Learn More
Amongst my 95 lists of caches to do is one called Maldon Clear-Up. Now that I’m getting out and about for short bursts of caching, it’s time to go back to Maldon to try to reduce this list. Here’s how I got on.
I parked up near Nathan’s VS Maldon just before six and quickly found this letterbox based on a jigidi puzzle. Further up the road into town, I quickly picked up the trad CM Elim Pentecostal. As it was early, the car parking was free so I drove over to the Butt Lane car park. This would be my base for a few more of the town’s CMs recently placed by Sidsgranma.
The trad CM Baptist was a quick find adjacent to the car park and after a brisk walk in the welcome cool air, I was sorting out the multi at the CM Catholic. On the way to the final, I detoured to another of the COs trad, THE SALT MINES which was in a delightful spot in a corner of the town that I had never visited. After a quick find and a fave point, I carried on down onto The Hythe for another look at Hydrogen, the Thames Barge we went on a few weeks back.
There was another multi here, CM St Mary the Virgin. The coords for this one took me up into town and after a quick find, I carried on in a circular route back to the car. It was another short drive to the carpark next to the Library where I was after another multi, FRIARY WALLED GARDEN. I messed up the sums here a couple of times but soon had some reasonable coords. A brisk walk alongside paths formed of medieval stone walls soon took me to the final stage.
There was another multi that I had solved a couple of years ago but I had had a DNF at Water Tower #1 - Maldon. I couldn’t remember the coords but I could remember the place so I got myself down there. I still had no joy here. On checking the logs, there had been a spate of similar DNFs here but the CO said that it was still there back in January. So this one stays on the list.
I was off towards Heybridge Basinbut there a couple of trads on the way, the first of which was CROMWELL LANE. This was a very narrow road, unmade in parts that led out the the Maldon Smoke House. I’d never been down here either but after a short search, I had the cleverly placed cache in hand. I had time to pick up ALONG THE CAUSEWAY on my way into Heybridge before stopping in The Street for the CM Heybridge - St George’s trad. There were a couple of cafes here making me hungry but I beat off the breakfast pangs and continued on my way.
The main reason for coming back to Heybridge Basin was to try for the VS, another of Nathan’s jigidi mystery caches. I remember that the hint was a bit convoluted but when I had walked out along the sea wall to the final, I hadn’t taken a note of them.🤬🤯 I didn’t have time to re-do the jigsaw to get the hint so I left it for another day. I admired the many boats in the Basin before finding the Basin Boats trad.
It was gettin to the point that I needed to head for home. There were two more on the day’s list though. The RST - Maldon West trad was an easy find thanks to the hint but the WM - Woodham Mortimer mystery was a bit trickier. I had sorted out the puzzle at home but it was down a narrow lane. Unfortunately there was a dust cart in front of me. Once the driver had found a place for me to squeeze past, I found myself in a dilemma. Was the final far enough down the road for me to get the cache before the cart appeared and would I be blocking the road?
I parked up as best I could and quickly found the well placed cache. As I was signing the log, I saw the dust cart coming down the road but luckily it stopped to pick up some rubbish. I had enough time to get in the car and shoot off and away. This turned out to be my last cache of the day.
13
##11166