GeekTeacher's Hike and Seek: September 2010

Sunday 26 September 2010

The Porridge Pot Cache - GC15G3G

This was the 15th and last find today for Sarah and me whilst out in the Clitheroe area. We'd had a great day out and had resumed talking again after the accident at WWB 14. The cahe was located in an interesting little park with various wooden and metal sculptures including the Porridge Pot itself.

It was a very unusual porridge though, full of fossils. After a quick look round the park we set off for a look round Clitheroe museum and castle and then some fish and chips for tea. Lubberly!

Clitheroe Castle

GeekTeacher and Pendle Hill

WWB 2 - Waddow Hall - GC29PNX

This was actually to be the last cache in the whole series for us as we'd started at WWB 3 and carried on anti-clockwise to WWB 4 and the rest of the caches in this great circular route. At the start of the day we'd debated about where to go after WWB 3 and for a short while we thought we'd be doing this one as the second cache of the day. But when we realised we were closer to WWB 4 we decided to pick this one up on the way back, as we were doing now.

There were some great views of Pendle Hill along the road to this cache, although the cement works are a bit of blot on an otherwise beautiful landscape. Soon the cache location came into view and we set about finding the container. Sarah and I were just about talking by now (see WWB 14 and WWB 1!) and so when we found it we finished the series on a good note, although we didn't actually get to see Waddow Hall - where is it?

A little further down the road our trusty old car came into view, and we yet again breathed a sign of relief that it was still there. Just one more cache to do today in Brungerly Park and then off into Clitheroe Museum for a look round. A great end to a great series in a lovely part of Lancashire - thanks for bringing us here. We've proudly added the badge to our profiles!

WWB 1 - Waddington Millennium - GC29PNP

If you've read my previous log at WWB 14, you'll know I was pretty angry at this point as I'd just walked on a brand new pair of binoculars and broken them in two. Sarah and I weren't speaking for a while because I thought it was actually her fault (she'd left them on the ground where they couldn't be seen) and so now she'd marched off with the GPSr on her own to avoid my wrath.

I took a few pictures of ducks along the stream (or culvert) at the front of a row houses to calm myself down before I caught up with her.

By the time I got here, Sarah had found the cache and was signing the log and so there was nothing for me to do except take a few pictures. The container was well hidden but, as we've seen this method before, it didn't prove too hard to find.

WWB 14 - Coronation Gardens - GC29PNG

After doing WWB 13, we emerged from the Alley into the beautiful village of Waddington. The footpath we were on actually continued across the road and on stepping stones over the river to GZ - wonderful. But we did not go there directly, deciding instead to have a look round the very picturesque Coronation Gardens which were pretty much still in full bloom despite being well into the month of September.

Around the gardens, over the little bridge and back towards GZ, Sarah led the way while I took a few photographs. By the time I got there, Sarah though she had looked everywhere but to no avail. There were two possible places it could be, but only one really bearing in mind the nature of the cache. Even I couldn't find it for a while, but after re-reading other people's logs about it falling down and being replaced, I decided to go over the location with a fine toothcomb. It was worth it because I eventually came up trumps after Sarah had just about given up.

We sat on the bench and signed the tiny log - there was no space for the date so we just left our names. Then I went to replace the cache container and this is where the trouble starts - look away now if you don't like conflict. I was on my knees and half upside down to replace the cache and when I got back up I heard a huge crunch - I'd walked on the brand new binoculars I'd only given Sarah this morning. The silly woman had left them on the floor whilst she was looking for the cache and being small and black I just hadn't seen them. She hadn't even picked them up after signing the log and so the air became blue with expletives because they had snapped in two and were clearly damaged beyond repair. We put the crumpled bits back into the bag with out speaking any further and Sarah marched off with the GPSr towards the next location.

Needless to say, we fell out big time for a while - it lasted until well after the next cache because I was so annoyed - unfortunately this took the edge off what was a really lovely place.

WWB 13 - Waddington Alley - GC29PN9

We came to this curious little place from WWB 12. There were the root remains of a massive tree growing through the wall in a neighbouring garden and the opposite wall where the cache was located was itself full of cracks probably due to root disturbance. We found the cache fairly quickly although on another day it might have been another story - a sneaky little hide!

After signing the log we headed off down the well-maintained alley between the houses on the left and the church grounds on the right. What fun the kids (if there are any) round here must have chasing along this path - we really enjoyed it too. A great little place, but the best was yet to come.

