Saturday 30 June 2012

A Day full of Epic caches.

Well in the winter of 2010/2011 Mr & Mrs. Basketcase spent many hours trying to solve 2 certain puzzles. After lots of trial and error, research and nudges we eventually solved them and had planned to go look for them with friends who we worked with at the time. We were going to go in Feb 2011 but had to call it off at last minute due to horrendous weather forecast.

Over the summer we even pitched up next to the evil C/O of the caches at the brilliant Piratemania event. We gave him a lot of stick for putting us through many frustrating hours but said we would get to them as soon as poss. Well unfortunately many things happened after Piratemania that it didn't even get thought of again until this year.

I have being doing lots of fantastic caches this year with my caching partner Jules of the Bedfords and a few months ago I told her about these infamous puzzles and the fact that I wanted to go do them and Mrs. BCC wasn't too fussed. Jules was up for it but wouldn't go without solving the said puzzles herself. She did well and seemed to solve them a lot quicker than we did.
Anyway a month or so ago it was decided that this Saturday was the day that we should go get these 2 epic puzzle caches.....The 5/5 Werewolf and the 4/4 Whitespace... but that we would hand pick a few others to do.....

At 4.30am alarm wakes me up and at 6am I pick Jules up and we are on our way up north.

Tunnel-Tastic by Chillie Slim Kid & GONE-2-FAR

http://coord.info/GCRRB0

We had decided to start off with this one which had been recommended to us as we quite like having a look in tunnels. We parked up by the school nearby and it was a quick walk to entrance, then it was a simple task of following the disused railway track for a short distance to GZ with torches of course.
We did enjoy the cache and was glad we stopped off to do it as it was on the route.

Jules following the track

My pose with cache that Jules found!

It was good to get one in the bag, next stop a tree!



Forest Walk 5 by Mulkky

http://coord.info/GC35MT0

This cache was part of a series but we only wanted to grab this one as it was a D1/T5 which we both needed to help fill in our D/T grids. We parked nearby and enjoyed a short walk to GZ. Jules soon identified the tree and I spotted cache. I went up tree first but chose the silly/scared way up, I got the cache but struggled to get log out. Jules then climbed up a different way with myself still up tree, she managed to get log out and passed it to me to sign...Great team work eh?

Another grid square coloured in. :)

Next we had a short drive to grab another cache in the Little Quest series, this time it was LQ:Gtr Manchester - King of Swing. It was not in the most scenic of places but we want to try and finish the series one day. It was now time to jump on the M62 and head east a bit so we could go and seek those puzzle caches we crave.





Werewolf by muttoneer

http://coord.info/GC1NH60

We found some good parking so that we could grab 3 caches on a little loop with one of those caches being Werewolf. We took the Pennine way at first and was really enjoying some sunshine for a change as the weather has been so naff lately. We past a fair few walkers and I took a photo of a couple of them at the trig point. The terrain so far was easy and absolutely no problems at all and we made a quick easy find of White Hill which was near to the trig.

It was sunny honest haha

We had to leave Penine Way now and well the terrain all of a sudden became much harder with muddy peat, reeds around hidden streams which Jules enjoyed seeing myself take a couple of big squelchies to way above my boots and grassy tussocks haha. We loved it, it really was fun and not as difficult as we thought but hey we were having decent weather.
We had to pass Way Stone on the way as there were some dog walking muggles sitting there but we did that on return and that was also a great cache with brilliant views. The Waystone could be spotted from where we had set off it was that big.

Way Stone

We were a matter of feet away from Werewolf and could see that it was a long way down, but we needed to go down a few feet to get to GZ, we had to be careful here as its not the place to fall. The views round here were fantastic and we could see for miles, even mighty motorways looked so small.
Within a minute of being down and searching Jules moved a rock and we heard the metal clank of an Ammo can....OMG YES we have at long last slayed that tormentor, Werewolves are not a myth as we have tracked the menace down....This cache definately lives up to all the hype and my fave point awarded was its 100th, you don't get 100 fave points on a none series cache for nothing.

Yep we found the menace!

A long way down

We loved GZ , it was a very peaceful place and a shelter from the wind just a few feet above us. I reckon we probably spent 20 minutes or so just taking everything in. The views, the cache, the logbook......this cache was everything from start to finish.

