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.

Remembrance Garden - GC23XHF

I found this one before work this morning whilst passing through Westhoughton. It was a nice and easy find and I didn't bother to use the GPSr reading at all after looking it up using the GCzII geocaching program on my new Windows phone . There were only a few places it could be and I found it straight away. A nice little place.

P.S. I'm quite impressed with GCzII and although it's probably not quite as slick as the iPhone geocaching app, it can download cache locations, descriptions, hints, logs and Google maps and can use a built-in GPSr to show the nearest caches to your current location. I might not be carrying a seperate PDA, phone and GPSr in future.

Wearish Lane - GC19VRJ

Found this one in a quick cache and dash whilst doing a reccy of the area for future reference - I'll be coming back do a few of the nearby caches all in one go, but not today as it was raining heavily - well it is summer after all! A nice and quick little woodland walk, although parking close by was a bit difficult.

Hall Lee Bank Park

This is my second visit to this cache which I drive past every working day. I had been once before, but didn't spend too long looking because of an abundance of muggles and heavy traffic on the main road.

This time I was with sarahjones65 and I was quite shocked to see that the entrance sign had disappeared and that there were signs of works around the cache location. Hopefully it has just been removed temporarily for renovation work, because it a rather nice arced sign with the name Hall Lee Bank Park - see my previous post where there is a picture of it from my first visit.

I kindly let Sarah delve around in the vegetation whilst I took a few pictures - well I'd read the previous log at www.geocaching.com! Thankfully she found it quite easily as some of the vegetation that was here last time seems to have been cut back and removed. And no sign of the doggy bag!

The log was quickly signed and off we went into Hall Lee Bank Park in search of Howfen 1.


Check out this cache here: Hall Lee Bank Park at http://www.geocaching.com/