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It was high time that I gave Kent a miss and head north to West Cambridgeshire for a change. I had been working on some of the Geo-Art series up there during the lock down. I was hoping to use these as a basis of some assaults at getting one hundred caches in a day for a couple of challenge caches that I have in mind.
However some other power walk series have now been published which are nearer and hopefully easier to achieve in a day. So I decided to have a bash at D’oh, a series based on the Simpsons. I have a hundred caches on the list for today but if I don’t get them, c‘est la vie, at least I’ll be tuning up the legs. Here’s how the day went.
I was starting off in Barrington on a circular walk which would take most of the day. The majority of the caches are 2/1.5 Unknowns with a smattering of VS, CM and LB trads in between. I pulled into the village just before dawn and parked in the handy little car park opposite the church. I would be following sections of the archived Barrington Bounce and Outwell Orbit series so I knew what was coming.
It took me about forty five minutes to knock the first ten D’ohs. I broke off to sort out a couple of Barrington Little Bridges and the Congratulations 2000 ~ Candleford Unknowns. Back on the D’ohs, I reached #18 by half past eight and found myself in the village of Harlton. I deviated for the VS, the VHs and the Congratulations 1000 ~ dazza 1984 Unknowns. I moved on to #19 and #20 and then another break off for the Congratulations 2000 ~ LordandLady Unknown.
It was then back to pounding the paths and pavements up to #40 where I paused to get another stray, the Homer Simpson Colour Scheme Unknown which was in keeping, wasn’t it.😀 So it was back to the D’ohs e doh and I stormed up to #53 where I detoured again to pick up my first of only two trads of the day at the LB Little Eversden.
I am finding it difficult to work backwards to check exactly where I was on this journey. It’s only the non D’oh caches that are helping me. I was travelling over familiar ground but can’t check back to specific caches. I wanted to mention the cache shown in the photo which was originally part of an archived Halloween series. I know that it was on the Mare Way but exactly where I can’t pinpoint.🙁
I carried on from the LB collecting D’ohs until I got to the Harlton Road and the VS Little and Great Eversden multi. I had been here before and found the VS so this must have been a reincarnation. This was quickly found near an antique road sign. I wasn’t on the Harlton Road for long as I had to turn west and back on The Mare Way. Evidently this is an ancient track that links up with the circular HamCarLow Way, a long distance walk taking in Harlow and Cambridge. For good measure, The Mare Way is a unique road name in the U.K.
I was making good time and had come off the ridge, dropping down the hill towards Orwell when the sky suddenly blackened and sleet started to pound down. It was bouncing off me so much that I had to take shelter in the hedgerow. It eased off slightly so I made my way down the short distance to #70 where I had my first DNF of the day. The cache should have been at my eye level but a search twenty metres each side of the search area achieved zilch so I reluctantly moved on.
The sleet began to hammer down again but there was no shelter so I carried on, picking up #71 and #72. I noticed that I had received a message from the D’oh CO, Ross. He told me that the hint for #70 had recently changed.🤬 Not wanted to leave the DNF, I turned back, walking into the sleet for about a half mile to the search area. I made an immediate find - at ground level.🥴
As I waited to cross the busy A603, the sleet stopped and the sun came out. The steam off my wet jacket was clouding up my glasses.😀 I walked up the hill towards the Orwell Clunch Pit and down into the village. I was now up to #75 but I was running out of time fast. I knew that I would not reach my century now. I worked out the coords for the multi VHs but the final stage was in the wrong direction. Still I had to come back for the Clunch Pit AlLabs so I could get that one then.
I made the decision to yomp down the main road into Barrington rather than follow the footpaths on the route of the D’oh series. I would have been tempted to look for the caches and I would then be very late home.
As it was, the main road passed the Trigtastic ~ Orwell Unknown and two of the D’ohs, #83 and #84, so it wasn’t a complete disaster. 😀 I was also able to spot some good parking places when I came back to complete the D’oh series.
I made it into Barrington and after a brief stop in the village post office to pick up some free range eggs for us’tea, it was back to the car. As in all good caching days though, there was time for one more and the trad A Fine Pair ~ Barrington bit the dust.😂
1 Multi 2 Traditional 86 Unknown
#12400