Jules with the beast.

Gotcha!!!

On the way back down to the car we took the direct route but to be honest we wished we hadn't as it was even harder walking of dodging boggy marshes, infact I don't think it was any quicker.
We arrived back to the car in time for a quick coffee and then off we set again......




 Whitespace by muttoneer

http://coord.info/GC1AF96

With Werewolf done it was now time for Whitespace, we knew that there was a good chance of a shower so we set off almost straight away. We got to Acrophobic's solace which was just on the side of the big, high footbridge that crosses over the M62, the cache was a quick find and over the bridge we went.

There maybe trouble ahead (Black clouds)

A bit more along the Pennine Way

After a short easy stroll along Penine Way we took in this cache Windy Hill and admire the views, it certainly was windy here haha.

Windy Hill cache nicely hidden

It was now time to leave the path and off route, this is where the terrain started to get harder and was similar than the descent of Werewolf but steeper and more difficult in places.

The last pic before the storm. FMF or mwahhpets could hide a cache down here!

Next cache along the way was Frosties First and the moment I put my hands on it we felt a couple of spots of rain, by the time I had signed log and replaced cache I was soaking. Why oh why didn't I put waterproofs on first before signing the logbook. We were now in the middle of a fierce hailstorm.

We quickly moved on and tackled a bit of rock walking which was pretty tricky but due to the torrential downpour we made our way across it quickly with our heads down to reach the next cache Mad Hatter's Home and by this point we had thunder. Jules was becoming a little nervous at the thought of lightning and I tried to reassure her.
She really is a trooper because this for me was also a huge challenge, we are not used to these conditions but we kept going, unfortunately photos were becoming sparse as there was nothing to take pics of as we couldn't see anything.

We took in some more rocks and walked down some a while before we eventually arrived at GZ for Whitespace where Jules immediately found the lovely sized ammo can. It was a shame we could not appreciate the location as much as Werewolf but it really was lashing it down.

YAY Whitespace found :)

Lashing down but we got there.

Taking everything in stock this cache was fantastic and we were delighted with our success. In hindsight we shouldve done Whitespace before Werewolf but not due to the weather but due to harder terrain.

Tired, wet but there's still more caching to do. photo by Jules

It was hard work walking back but it did stop a couple of times and every step nearer the car we were the better we felt. When we finally got back to the car after a couple of hours walk, it was time for another coffee before jumping in the car for the next section of the day.



It was now a 8 minute drive to grab another Little Quest cache, we parked up at the side of Buckstones Moor #5 - Haigh Gutter and made a quick find there and then it showed up as 0.3 of a mile to LQ:W YORKS - Willmer Green which was a nice little walk but squelchy in places and our feet kinda hurt a bit from the battering of pursuing Werewolf and Whitespace.

View from LQ W Yorks thanks to Jules

It was nice around GZ but yet again as we found the cache we had to get waterproofs on sharpish haha, we took the details and returned to the car.
It was now time for a rest and a 40 minute drive back west, it felt good to be dry for a bit.



We parked up just as the heavens opened up yet again. Do you reckon we will have a summer?
We parked next to Reebok View and I quickly found that while Jules got her waterproofs on. We could see the Reebok stadium in our views but hey its only a football ground. I put my waterproofs on and we made our way to another couple of caches on the agenda for the day.

Valley of the Tiger by The Magna Defender

http://coord.info/GC2BAAZ

An earthcache with a rating of  D3/T4.5 in which Jules needed towards filling in her grid.
This really was a lovely Earthcache and although the terrain was a bit high it was definately very slippy and easy to fall in places.

Jules is laughing cos I slipped and almost fell!

It took in some lovely falls and lots of greenery around lovely streams, it was a little gem of an area that we enjoyed exploring.

Down by the lovely stream

It took us a while to find all the answers but we were also doing a multi at the same time.

#300 The End of the World by The Magna Defender

http://coord.info/GC3A7DZ

This was a fun 2 part multi where some questions had to be answered by going down a bunker, another place Jules and I enjoy going down.
I went down first and Jules went down after as we came up with coords that put us quite away from us, but one of the questions was a little confusing.

A bit of a tip down there!

OK lemme out it stinks down there.

