaving the place (Parys Mountain) in a mess after shipping all the machinery to China because it was more profitable there. However they did pay well and the pensions were good.

As we walked back to the car he told lots of other interesting things such as where he gets his spring primroses from in The Dingle (naughty) and how he has a caravan on the mainland near Caernarvon where he goes for weekends away - he can't stay any longer that that as his greenhouse needs looking after and his son isn't very good at it! As we parted we shook hands and he said. "I'll probably see you again, I should give guided tours round here!. Well if he did, we'd be happy to go on one.