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I‘ve only gone and bought myself an electric bike! I’ve been toying with the idea for a while thinking that it would assist me with some one hundred plus cache days, so I bought the thing.😀 However I need to get used to riding the bike and developing a caching technique so I needed a test run.🤔
Archer Phoenix, a local cacher had set up a couple of series around East and West Tilbury which I thought would fit the bill. The “Scout Stroll” and the West Tilbury Walk were mainly on the road but there was an opportunity for off-roading so I could put the bike through its paces.
I parked up about seven outside the West Tilbury church and rode down to the start of the “Scout Stroll” series in East Tilbury. I then backtracked from SS1 up Station Road collecting the trads up to SS6 but unfortunately SS7 and SS8 eluded me. I passed the site of the former Low Street Station and carried on up the hill to the SS9 multi, with its very clever hint, which was soon found.
I turned off and rode up Low Street Lane but couldn’t find SS10 despite a long time rummaging in the ivy. I moved on up the lane collecting the SS11 and SS12 trads before turning off onto a farm track named the Coal Road. This ancient trackway was originally used from the 16th century to transport coal from Coalhouse Point to Chadwell and Grays.
I was a bit apprehensive about riding the bike off road but there were no problems but it did get a bit hairy riding down the field margins between crops and nettles. I found the SS13 and SS14 trads before working out the SS15 multi.
I managed to go in completely the wrong direction towards SS16 so turned and headed back the right way, only to miss the footpath and end up pushing the bike down a field margin. Luckily there was a gap in the hedgerow large enough for me and the machine.😀
The cache was elusive and I wandered around trying to approach from all angles. Suddenly I spotted a cachers trail which led me to the novelty cache. I had to wheel the bike through waist high grass which is unusual for a bridle path so it doesn’t get much equine traffic.🤔
Time was getting on so I cycled back past the former Low Street station and up the hill into West Tilbury. I spent some time working out the three multis here, the VS, the VHs and Adams Stamp. I found the VHs easy enough but the VS proved elusive so it had to be left for another day, along with the other multi.
3 Multi 11 Traditional
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