NICOLE'S CACHE - GC1ABWM

This was to be the seventh and final cache of the day for Sarah and me whilst out geocaching in the Borsdane Woods and Westhoughton areas. It was just a short walk up a very pleasant country path from Tom's Cache. To our right the golfers were out playing a round on Westhoughton Golf Course and in the distance was the familiar sight of theTV and radio mast at Winter Hill. The day had turned out to be quite beautiful with sunshine and a blue sky.

Finding the cache took a little longer than most today, and at first we went past it and looked in the wrong place for a few minutes. After checking the hint, we found it more or less right away and Sarah did the admin. On the way back I spotted a solitary skylark rising into the air and singing away - spring has definitely sprung. By the way, I think I've done all the children's caches now!

We took a little ray of sunshine keyring and left an NUT supermarket trolley coin keyring.

TOM'S CACHE - GC1ABWV

Sarah and I came to this cache from those in Borsdane Wood. I'd already done some caches near the golf course earlier in the month but had run out of time to get this one. So in a completing a very pleasant circular route back to the car, we decided to go for this one (and another).

I was quite surprised to see the lambs in the fields as we walked along the footpath - I always thought April was the lambing season. Anyway, there they were looking all cute and cuddly. We had to walk through a farm yard with beautiful horses in a stable and later realised this was a riding stables. As is common in places like this, there was a big dog barking which always makes me quite nervous, but it was thankfully on a very short chain.

As we approached ground zero we could see part of a grey brick railway bridge over a disused line - this seemed to be a good place to start looking. Within a few minutes we'd found the cache and Sarah signed the log whilst I took a few (more) photos. I scouted on up the path and could see Westhoughton Golf Course to the right, the church steeple in the town centre and Winter Hill in the distance. It was a very nice place and surprisingly rural and remote from the nearby towns.

Borsdane Woods No 4 - GC18HV8

This was the fifth and and final cache that Sarah and I found in Bordane Woods today. It was good to end on a find after the disappointment of No. 2 being a DNF (btw what happened to No.1 and No.3 - archived now I suppose). This cache was located at the northern entrance to the woods and would be a good place to start if approaching from this side. We found jack_the_lad's familiar black drill container fairly quickly and, although we don't collect as much stuff from caches nowadays, we couldn't resist taking the cute little Hodgeheg travel bug to move it on somewhere nice.

After signing the log we had a go at solving the puzzle for the nearby 'Tomorrow Never Pies' cache, but after checking out our calculated coordinates at www.geochecker.com and finding them to be incorrect, we decided to head for two caches in Westhoughton instead as they made a nice circular route back to the car.

Borsdane Woods No. 2 - GC18HTP

Like a few cachers before us, we had another DNF here too. Sarah and I had a good look around the area after finding what seemed like the obvious place but we couldn't any remnants of the cache anywhere. We hope it gets replaced because we'd like to come back in the summer.

Old Mill Stream - GCZD7V

This was the fourth find of the day for Sarah and me whilst resuming our joint geocaching missions in the lovely Borsdane Woods. Using the hint the cache was easily located and Sarah did the admin whilst I took a few pictures of the avenue of trees on the main pathway. This is a great place and must even better when the bluebells are blooming and the wild garlic is giving off that certain aroma. We hope to come back in the summer when the trees are in leaf.

Lone Ranger - GC200V9

This was the third find of the day whilst out geocaching in Borsdane Woods with Sarah. This location actually took us up and out for the woods for a short while and, with the cache title in mind, we had guessed where ground zero was from quite a way off.

Finding the container was straightforward and soon we'd signed the log and were heading back into the woods, which looked quite impressive from this vantage point. Another good place.

SPRING HAS SPRUNG - GCTX8R

This was the second of the day for Sarah and me on our geocaching foray into Borsdane Woods. We reached ground zero fairly quickly from the previous cache but there were so many places to look which matched the hint and description. Several dog-walking muggles passed by with puzzled looks as we scrabbled around in the leaf litter in amongst the fallen trees and newly sprouting daffodils.

There was also quite a lot of rubbish around this area and this made the hunt a little less appealing that it might have otherwise been - you never quite know what you're going to put your hand in. After broadening our search a little and almost giving up we eventually found it, and quite a large container too. A good place - shame the bluebells aren't out yet.

