So did I achieve my targets for 2023 wasn’t as good as I had hoped achieved three got close to one and others just fell by the wayside. And I’d also like to say thank you to those I’ve cached with over the last year often as Team SCG (Saturday Caching Group) made up of Manxrose, WavyDale, DTS63, Wild Goosey, JnKFox, PurpleStarGiraffe, WillowtheCat, The Stones, and Aegean Pirates.

So my 2023 targets were as follows ;

  • 18000 finds ( Met 18510)
  • Reach 1000 Multi caches found (Met 1128)
  • Reach 200 Earthcache finds (Met 201)
  • Reach 200 Letterbox finds (Failed 178)
  • Reach 75 Virtual finds (Failed 74 one off)
  • Complete d/t x2 (Failed Still two squares off)
  • Traditional D/T Grid (Failed was 2 off now 3 off)

But 2023 was my second best ever year for finds 2331 with plenty of trips out and about around the country but mostly within the Midlands.

So onto to my 2024 targets

  • 20000 finds
  • Reach 1200 Multi caches found
  • Reach 200 Letterbox finds
  • Reach 100 Virtual finds
  • Complete d/t x2
  • Traditional D/T Grid

Some of these targets are more challenging than others and after failing them in 2023 see if we can progress in 2024, in the year ahead.

So for anyone setting there goals for 2024 good luck with them.

Well as i’m not one for camping i don’t tend to stay at the mega events that happen, but Piratemania was in Naseby this year which was only just over an hour away, so agreed to meet up with some of the ususal gang there. Three of travelled with me doing the driving was joined by Wavydale (Dave) and DTS63 (Dee) for this trip.

We made good time and arrived in the area over an hour beforehand do we decided to head down to Brixworth country park, as there was a virtual cache here and a set of 5 adventure lab caches. We raced around this set of adventure labs following the same course in part of the Park runners, but no medal, then headed to the main event.

After signing in to the event the folk we were meant to be walking with were ready to leave at 10 on the dot, we said we would catch them up, as they were heading around the long series first. After a bacon roll that Dave paid for out appetite sated we headed out to catch up Team Vango, but we signed in the caches as we went as Team SCG (Saturday Caching Group). We also stopped in the Naseby village for some of the Adventure labs on route.

I would say we made good progress but for up until the half way point were two or three caches behind the rest of the party, until we reached No 23 and caught up with the rest of Team Vango. We were surprised that we hadn’t seen that many other groups out, we had gotten stuck for a bit behind behind a large family group. As Team Vango headed down this section we did get caught in a couple of sharp showers, before reaching back to the village of Naseby, where SCG parted ways briefly to finish of the adventure labs, then back to the event for some further nourishment.

After completing the further set of Adventure labs at Mega event location we headed off around the shorter series and then back to camp for more refreshments, think so far we had walked 11 miles. As evening was starting to come on and the raffle was coming up that we hadn’t brought tickets for, though I had purchased one of the new pirate hat coins. We headed out by car to pick up a few more caches then we parted with Team Vango and headed for home.

A very successful Piratemania mega event and day, 114 caches in total in the end for our team of Saturday Caching Group. We would be meeting up again with Team Vango the next weekend at the Milton Keynes Mega

So did I achieve my targets for 2022 well when I last posted I had already met some so lets see how I did in 2022 then I’ll go on and set some targets for 2023.

So my 2022 targets were as follows ;

  • 15,000 finds overall (met)
  • Reach 750 Multi caches found (met)
  • Reach 175 Earthcaches found (met)
  • Reach 1600 Mystery caches found (met)
  • Reach 150 Letterbox hybrid found (met)
  • Complete d/t x2 (failed 1 square still left to do)

But 2022 was my best ever year for finds 2733 made up of 1438 Traditional finds, 794 AdLabs, 213 Multis, 200 mystery caches, 34 letterbox, 16 Earthcaches and a small number of the other cache types. It did help the Mega in the UK was in my home county so lots of new caches to find.

So onto to my 2023 targets

  • 18000 finds
  • Reach 1000 Multi caches found
  • Reach 200 Earthcache finds
  • Reach 200 Letterbox finds
  • Reach 75 Virtual finds
  • Complete d/t x2
  • Traditional D/T Grid

Some of these targets are more challenging than others and initially a a slow start to 2023 so far but with the team of caches that i cache with no doubt some of these will fit into some of there targets for the year ahead.

