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Friday 27th October 2023
I signed the logsheet of a challenge cache maybe two months ago but I didn't qualify. I had to attend an event in 20 different counties and I only had 13 under my belt. So when I saw an event in Flitwick, Bedfordshire on a day that I could manage, I had to attend to add another county to the list.😀
I worked out a list for the day which would also take in a few more challenges. I started early to get around the M25 and up the A1 before the traffic got hairy. My first point of call was Haynes Church End. The 4.5/3 250 STAR Challenge was here so I parked in the church car park and headed over through the nearby country estate to the search area. I had been here before but the cache was MIA. I knew that I had qualified for this one as I had found the nearby 350 Challenge the last time I was here.
I found the cache thankfully and headed back to the church where there was a CM multi. I had failed here before too but I still had my solved coords so I headed for them and luckily I had a quick find this time. I headed off to the junction with the A6 and sorted out the Piggin' Old multi. I worked my way towards Maulden picking up a few trads until I hit town.
I swiftly worked out the WM multi but completely missed the VHs mystery that had been published the day before.🥴 I then set off for Ampthill where I had a quick find of the CM... St Andrews trad. Time was getting on so I decided that Flitwick was my next port of call. Unfortunately this market town is beset with road works and the ensuing traffic was horrendous. I finally got to the venue after visiting the water mill only to find out that it was a Farmer's Market day and tight for parking.🥴
I got into the hall and ordered coffee and sausage rolls from the Scouts that were running the cafe and then looked for the event. I spotted Hanoosh near a large table packed with people so this must be the event. For the majority of the time, I was sitting with LandMB who tried to sell me the merits of Cachly. If you are reading this, I have downloaded the app but I'm yet to be convinced.🤔 I chatted to a few more cachers including the hosts MANDMADEandMAN and then said my goodbyes.
I had already decided that I would head out of town away from the traffic and luckily that led me up to the 4.5/2 Little Bridges mystery. This had been a 420 piece jigsaw hence the high D. The hosts had given me an extra hint and so did LandMB who were at the cache when I arrived.🤣 I continued on to Tingrith where I soon found the AFP trad and then walked up the road to the CM multi. Whilst I was gathering the info, an old boy asked if I wanted to enter the church but I said that it was unfortunately locked up otherwise I would have gone in. I explained to the chap who turnd out to be 87 but didn't look a day over 70🤣 what I was doing re geocaching and for a moment he could have been interested.🤣🤣
My next port of call was the sprawling village of Ridgmont. I worked out the CM multi and then realised that the CM Segenhoe mystery was tagged on to this one. The mystery involved working backwards from a coordinate projection which was interesting but although I solved it, I would save that one for a bit later.
I drove down to Ridgmont station and soon found the ST trad but there was an interesting offset Victoria's Post Box letterbox cache here which needed sorting. This was so cleverly put together that it had to have a favourite point.😀 There was also a base of the SideTracked - Marston Vale Line AL series here which demanded logging.
I headed towards Segenhoe but the Brog Too 19 No 6 trad was just down the road so it was silly not too.😀 I reached the designated parking spot in Segenhoe and it struck me that I had been here before. The 2003 golden oldie Faith no more (Beds) was here. I worked out the FYI multi here but it was in the opposite direction from the CM final stage. However both caches were easy finds which was most welcome.
The caching day was drawing to a close so I set off for the junction of the A5 at Little Brickhill where I was after the last one of the cluster of challenges set in the woods here. I parked up and walked down to the 3.5/1.5 MiniGlobe Trotter challenge. After a quick find, I walked back to the motor and continued down into Great Brickhill.
I was initially drawn down here for two more challenges but there were a few more caches worth looking into. In the centre of town, I found the Woodlands for 100 pigs trad and then walked down towards the CCs. On the way were two of the Great Brickhill Loop series which were easy finds but it was a bit of a slog uphill to the 3.5/2.5 My Favourite Caches #1 and the 4.5/2.5 #2 but both caches were eventually found. All I had to do was walk the mile or so back to the village but I had discovered that there was the Great Brickhill AL series here too. I had time to find three of the bases so that had to do for today.😀
1 Event 1 Letterbox 4 AdLab 6 Multi 6 Mystery 9 Traditional
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