Well I'll go to top o'th' stairs - GC1WXGD

Sarah and I resumed our joint geocaching missions today starting with this one. I'd been planning to come back to Borsdane Woods for a long time but never made it. We parked at the end of Old Mill Lane just outside the two tunnels under the railway and within a couple minutes had found the stairs.

Sarah shot up them too quickly and then over the style, before hearing me call her back - she had gone past the cache, which I could see partially exposed.

We quickly signed the log and then went back down again to the beginning of the woodland trail. We were looking forward to further successes in a great place and this was a good start.

The Marsh Family First Cache - GC1KNG4

This is another cache that I'd visited earlier in the year but had failed to complete because of the high level of water in the fast flowing stream. I more or less knew where it was, I just couldn't get there. This time I brought my wellies so that I could wade across, and guess what? I didn't need them! The stream was reduced to a trickle and I could easily walk across the stones in just my boots.

The hardest part was actually getting down to the river bed, as the slope was very muddy and slippy. But there were some good tree root 'handles' to use and some bricks to step on to avoid sinking in too deep. When I'd crossed the stream I just went straight for the item mentioned in the hint which I'd remembered from my last visit here. I didn't bother using the GPSr or GCzII on this one and I found the cache right away, signed the log and rehid it. After taking a few pictures I returned to the car very satisfied with a good morning's geocaching in which I bagged six caches in the Westhoughton area.

This area is known as Cunningham Clough and it is looked after by the Wildlife Trust Volunteers. I can recommend a visit if you are in the area, particularly in the summer. The noticeboard suggests that there are Greater Spotted Woodpeckers to see here.

WESTHOUGHTON OVAL - GC1YDP2

I'd been meaning to do this cache for ages - I'd had one aborted attempt when I took the GPSr directions too literally and couldn't get there from a housing estate because I was blocked by the railway line. Unitil today, I still couldn't make up my mind how best to get there but after consulting GCzII, Google Maps and Memory Map, I decided to cross the railway line on a bridge with a public footpath a little further up the line. This led to a long muddy path down between the railway line and the cricket ground perimeter fence. The metal fence was painted green and so, with the hint in mind, things were looking good. The cricket ground looked spectacular in the sunshine today - a wonderful green open space in amongst the houses. The new clubhouse looked good too.

When I got to GZ there was a group of youngsters playing rugby on the adjacent field with their coach and parents in close attention. This time I wasn't bothered, I just went for it - so what if they see me? After a few minutes I'd found the magnetic nano - I do love this type of container but hate getting the log out and writing on the thin strip of paper inside. Even worse is trying to get it back inside, although this time it went it very easily. I think the trick is not using too much paper. Anyway, I was really pleased to find this one at last and I was very impressed by the new cricket ground.

The old and the new!

CRAIGS CACHE - GC1ABWW

After just doing 'Keaw Yed 1' I decided to use GCzII on my new Windows phone to check where the nearest cache was and it came up with this one. So I got back in the car and drove down to Westhoughton Golf Club, parking just outside the main gates. Memory Map showed me that there was a public footpath running through the golf course, and that the cache was somewhere on it.

When I got to GZ I found the cache right away, mainly due to the previous log suggesting a better hint than the one actually given. I signed the log and set off back to the car, and then I nearly had a heart attack - where was my new phone? I had it when I got to GZ but now I'd lost it. I sprinted back to GZ and to my relief found it on the floor right in front of the cache - phew! that could really have spoilt my day/week/month/year if I'd lost it - it cost me an arm and a leg. Happy again, I returned to the car ready for the next cache of the day.

Keaw Yed 1 - GC

With two successes and 1 DNF under my belt today, I continued my Sunday morning solo geocaching mission with this one. I'd been nearby on Friday and so had already sussed out how to get there and where to park - I just didn't have time to actually do it before work.It was now a beautiful morning and the area looked very rural being right next to Westhoughton golf course.

Everything went to plan and within five minutes of leaving the car I had the cache in my hand. I signed the log and took a rusty old key holder which I thought might be useful for something. Sorry I didn't have anything to leave today. This is just the sort of cache I like - nice place, easy find and good weather. After greeting a couple of muggles on the footpath I put the cache back and skipped happily back to the car.

Side Tracked Westhoughton. - GC1BCH9

I was out quite early this morning geocaching in the area where I work and hoping not to be seen. The March mist was still on the ground when I approached Westhoughton so my hopes of being camouflaged were good. I parked on the garage forecourt next to the station and, after a quick look at the GPSr coordinates and a glance at the description, logs and hint using GCzII on my Windows phone, I set off fairly confident that this would be a quick one.

