Din Lligwy Village - GC1G4KQ

This was the the third cache and second Din of the day whilst out with sarahjones65, RiggyRob and CathyMay. We've been here before and it was nice to come back especially this might be our last year on Anglesey.

I'm always amazed at places like this even though they are largley ruins - will any part of my house still be around 1700 years from now? I doubt it! And the amount of physical effort it must have taken to make these settlements is incredible - I don't think modern man could do it!

We answered the questions after debating the meaning of one or two of them and then had a good look round. Then off to the next cache nearby. Great place.

Din Lligwy Burial Chamber - GC1G45H

Sarahjones65 and I nipped out from the car leaving the sprogs inside with their ipods whilst we did this one. Today the gate was open and so we could actually sit inside the burial chamber - cool! What a phenomenal feat of engineering it must have been around 3000 years ago to get the huge capstone into its current position - incredible.

Took some pictures and then off to the next Din in the area.

Puffin Island - GC13RVA

Puffin Island holds an important place in our family's life. In 2000 we bought a caravan at Plas Coch on Anglesey (under the old regime) and this was one of the best things we've ever done. Our family has grown up from toddlers to young adults in this caravan as we have spent every Easter and summer there for the last nine years. It's been a home from home.

Puffin Island marks the spot on the North Wales coast road when we know we are approaching Anglesey and are truly on holiday or having a short break from the daily routine of life. When the children were younger we used to play the game of '1000 points for the first person to spot Puffin Island' and they would strain out of their car seats to see over the roadside barriers to be the first, just before the car disappeared into Penmaenmawr Tunnel.

To us the caravan means swimming and kayaking in the surf on the beautiful beaches, lazy Sunday mornings making pancakes and reading the paper and, more recently, geocaching. We've been around the Island on a boat twice, once on a pleasure trip from Beaumaris Pier and once a fast moving RIB speedboat from Plas Coch. We haven't seen any puffins here, but we have seen seals and various other seabirds. I believe dolphins are also found around here sometimes.

Shame all this is coming to an end this year as our caravan has come to the end of its lifespan. We'll miss it and Puffin Island.

North Wales Beach Berm - GC13RV7

I revisited this familiar beauty spot with sarahjones65 this evening, whilst leaving the sprogs back at the caravan. It's one of my most favourite places in Anglesey but it's often windy or bad weather when we come. This evening the sea was like a millpond and there was a beautiful sunset. Several people were still fishing in the early twilight of dusk and outside a tent one fisherman was even cooking a mackerel that he had just caught.

As we walked down on to the berm, the wonderful woody smell of smoked fish wafted across the dunes and we longed for a bit of supper. The steps in the berm were not as pronounced as they sometimes can be but they still sloped down on the seaward side.

I did miss the wind blowing through what's left of my hair, the sound of the shingle being dragged up and down the shore and the waves crashing over the rocks on the Puffin Island side of Penmon Point, but it was really nice to see this area in a different mood. A wonderful spot for an earthcache.

Astley Green Colliery

This was a quick return visit as last time I came the museum was closed and so I couldn't fulfill the requirements of the cache. I found the answers quickly and then spent another fifteen minutes fascinated by the pictures and exhibits in the small mining museum.

Although I can just about remember Agecroft and Mosely Common Collieries when they were working, and I come from Salford and now live in Wigan, the world of mining and miners is completely foreign to me as no-one in my family has ever been involved in it.

It's good to see that this way of life is largely gone but not forgotten. Being a miner was a terrible job and few people would wish to do it today, but the sense of community spirit, teamwork and 'looking after your mates' must have been awesome at the time.

Great cache! E-mail and picture on its way.

Check out this cache here: Astley Green Colliery at http://www.geocaching.com/

The Canal Duke's Legacy

This was to be a quick cache and dash for my fourth and last mission of the day with sarahjones65. After leaving Drywood Avenue, we drove down Worsley Road and parked outside Owen Knox's Estate Agent's shop for the rich and expensive houses.

This cache had only appeared during the last week - it wasn't here when we were exactly in this location last week and I was quite disappointed not to have been the first to log it. I need to get my new cache notification system working as soon as possible now I've done a few caches.

Earthcaches are not caches at all - they are simply areas of interest geologically or geographically. The cacher has to visit the location, get some information from it to answer some questions and take a picture of the area and then e-mail or log these for the cache owner to verify that the cache has been visited.

This particular cache has question about coal and the geology of the area. Unfortunately, not all the answers are on the information board at the location but I thought I could answer the questions from my own geological knowledge - smartarse! Gee, I hope I get them right after setting myself up like that!

Anyway, we read the board, took the picture and jumped back in the car to get back home for bacon butties with the kids who must have got up by now! Another pleasant morning spent caching with my lovely wife - shame we've both got work tomorrow.

TFTC

Astley Green Colliery

This was to be our first EarthCache and it took us a while to work out what this meant. Instead of finding the usual hidden cache box brimmed full of goodies, this cache is an educational trip whereby the point of the visit is to learn something.

The cache owner wanted us to answer some geology questions about coal mining and to e-mail the answers to him before we could log the cache as 'found'. We also had to take a picture of ourselves in front of the pit head lifting gear with our GPS unit.

Unfortunately, in spite of the grounds being open, the actual museum part which holds the required information was closed, and so we will have to revisit this one before we can log it as found. We did take the photograph however.

An interesting concept these EarthCaches.

Check out this cache here: Astley Green Colliery at geocaching.com