Pendle Hill

WWB 12 - Welcome to Waddington - GC29PN7

We could see the above sign saying 'Welcome to Waddington' a long way off and so we basically knew where we were heading. It was made of a beautiful light brown sandstone with large oval rings of iron deposits and was located next to a stile which led to a public footpath.

We found the cache quite easily but signing the log was a little more difficult as a member of the 'Lace Curtain Brigade' was watching our every move from a house across the road. So I stood with my back towards her shielding Sarah from view while she wrote in the log. Then we hopped over the stile and walked across the field to the next cache.

WWB 11 - Primary School - GC2203T

We came from WWB 10 and although we could see Public Footpath signs we couldn't always make out the route across the farmer's fields. Eventually we just decided to head for the road, as you don't generally get primary schools in the middle of a field.

Once on the road the GPSr recalculated the route and we found that we were naturally heading in the right direction. Soon the school came into view and we'd cracked it. I could see the date we needed from a way off and Sarah found the phone number on a poster outside the main gates. Sarah did the puzzle and came up with the coordinates which pointed along a nearby footpath and so this seemed right.

Whilst walking along this path we had a great view of a sparrowhawk circling round and being surrounded by ten or so much smaller birds. Then all of a sudden the sparrowhawk swooped down as if to go for one if the smaller birds, but it didn't seem to get it and so continued soaring and eventually went out of sight. So the new pair of lightweight binoculars I'd bought for Sarah and given her this morning came in really useful here, but read what happens in WWB 14.

We went back to the primary school and sat down on the bench outside the main entrance to have a cup of coffee from our flask whilst enjoying the view and planning the next cache.

WWB 10 - Tributary - GC29CQT

We walked from the previous cache at WWB 9 along the side of another maize field and saw that some of the stems had been broken and the maize cobs nibbled by something. We also came across a freshly deceased pheasant which looked as if it had been killed only today by something, not sure what.

The ground got quite boggy around here as we approached the tributary, and a little jump was needed to get to the other side. The cache was easy to find but difficult to get the log out of, as it had expanded in the bottle and the neck was quite narrow. After a few minutes poking fingers and pen into the bottle we eventually got it out and managed to sign the log.

WWB 8 - Old Hall - GC29CR2

Out doing the whole WWB series with sarahjones65 on a wonderfully sunny Saturday in September. What a beautiful little village West Bradford is, even though it sounds as if it should be in Yorkshire! Whilst admiring the old houses and the converted mill, we walked past the road that led up to GZ and so had to backtrack a little to get where we needed to go. It didn't matter because the place was so nice just to amble around.

We soon found the cache and took a quick breather on the bench, only to be barked at by a dog in the Old Hall grounds. After a minute or so it soon settled down and so there wasn't a problem. Nice place.

WWB 9 - Sycamore Tree - GC29CQY

Out doing the whole series with sarahjones65 on a wonderfully sunny Saturday in September. Great series, great little village. Didn't see any members of the Lace Curtain Brigade today, only sheep.

Took two TB's to move on somewhere nice but could only leave one in return as the other was too big for the container. Sorry about that.

WWB 7 - West Bradford Bridge - GC29CRG

Out doing the whole WWB series with Sarah on a wonderfully sunny Saturday in September. From the previous cache at WWB 6, we walked along the edge of the maize field to the river, and then along the fast flowing river towards the bridge. Another straightforward find in a very scenic little area.

WWB 6 - Wood - GC29CT0

Out doing the whole WWB series with sarahjones65 on a wonderfully sunny Saturday in September. We walked past GZ at first heading for the field of tall maize plants through the second gate, before realising where it was. After backtracking a little, we soon found the interesting little cache container. A nice little place.

WWB 5 - Stile - GC29CT6

On the way to the stile I saw the red breast of my first Kingfisher shoot past us along the path of a stream - fantastic! Sarah was quite miffed that she didn't see it. - haha! A straightforward find across the fields in a lovely location.

WWB 4 - River Ribble Bend - GC29CTC

After debating which was the best cache to do after WWB 3, we settled on this one - seems obvious now doesn't it, but for a while we were considering doing WWB 2.

Another straightforward find and shortly afterwards I saw the red breast of a Kingfisher shoot past us along the path of a stream. I was made up with this because I'd be hoping to see one all year. A lovely place and I'm sure we'll be back just for a walk along the river.

WWB 3 - Brungerley Bridge - GC29PPA

Out doing the whole WWB series with Sarah on a wonderfully sunny Saturday in September. We started here because we found a place to park nearby - no other reason. A nice and easy start to a great series. Love the bridge.

