Ashford

After spending some time caching in Cambridgeshire trying to visit all the stations on the defunct Cambridge to Mildenhall line, it’s time for a geographical change and I’m heading into Kent today. I want to find more Wherigo caches. Ashford seems to have so many concentrated there all put out by local cacher mankybadger. The plan was to start in Challock and work my way into Ashford. Here’s how the day progressed.

Through the tunnel very early and arrived in Challock as dawn broke. I wanted to start on a series of eight Wherigo caches Gotham #1 to #8 based on Batman. Each Wherigo led on to the next but there was quite a narrative involved. It took me a while to follow the COs reasoning but suddenly it all made sense and I was off and running. Holy Caching, Robin!

I kapowed through the eight stages all interlaced with Batman and Robin friends and foes until I was back where I started. I’d had a lot of fun doing these, exasperated one moment and then laughing in the next. I was going to enjoy doing more of mankybadger’s specialities.😀😀

The Red Phone Box 30 - Challock trad was by the car so I added that one to the tally. I drove down  to the village crossroads and worked out the VS multi spotting a sign that said that there was a tea room today at the Old Post Office. Now I had passed that earlier but of course, it would be too early for it to be open. I knew where I would be going for breakfast soon.

I drove down to the CM which was a good couple of miles out of town. In the olden days, the parishioners would have needed the rest after walking down here. The trad was easily found and it contained a “bonus” of the Lest We Forget Challock mystery.

But first, it‘s time for breakfast so I drove to the Old Post Office and it was shut. I read the notice in the window and it was permanently shut. The Post Office was now in the Halfway House pub and that was where I had seen the notice.🤯

Cut a long story short, the tea room was in the pub and it was its opening day. There were about six mothers in toddlers in there. No hot food so I had coffee and two lumps of cake for breakfast which was a first for me. The final stage of the Lest We Forget cache was across the road but I couldn’t find it.

The next stage of my plan was to work my way up to Teynham where a lot of the MIA Unicorn caches had been replaced. This was going to be a bit of a park and cache bonanza though. I found the VS trad and CM multi in Molash, the trad CM in Throwley and then the CM multi in Eastling. I did stop off for the CM multi in Newnham but I am sure that there is a replacement Church notice board here as the numbers don’t add up. Other cachers have reached the same opinion here.

I reached Norton an parked up by the church in the middle of apple orchards. I collected Unicorn 23, a 4/2.5 mystery, (these were all mysteries) followed by U25, a 4/2 based on HMS Unicorn that had caused me all sort of grief.🙁 I added U26, a 2.5/3 before heading up to Tynham Street.

I had failed at U66, a 4/2.5, before but as it had been replaced, it was silly not to go for it. I parked up by the bridge and could see a hive of activity here. There were tractors, trailers, pickers and loads of apples here.😀 I started on a circular wal, collecting U62, U63 but just couldn’t see U64. U65 was a quick find but I just couldn’t find U66. I did message the CO for help but he didn’t respond. Come to think about it, he still hasn’t.🥴

It was time to leave Teynham but there were two caches on the way home that I had to go for. I dropped down to a bridge carrying the M2 and clambered up the slope underneath to get to the 3.5/4 Hole ‘N Bridge trad.I was glad to tick this one of the list.

The last cache of the day was near Milstead and this was TIMANDVIK’S EGGSTRAVAGANZA CACHE. was keen to find this one as it was a 3/4 Large, which would be useful. Now finding the cache was the easy part but those of you who have been at this game for a while know what was coming next. It took me fifteen minutes to get to the log sheet to sign it but it was another filled box in my 81 grid.👏👏

2 Multi 6 Mystery 7 Traditional 8 Wherigo

#13565

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