The final coords took us up above the falls that were in the earthcache so we completed that in between these 2 stages. Once we were near GZ we were unsure of what side of stream we needed to be so I walked across a few times but it was very slippy.
After a bit of doubt about being in the correct area Jules announces that she thinks she can see it!!!!
YAY she did and we were rewarded with the site of a nice big ammo can.

Very slippy but pretty

The cache is in hand.

Wow can this day get any better, we got back to the car and we only had one hour left before we had to return home and we really wanted to get another 5/5 but wasn't sure we would have time.
I phoned our caching pal GolfChick and she assured us that as long as we found the entrance fast it was doable......Well that sealed it.



We jumped into the car and made our way to the next destination.

Ghost Train by gaznshell

http://coord.info/GC29M8V

This was our 2nd D5/T5 of the day and we were under pressure to find the entrance to yet another tunnel cache. We parked up where it suggested and just followed the paths but headed towards water, afterall there was water going through the tunnel.
I think to both our amazement we walked straight to the entrance and had to just cope with a slippy bank to get down so that we could head on.
Jules had already got her wellies on as they have good grip but I had to put mine on before we went any further.

Ok already and we were off into the water and entered the tunnel, the water wasn't very deep and didn't come above our wellies at all so it was quite easy going. A couple of minutes of walking down we soon arrived at possible GZ but we were just at wrong end of it, a minute or so later and the container was spotted and the cache was found woohoo.

Near the entrance!

The entrance has disappeared yikes!

Although this was over very quickly it was still a fun cache and better than Tunnel Tastic that we did at start of the day, now back to the car and even time for one more as we can park almost next to it hahaha.

The cache in hand!

Back at the car we knew that we could just about fit in one more which was another Little Quest, it was the last cache I had pencilled in so it meant we would complete them all.

LQ:LANCS - Hunter's View

We arrived at the car park and it was only a short but very scenic walk to GZ. It was definately the best Little Quest of the day and a great way to finish such an epic day off woohoo.

Lovely scenery from the cache site.


Well thats it our day is done, we have a 100 mile drive to drop Jules off but it really as been fantastic caching at its best.



Smilies bagged today = 18


Saturday 23 June 2012

Wet & Wild

A quieter and much later start to this weeks Saturday as Mr. Bedford was away and not back home till lunch time, so around 2pm I was picked up by caching partner Jules.
She had planned this weeks caching and made in nice and easy due to a few probs I have had with my health lately.....I have been suffering Sciatica but not sure what or if there is any damage until I manage to get a MRI scan.....but enough of that. lets stay positive.
Today due to the pain I have been in it was a very easy day, but a very fun day....aren't they all hahaha.

Waterfall Reachin By Geobuzzbee

http://coord.info/GC31HCY

So the time had come again for myself and caching partner Jules to come back down and attempt this cache again. We had failed this one in April but didn't really try hard enough....Today armed with wellies, shorts, sandals, flippers, snorkels (hehe ok maybe not all) we were back and were not going to take no for an answer....So a quick change opposite church and we were ready for some wild wet fun, we didn't bother taking GPSr as we knew where we were going, but after a fair few minutes search we decided that we really needed to read a hint as we weren't getting very far. So I emptied half the stream out of my wellies and we climbed back up the bank and headed back to the car together to grab a GPSr and a quick warm  up as the water was so cold.

Smiling but very cold...

We read what we needed to know and set back off all giggly just like the big kids that we are and were ready for round 2....and boy were we ready. We almost went in head first as we were so determined, the water was so cold that our ears were hurting after being under water for quite a bit

I secretly began doubting we would find it and then of course my fantastic caching partner found it, we made a bit too much hard work of this but you are definately going to get wet searching hehehe.


Yay, it's in the bag.Well done partner!

An absolutely brilliant cache and some of the most fun we have ever had together, even though I ruined my camera videoing us as it fell in the stream.
We got back to the car and shielded each other so we could get wet clothes off and dry clothes on, we must've looked a right pair haha.

A new trend?...I doubt it!

Completely drenched hehehe


We stayed in car with a coffee each for a good 20 minutes or so just to dry out properly before moving on.



We then did a cache which was a few yards away from where we were parked opposite the church before heading off to do a few more.
The Waterfall was definately the highlight of the day and we then went to a chippy for a bit to eat before heading back home.



Total smilies bagged =7