Caching in Clitheroe

Here's a summary of the fifteen caches Sarah and I did today in the Clitheroe area. We did them in this order:

This is the most caches we've ever done in a single day. Will write them up later with piccies.

Friday 17 September 2010

Treecache - GC2F1J6

Sarah and I found this cache as the last of three this evening. Well, Leighgeogers (the AS Level Geography students caching team who set this cache) didn't go far for this fieldtrip did they! It's right on the doorstep of the new Leigh Sixth Form College.

We parked in a housing estate on the Pennington side of the college and found a pretty little footpath past a private fishing lodge which led to the back of the college, which we first saw through a narrow bridge. However we didn't go under the bridge , but turned left and carried on along the footpath. After another right turn the GPSr announced with a beeo that we had arrived at Ground Zero.

One particular tree stood out as being likely candidate - it was a great shape and seemed a prime place for a cache in this location. Yep, that's where we found it, covered in a few sticks and leaves. Sarah stamped our stamper, wrote the date and I took the insect Travel Bug to move on somewhere else.

As we'd never been on these footpaths before we took a different route back, having a quick look round the college buildings and sports facilites. Then off to Aldi to buy some pizzas for tea!

Jam Series - Thick as Thieves - GC12H0X

This was the second of three caches we found today. I'd been down here before for another cache which now seems to have gone and so I had a fair idea of where to go. There was a new road here now, which when I first came was just being started, but we stuck to the footpath at the side.

On arriving at Ground Zero there were several candidates that matched the clue, and one particularly had a great little hole in which to hide something - but it wasn't there. After a quick look round some other likely places Sarah went back to the first spot and nearly broke her ankle down a boggy hole which appeared out of nowhere. This shook her up a little and she very quickly decided that she was going to give up on this one. I, on the other hand, persevered and eventually found it, in a familiar container for this series - it's a pity that many of the others are now defunct.

This is a great location and you almost feel that you are out in the countryside instead of in reclaimed industrial wasteland where there was once a colliery. One day I'll have a good look around the adjacent flash for birdies - it looks like it could be a good place for them.

Firebolt 1 - GC29TW4

It was a sunny Friday afternoon and so, after a week of work, I decided to go out caching with Sarah (sarahjones65). This cache was quite close to home, but as we'd never been here before we planned a route to take in this one and two other caches in the area.

We parked just off the main road in a residential area and walked back to the public footpath which used to be the railway line here. It was a very pleasant stroll along this now leafy trail towards Ground Zero and before we realised it we had arrived. After a short scramble up a small hillock we were in amongst the trees in prime geocaching country and after a few minutes we'd found the cache.

It was a great place and an even greater container - it was a huge and full of good quality stuff such as old OS map of Stoke, an ipod case and some mini sparklers - none of your usual tat here! Sorry, but being a semi-serious newbie bird watcher I couldn't resist taking the bird playing cards even though we didn't have anything to leave today - I'll have to come back with something soon.

Sunday 12 September 2010

Bolt Upright - GC28J76

After spending most of the weekend doing DIY jobs in the kitchen, I went out with Sarah for a quick spot of geocaching for a bit of a break. We parked just off the main road and soon found the footpath up this pretty little wooded stream. As we approached ground zero, we could just see the tops of two giant bolts through the rampant vegetation which has grown much taller than us.

Carrying on up the path we found the stream mentioned in the description but the bank seemed too steep and slippy to get down. So we walked a little further up the path hoping to find an easier place to cross - no luck however.

We decided to return to the previous crossing place and found it not to be as bad as it had first seemed. There were a couple of pieces of corrugated metal conveniently placed across the stream as a makeshift bridge and soon we had safely got down the bank and had crossed over the water.

As we counted down on the GPSr, the two large bolts came into full view. They were amazing and we'd never have known they were here without doing this geocache - it's such as shame that they have been covered in grafitti.

Using the hint we found the cache fairly easily as it was lying quite exposed on the floor - it seemed to have fallen out of its correct location. We normally only take travel bugs to move on nowadays, but for some obscure reason we also collect dinosaurs from caches and as there was one here we couldn't resist. Sorry we didn't have anything to leave today.

After doing the admin of signing the log, Sarah decided to replace the container where she thought it should have been, in a position in keeping with the hint but a little more hidden. On returning to the crossing point we met a group of two geocaching teams also looking for this cache - their GPSr gave them away so we knew what they were doing right away, As it turns out they knew me from my job and after a pleasant conversation we set off in opposite directions. Good luck GreenMachine et al - I hope you found it.

Thanks for bringing us to this little gem of a location which is on our doorstep but was previously unknown to us - that's what's so good about this hobby.