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Thursday 7th September 2023
I needed to go back to Milton Keynes to continue where I'd left off with my post Mega caching. However I had noticed a circular series of challenge caches with two interspersed trads to the west of town that I'd completely missed. I didn't qualify for most of them but they would be something to work towards. I would have to check them out later so I haven't claimed any. Here's how the day went.
My first port of call was way over west in the little village of Lillingstone Dayrell. I was after the 2003 vintage, the Church in the Fields (Bucks) trad. This was quickly found at 0704 and then I headed east to another little village, Calverton. The CM trad was soon spotted but the real reason for coming here was that it was a good place to start on the MK23 challenges. The series of 24 mysteries consisted of D1 to D5 caches. I started at 0745 and finished at 1030. At the final cache, I spotted a delightful little fungus that I can't remember seeing before.
I could hear the bells ringing at the church so decided to pop in for a look around. I usually spend a few moments of quiet reflection inside when I find an open church but today I gatecrashed a High Church Holy Communion service so decided to sit and wait for it to finish.🤫 Luckily I was treated to tea and bourbon biscuits afterwards before heading off.😀
The next cache was just to the north of Calverton at the 1.5/4 Spring Forward-Fall Back - it's a Letterbox. On the way there I was wondering what I had let myself in for but it was just a straight forward find.🤣 I headed off to Passenham for the CM trad but I just couldn't find it.🥴 I had more luck at the CM multi at Woughton on the Green. Whilst I was here, I found one of the bases of the Haunted Milton Keynes AL series next to this thatched cottage.
I wanted to start to head south now so I dropped down to Caldecote Lakes for the 4.5/1.5 My Favourite Challenge Cache - Gold and then moved eastwards for the 3/2 Bronze version.😀 Time was getting on so I continued south towards Little Brickhill where there were four more challenges where I knew that I met the criteria.
The terrain in the forest here is tough but the arborology is magnificent. I had been here before but the Redwood trees never cease to amaze me.😀 I picked up the 4.5/1.5 Social Butterfly, the 4.5/1.5 Your Best Day?, the 2/2.5 Memento and finally, the 3/1.5 In the Dark (Again). There were more to find here but I had run out of time and it's always good to come back and admire the trees.😀😀
In hindsight, it doesn't seem like a profitable day's caching but even if I can add half of the potential MK23, it will be.😀
1 AdLab 1 Letterbox 1 Multi 3 Traditional 6 Mystery
#17477