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This week, I’ve got half an eye on the Hidden Creatures souvenirs and a need for a nice circular in some lovely countryside. So it’s a numbers game today.😀 I decide to try the Semi Circle series around Steeple Bumpstead and on the way up there, see if I can get some of those caches that I had been eluding me.
As I drove through Shalford, I remembered that the VS here had been enabled so I quickly pulled into the car park opposite the Post Office. I had a quick find to start the day right. My next stop was Wethersfield where I had a couple of DNFs to overcome.
The 5/1 trad in the K6 telephone box was quickly found but I was still out of luck at the CM multi. At GZ, I was met by Championship winning nettles.😬 I got down low and dirty to get into the hedge but although I did my best, I couldn’t spot the cache, so I had to call it a day. Next up was another git of a cache the 4.5/1.5 CM at Cornish Hall End. I’ve never seen one hidden like this before and so as to not spoil the frustration of those following, I’ll leave it there.🤔
Having found somewhere safe to park in Steeple Bumpstead, I realised that I had left my geobag at home with my battery packs.🤯 I’m going to have to re-jig the day so I don’t get caught without battery life.
I set off on the Semi Circles with JB series of 14 trads. There are some other trads interspersed from the remains of the Steeple Bumpstead Circular Walk series, some Little Bridges and a puzzle. This was a great walk with few problems regarding the caches but I could see the battery life ebbing away. I found all 22 caches on the walk including the puzzle - Happy Birthday JB.
JB was a supporter of a football team that I’ve supported for nearly sixty years. The puzzle is based on that team. It’s perhaps poignant to mention that one of the stalwarts of that team died over the weekend aged 73. He had been suffering from long term dementia. An England international, he was a one club man who played in every position from 2 to 12, he just wanted to play for The Mighty Whites. He said that he would never get into the greatest line-up of that team, even if he was picking it.😀 RIP JB and Paul Madeley.
With the battery on its last legs, I got back to the car and started charging while I drove round to the nearby CM. I pulled up outside the church and quickly gathered the information to work out the coords.
At this point I noticed a sign board stating “Tea and Coffee/1000 - 1200 Tuesdays/All Welcome.” I was thirsty so why not? I went around the back of the church and in a bright and airy room, there was a gathering of ten people. I mentioned that I had seen the sign and could I have a cup of tea please?
A cup of tea and a plate of shortcake biscuits were quickly placed in front of me.😀 It turned out that it was a church social group that met up weekly for a chat to put the world to rights. They asked me where I was from, I told them about the walk so far and that I was Geocaching. Questions flew from everywhere and I explained what the hobby was all about. I told them about the types of caches and that I had hoped to go for Tunnel Vision today but had left some tools behind so couldn’t attempt it.
I added that it was Geocaching that had brought me to the church this morning. Then I was into CMs and explaining what this one was all about. I explained that I had to get the phone number for Hall bookings and the woman next to me said that’s me.😀 I showed them the cache description, even worked out the coords in front of them and said that the cache was near so and so down the street. They then wanted to know what was there.
I said that my tea was still hot so give me a couple of minutes. I left them, went down the road, retrieved the cache and returned with it in hand. I showed them the whole process - signing the log sheet, putting the find in the app, smiley face etc., I mentioned TBs and swappables so someone went off and got some tiny furry creatures to put in the cache.
The questions were still coming and I noticed that someone was taking a lot of notes. This was the editor of the church magazine. She said that she was going to write an article about the CM for next months magazine.🤔 So I had to make sure that all the details were correct.😀 Finally they invited me back one Tuesday next month to collect my copy of the magazine. I said that as I had unfinished caching business up this way, it was a deal.👍🏻
The rest of the afternoon became a series of drive by caches. I had to get a decent amount of charge in the battery before doing any more walks of any distance. Still I added a few more VS and CM caches as well as the excellent SOHCAHTOA puzzle by Gillywig to the tally by working my way a little further into Suffolk and then back into Finchingfield.
To finish off the day, I did the short circular Hay Field Stroll series of five trads just below Great Bardfield. Unfortunately the final one was MIA but now it has been replaced, I’ll get that another day.
2 Multi 2 Mystery 35 Traditional
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