aiii que dolor - GCG42B

I found this one very confusing as I hadn't read the hint properly - I spent ages walking round the sqaure looking at the blue plaques, which although quite impressive was not a pleasant experience due to the miserable weather. This must have been an awesome place in the past, but today I just wanted to find the cache and get dry! I got so wet that I had to return to the St. Giles Hotel (which fortunately was just round the corner) for a shower and change of clothes. Whilst there I re-read the description and hint and realised I hadn't been looking in the right place.With renewed vigour I set off out again determined on success, and within a few minutes I had found the answer to the first question - the second took slightly longer and I do hope I've got it right! A very interesting place (on a dry day).

This type of cache is called a virtual cache which means it's just an interesting location with no container to find - these caches have now been banished from http://www.geocaching.com/ which is a real shame because I think that they have a place. I am getting worried that we geocachers are littering the world with small plastic containers and that's going against the ethos of this sport. Virtual caches are available on a splinter website (http://www.waymarking.com/) as 'waymarks', but I'd rather they were part of the main geocaching website.

Poetry Please - St Giles-in-the-Fields - GC1D3FT

With some time on my own whilst on a family trip to London over half term, I decided to do some caching - unfortunately the day turned out to be very wet and miserable and so I didn't get as much done as I would have liked. I got soaked whilst doing my first cache of the day, and so I returned to the St. Giles Hotel for a shower and change of clothes.
Feeling a lot better and with the weather improving slightly, I did a little sight-seeing on the way to this nearby cache. London is just one of those amazing places where everywhere you look is somewhere famous. The street names in particular trigger so many memories on things read in literature, heard on the news or seen in films and on TV. It's like walking through a complete history of England through the ages, even though it's only one small part of it. I found the church quickly and was lucky there were only pigeons to watch me search for the cache and sign the log. Then off for some more sight-seeing and another cache. Ahh - the big city!

The Palace of Westminster (Houses of Parliament) - GCE387

I was out in London with CathyMay whilst sarahjones65 and RiggyRob went to some physics lectures at the university. We'd been on the London Eye and had done a couple of caches round there and had now returned to Westminster Abbey to be shocked that they were charging us to go in - so we didn't!Instead we carried on round the building to one of the few remaining parts of the original Parliament - the Jewel Tower.

The history was fascinating and we quickly found the answers to the clues after reading the information boards. Thanks for bringing us to this very interesting spot - we've never been before and would probably not have come without this cache being here.

This type of cache is called a virtual cache which means it's just an interesting location with no container to find - these caches have now been banished from http://www.geocaching.com/ which is a real shame because I think that they have a place. I am getting worried that we geocachers are littering the world with small plastic containers and that's going against the ethos of this sport. Virtual caches are available on a splinter website (http://www.waypinting.com/) as 'waypoints', but I'd rather they were part of the main geocaching website.

Flonopoloy Cache 14 - Whitehall - GC1KJA4

We found this one after doing the South Bank Lion just across Westminster Bridge. It's an easy find but the area has a high muggle count. Although I did my best to look nonchalent, I'm pretty sure I was seen replacing the cache, so I apologise now if it disappears.

Logged from my PDA phone back at the hotel.

The South Bank Lion - GC1BEM6

We found this cache whilst down in London for a few days with the family. Sarahjones65 and RiggyRob had gone off to a physics lecture by the IOP with Grandad Bob and Callum. This left CathyMay and myself to take a 'flight' on the London Eye and on the way back I couldn't resist looking for this one.We found it quite easily after carefully reading the clue and the description.

Logged from my old PDA phone back in the hotel.

Moooo ! BOGOF - GC1WK7D

I did this cache after first doing 'Cow Climbing' as many have done before and many will probably do in the future - they make a nice little pair. The footpath was a lot wetter than the previous one and so wellies or very good boots are recommended - I had neither and so I got wet feet. In some parts I wasn't sure where to go and I ended up on the wrong side of the hedge at one point, but it wasn't difficult to cross back - just stick to the left of the hedge all the way to the top.

My PDA battery ran out on the way up and so I lost access to the clue and description - I hadn't prepared well for my first foray into geocaching since just before Christmas. However I had read the details this morning and so things started to come back to me when I got to GZ. I found the cache easily and did the admin whilst taking a cute little Koala Bear keyring. Then I set about taking some photos, including ones of the radio masts and water towers.

From here you can see Winter Hill and Mecca for some (Reebok Stadium), but it was too bright and hazy to see much in the direction of Cheshire, Meseyside and North Wales. Whilst taking the photos I was wondering where the trig point mentioned in description (and hence the cache name) was located - for a long time I couldn't see it until I looked over the hedge. I hadn't remembered that bit!

This is a great little place and I'll probably come back to get a clearer view sometime in the summer.

Cow Climbing - GC1WK61

After puzzling about the name of this cache for a while, I discovered the reason behind it on my PDA whilst using OS Memory Map in the car to plan my attack. I parked just off Plodder Lane and headed up the public footpath. It was a great day - the sun was shining brightly and the birds were singing.

Recently I've taken up birdwatching and photography and so I spent a good 20 minutes half way up the hill just taking pictures - it was fabulous. I'm sure the birds singing high up in the air were skylarks but I've love to be corrected if I'm wrong. I also saw a bird of prey sitting on a fence post but I'm not sure if it was a sparrowhawk or not. There was a continuous stream of big jet aeroplanes flying overhead whilst I was there, so it must be under the flightpath from Manchester airport.

Anyway I continued up to the top and found the cache fairly easily using the clue for help.

My next task was to decide how to get to the next one (Moooo! BOGOF) from here - I decided to go back down to the road and up the next parallel footpath a few hundred yards down Plodder Lane as I couldn't see a direct right of way marked on the map.

A truly great little place that I've seen many times from the road but never ventured to before.

TFTC SL - took a whistle but had nothing to leave, sorry.

Site of disaster (Pretoria Pit) - GC1YG7D

I found this one today on my second visit here - I didn't really count my first attempt (just before Christmas) as a DNF because when I got to GZ it was too dark to see what I was doing. I'd had a quick look (in the right place) but gave up when I ended up with several handfuls of mud and leaves.

Today I just went straight back to it and found the cache without even turning the GPSr on. I'd visited the memorial last time (what a shame it's so small and easily missed) and so I made this visit a quick cache and dash before heading onto the next two caches up Plodder Lane.

Here's a picture of the memorial stone I took in the failing light on my previous visit:

TFTC SL - I took a small badge and then found I had nothing suitable to leave -sorry 'bout that.

Boothstown Cache and Dash - GC23GT5

Damm, beaten to it by PeteNumbers - what's he doing caching on MY patch!?! I was going to go for this yesterday when I saw it still hadn't been found, only to see in the log that Pete had got there first. So I left it until today when I had a bit more time - a nice and easy find.

I took the two football badges for my lad and left a small fir cone and a Rugrat supermarket trolley thingy. A poor swap really but I wasn't expecting to take anything until I saw the lovely badges. I might return with something better as it's near to where I live.