So for anyone setting there goals for 2023 good luck with them.

Well its been a long time since I posted on here, I would say life has gotten in the way and it has to some extent, but caching has gotten in the way, I started this to share experiences and I’ve not shared any for years but I have decided this needs to change.

So caching goals normally at the start of a calendar year I set myself some targets, the last three for four years I have not that they are always achieved, and if they are met early on a new target comes in so I thought I’d share what my goals were for this year.

  • 15,000 finds overall (met)
  • Reach 750 Multi caches found (met)
  • Reach 175 Earthcaches found (met)
  • Reach 1600 Mystery caches found (met)
  • Reach 150 Letterbox hybrid found
  • Complete d/t x2

So as you can see I’ve achieved already a few of the item on the list for 2022, others are proving a bit more challenging, considering that 2022 has been my best year of finds so far. The other thing I have picked up on more this year are challenge caches. If you are not aware of what a challenge cache is you have to meet certain requirements to be able to log the cache for example to have found 500 multi caches. There previous were not many of these local but a few were placed out for the West Midlands mega event so these might influence my goals. Its not always about numbers it might to be find certain caches of an age or to visit certain places

So when 2023 approaches I will look to set some more targets for the year ahead, and hopefully share them on here.

It was an overcast day when a group of us intrepid cachers decided to have a go at this series of caches around Lloyds Coppice near Ironbridge. The group was made up of Wild Goosey :), Manxrose, Adi Adventures, Jnk Fox, WillowtheCat and myself, we headed into the series equipped with water snacks, first aid kit and bypass snippers. The first caches in the series were up the hill on the way to the entrance to the Amazon. The first difficult cache we reached was at the back of a big tree down s steep slope, Adi adventures braved the slope and the cache was soon located and signed.

The party then made its way along the footpath to top of the Coppice a couple of more caches on he way to the waypoint to the entrance of where we were aiming for, at that point we looked at each other when faced with a wall of six to seven foot high, nettles, horsetails and brambles, so i lead the way and started bushwhacking our way through what must have been a 40 meter belt of this before we reached the relative ease of the woodlands, no paths here all off piste, the vegetation was thick and over grown it took about 45 minutes to reach the first of the four caches hidden in this area. Once we arrived at the GZ a short search helped my the many eyes and the cache was found safe and sound.

The trek then began to the second cache and it was a bit up and down to this one and a few boggy places, some comments were made of seeing the native tribes, Ewoks and other forest and jungle related movie references but eventually we reached the gz, Adi was there first and soon had the cache in hand, it was then onto the third one of the series, and this proved to be a difficult trek and there were a few slips and falls but no serious injuries other than the odd bruise and muddy clothing, upon reaching this gz I managed to fell a tree..I swear I only touched it and the tree came down, and i quickly moved out the way as it did, I son spotted the cache and it was signed by the group.

The fourth cache was the furthest away only 280 meters but it took us along time we were tiring and there were a few more steep descents here in the woods and a few more slips and trips and we had to pass through one pretty boggy area but no boots were lost, upon reaching the final GZ again it was a short search and the log book was signed. It was now time to make our exit back to one of the footpaths after consulting the gps and plotting in a waypoint we were only 100 meters or so a way but it was mainly downwards until we reached near the path and we had to traverse a deep dip then through another 5 meter thick section of brambles and nettles but we were out and those 4 caches had taken us just over 3 hours to do, we now followed the path heading back towards where the cars were parked.

Three more caches were picked up along the path and it was steps back up before we then made the decent down towards where we parked the cars near Blists Hill, a few of us then decided it was time for a well earned drink and for some a piece of cake in a coffee shop in Ironbridge. This series of caches isn’t for the faint hearted and certainly the vegetation was a hamper at this time of year the ground would have been too slippy and muddy to attempt in the Winter.

On the way from trip to Scotland i stopped off in Lancashire for a few days at my parents cottage in the area. The first day i walked around the Sabden Stroll series 11 caches starting out from Sabden village, my hunt for the day didn’t start well as at the first location i couldn’t locate the cache and there was a muggle not far away clearing up after the strong winds and rain we had experienced overnight. I moved on around the series which was a pleasant walk with easy going terrain a little muddy in places, and some great scenery most of the hides were straight forward to find a couple a little more difficult, took about an hour and a half to get around the series.