Unfortunately not. There was obviously a train due and two people were waiting for it on the opposite platform. One person never looked up at all but the other fixed his gaze on me intently - it was almost scary. I wandered around on the platform for a bit, taking pictures and pretending I was a nerdy railway enthusiast instead of being a geeky geocacher - his gaze never left me. I did manage to locate the item mentioned in the hint, but I did not dare investigate it because I would have been clearly seen doing something dubious. I decided I would have to wait for the train to come and go, taking away the people from the other platform.

By now a few more had arrived so the train was imminent. I went back up to my car and planned my next cache whilst listening out for the train. About 5 minutes or so later it arrived and so I shot back down to GZ, found the cache, signed the damp log (which is now in a film cannister) and quickly left.

Memo to self: Next time I do a Sidetracked cache in a working station check the train timetables!

SLEEPING_CACHE.. - GC1M39G

I came here from the cache at Westhoughton Station. I'd been close to this location last Friday before work when I did 'Power Cache', but that day I decided the path was too muddy for me to look for this cache in my work clothes.

I parked a little further up Slack Lane than last time and found a clearly worn footpath through some scrubland heading towards GZ. The birds were singing and the sun was starting to shine - together with a couple of horses in the nearby field, it was a pleasant little oasis of wildlife in an otherwise industrial area. The path lead to a narrow pathway bordered by a steel fence on one side and wooden fence (made from railway sleepers?) on the other. I looked in several likely places before finding the right one. The container was a little damp inside, but I managed to sign the log and walk happily back to the car listening the birds.

Any One For Tennis. - GC18JP9

I was out fairly early this morning, with the March mist still on the ground and hoping to bag this one at last. This is my third visit here and still with no luck. The hint is pretty clear and it should be a straightforward find - but it's either gone or been pushed too far under to get. I, and I'm sure others, would appreciate a visit from the cache owner to confirm whether or not it's missing and either replace or archive it.

Thanks.

Dr Crippin - GC10JNK

This was to be the last of a generally successful day (only 1 DNF out of 5) whilst my family were out elsewhere doing other things. As I turned the corner off the main road, I was faced by Bamfurlong Police station (one of the many new Playmobile-style buildings which are springing up round here) mentioned in another log, and I too nearly drove into the Police yard. Then I had to decide whether it was OK to drive up the wide dirt track road past the station to Crippin Wood. I decided to go for it as the rain had started and I hate geocaching in the rain.

Once at the wood, I parked next to a wall just outside what seemed to be the grounds of the houses there. I now don't think it's private land and it would have been OK to drive further, but I didn't need to. I'd read that a trench had been dug around the perimeter of the wood, but this wasn't a problem for me as someone had put a door across it to span the gap. I did have a little slip in another part of the wood as there are lots of muddy ups and downs and wet bits. The wood was quite thin and bare of vegetation today and the GPSr signal was fine all the way to GZ.

I found some suitable trees quite quickly and then set about looking for the cache. After a few dead ends and dirty hands, I found it and tried to sign the log - oh dear, both pencils in the cache were broken, the biro didn't work and I'd left mine in the car, So I had to take the cache back to the car, sign the log there and then return it to its hiding place. It was only a few hundred metres and this time I went a slightly different route to avoid slipping and getting wet. This is an interesting little place and I imagine it could be quite eerie at night, especially now I know the story behind it.

HIC-Towpath Trail GC14VQ2

I've been meaning to do this one for a while and had just not got round to it. Today, Sarah was out at a Mardi Gras party in Newcastle, Rob was out doing Duke of Edinburgh stuff and Cathy was out with Elaine looking a two kittens we might be adopting soon. So that left me to do what I wanted and this is what I chose to do.I came to this location after a DNF a little further up the towpath, and so I was hoping for success to cheer myself up - I hate DNF's!

I retraced my steps under the bridge near to 'Going Nuts in Bamfurlong' which I'd done earlier and carried on along the opposite side of the canal towards Leigh. The canal is fairly featureless here, so it was nice to hear the birds singing in the nearby trees - I identified one of them as a Great Tit and I'm sure a pheasant scooted across the path in front of me as I approached GZ. I also saw some newly constructed nests in the hawthorne bushes which were more or less at eye level - how clever birds are!

In fact I walked a few metres past the actual location, as I thought I was heading for some power cables which cross the canal here. When I realised I'd gone too far, I had to go back to the only other place it could be. I found the cache easily and signed the log, whilst puzzing about its title. All was made clear as I re-read the description and logs on the walk back to my car.

DR WHO - THE SONIC SCREWDRIVER - GC11TED

I've been meaning to do this one for ages and just not got round to it. Today, Sarah was out at a Mardi Gras party in Newcastle, Rob was out doing Duke of Edinburgh stuff and Cathy was out with Elaine looking a two kittens we might be adopting soon. So that left me to do what I wanted and this is what I chose to do.

I came to this location from a successful find at 'Going Nuts in Bamfurlong'. I was not so sure about finding this one as it was a puzzle cache. I had worked out some of the answers last year but not finished them all. Naturally, I couldn't find my earlier answers and so I had to work them all out again this morning. I checked and re-checked everything and the location generated seemed sensible, so I decided to go for it. However, puzzles and maths are not my strong point and so I had a niggling thought that I might have done something wrong all the time I was walking to GZ.

When I got there it immediately felt 'right' - this was the sort of place someone would hide a cache and so I suddenly became quite optimistic that I would find it. I re-read some of the logs and the signs were good - this must be the place, all I had to do was look in all the possible places. But there were so many of them! After 10 minutes with no luck I dirfted away from GZ to try to reestablish my GPSr signal and bearings. In doing this I chanced upon a large area of water with a lot of bird noises echoing throughout the open space. 'This must be the edge of the Wigan Flashes' I thought, and a quick look at Memory Map proved it to be the area around Ince Moss and Shale Pit. 'I'll be back here to a spot of birdwatching over Easter' I said to myself, hoping that my spotting scope is repaired and returned to me in time.

Anyway, back to the job in hand - with a refreshed GPSr signal I headed straight back to GZ and started looking again - this time I found the location fairly quickly, with the camouflage being a bit of a giveaway. The container was large and the contents were all damp. It took me a long time to get my green biro to write on the log - I wished I'd brought my felt tip pen with me. This is a great puzzle cache and location - but then I would say that wouldn't I? After all, I found it!

OnMeTod-Towpath Trail - GC14HTK

Memo to self: read the logs, Read The Logs, READ THE LOGS !!!

If I'd read the logs and realised how long it was since this one had been found and that the esteemed Muttoneer hadn't been able to find it recently, I probably wouldn't have bothered looking for it today. I did spend 10 minutes having a good look round what seemed to be the best place for a cache without success. When the mossy tree bark started crumbling in my hands, I decided to stop so as not to do any more damage to an interesting location. It was only then that I read the logs (see above) using GCzII on my new Windows phone.

Fortunately all was not lost - I had had success a little further up the towpath. Furthermore, this looks like a great walk along the canal to the Wigan Flashes and having been here today I'll definitely be coming back this way soon. I just hope that Lollybob can confirm that the cache still there, or replace it if has gone missing. Either way, in the words of big Arnie, I'll be back.

Going Nuts In Bamfurlong - GC11B98

I've been meaning to do this one for ages and just not got round to it. Today, Sarah was out at a Mardi Gras party in Newcastle, Rob was out doing Duke of Edinburgh stuff and Cathy was out with Elaine looking a two kittens we might be adopting soon. So that left me to do what I wanted and this is what I chose.

I came to this location from Really Sidetracked in Bickershaw, which is basically just around the corner. After parking on the edge of a nearby housing estate, I approached GZ in a roundabout way, first walking under the bridge and then up the steps to the top. There were a few huggies (muggles with hoodies) concealing themselves under the bridge and seemingly partaking in something dubious, so I briskly walked past.

Then at GZ I had to 'hang around' whilst I made sure they were not going to suddenly appear. Whilst doing this I noted lots of possible places that the cache could be hidden, all being relevant to the cache title and hint. Finally the huggies reappeared on the far side of the bridge and headed off to a bus stop further down the road. I quickly started looking in the possible hiding places.

After three or four no shows, I found it - what an absolutely brilliant container - you could make money out of this Bob. The log itself was a different matter - it looks like it's been replaced and now seems to be made of greaseproof paper - I couldn't get anything to write on it for ages. Finally I did manage to make my mark in green biro one painful letter at a time. Anyway, the job was done and so I happily headed off up the towpath to do the next one.