The seconchurncloughd morning i attempted the Sabden stroll series plus a three other odd caches that i hadn’t already gathered previously, which was more heading up the hill and to the Churn Clough, again it was damp under foot mostly due to the weather a few days prior but weather on the day was great but a bit windy as you went up the hill. Again all the finds we relatively straight foward a couple did take slightly longer to locate and one off the odd caches did involve crossing a small stream. More great views around the series and i would highly recommend both series, a thank you to TeamLancashireRoses who set the both of the series.

I had a Saturday afternoon to grab some caches so decided to head up the A41 towards Whitchurch, and after grabbing a quick drive by at a Junction. called Junction Cover, GC4TXYA, i headed through the lanes. Parking up along Platt Lane i grabbed two caches in this area, two traditional and a mystery cache which i had solved which wasn’t far from the canal. Then drove on to Welsh End and picked up the fine pair cache, then headed off down the lanes, eventually pulling up just off the end of Goblin Lane, where i picked up a further six caches on foot, in a loop and also helping by giving directions to a couple in a car.

The next target was the church micro at Whixall, lots of activity going on in the church grounds they were having a spring tidy up of the churchyard, the cache was soon in hand as it was outside the church grounds. From here it was back in the car to the end of Post Office lane to pick up a letterbox cache that was in the shape of a postbox.

Back in the car and headed towards Wem picking up the Church micro at Edstaston, and wandering around to pick up the details for the church multi though i didn’t collect this one today, that’s for another time.

An early start to this days caching with the possibility of getting a number of different types of caches, so as I set out at 8am and headed firstly to Action Trussell to pick up a letterbox hybrid cache type first, then over to Brockton area of Cannock chase to pick up the final stage of a Multi I had started but had to consult the CO before progressing due to a damaged second stage.

It was then a dash over to Ironbridge ready for the CITO (Cache in Trash Out) the group were already on the bridge and were being organised into groups, i headed out with group that went over to Sutton Woods, the Lady from the Ironbridge trust drove us across the area in the minibus, the group consisted of Blue Nora, Wigglesworth, Titan470, Monki, Calabrian Dreamer, Spunky Spider and SausageHunter. From our starting point near the river we headed out with our black bags and our GPS devices we followed the majority of the Sutton woods trail around.

Team C at CITO Event

Team C at CITO Event

This area wasn’t too heavy in dropped litter or rubbish, a couple of black bags worth were gathered between the group. So two more types found the CITO & a Traditional, on been picked back up and taken back to Ironbridge there was the second event of the day in the Tontine hotel opposite the bridge and after a spot to eat and chatting to other cachers it was onto the afternoons captures, firstly it was an Earthcache, then followed by the new Wherigo cache which i timed out on, there was just one more type now i could easily grab to take my types found to 8 in a day, departing i headed to just outside Newport and picked up a Mystery puzzle cache that i had solved.

It was time to head home and log my finds.

This is an small village just outside of Bridgnorth in Shropshire, there was a event been held there as well as two loop walks there todo, I headed out what I call early on a Saturday morning. Along with a group of other geocachers and the CO headed out to complete the new series. There were some Devilish hides from the CO on this series a few of them took a bit of searching to dig out. Part way round we came across another group completing the series from the other way around, our group soon made it back to the church where tea and coffee were provided along with cakes which we could purchase, there was also some other local produce available that purchase of this went towards the upkeep of the Church which doubled up as a Community hub for the village.

After eating a slice of cake and then had finished a cup a tea a smaller group were going to complete the existing loop in the area, I jointed up with Monki and UknowWho and we headed around the series only not attempting the COs 5*5 tree climb multi we did the first stage but the second stage the tree climb was beyond our skills without some safety equipment we had spotted the cache from the ground in the tree. A good days caching with 30 caches found and just one DNF.

Day 3

River Severn view, from bridge in Newtown

River Severn view, from bridge in Newtown

Third day in Newtown, after having a hearty breakfast, it was into Newtown to grab the Church multi and the Newtown Trial which I had gone wrong somewhere but didn’t have time to grab it today before the journey home, Headed off in the car through Kerry and grabbed Llanmererig Loop 1 as a cache and dash, before passing through Kerry before grabbing a couple of more caches along the A489 before driving up to Church Stoke then onto Craven arms and onto Church Stretton to stretch the legs and a quick walk around the few open shops, would have grabbed a cache but no phone signal so it meant that i could get the app to load and find caches around here I would be able to home in on.

Wound my way through Much Wenlock then onto to Telford and grabbed a few essential items I needed then headed home