Geocaching

[Mark]

http://www.geocaching.com/

Anyone do this? I've been told it is "ace".

[GridGirl]

Geocaching is not ace when you dont find what your looking for, end up being scratched by tree's with thorns and have twigs stuck in your nicely straightened hair.


I would also be greatful if I can have a conversation with a certain someone that doesn't always get back to bloody geocaching. :rolleyes:

[Daniel]

Geocaching is not ace when you dont find what your looking for, end up being scratched by tree's with thorns and have twigs stuck in your nicely straightened hair.


I would also be greatful if I can have a conversation with a certain someone that doesn't always get back to bloody geocaching. :rolleyes:
I wonder who that is :p

[Mark]

Geocaching is not ace

Sure it is. It's just Daniel that doesn't like it, But he's banned ;)

[airshifter]

Sure it is. It's just Daniel that doesn't like it, But he's banned ;)

He's probably trying to Geocache his entry into the forums. Keep moving the target object for us this time. :D

I was going to suggest to Grid Girl that excess hair work might be out of line for such a thing.... but then realized the post was over two years old. :grenade:

[GridGirl]

Geocaching has grown on me over the years. Although I may just like it more now the other half isn't obsessed with it. We still do it and on a nice day it's quite fun. Mind you, I still haven't managed to find a cache up a mountain. It's usually too cold to stop and hunt around for them.

[Mark]

Try the one at Hardknott Pass!

[Tazio]

I think it would be a blast!

[GridGirl]

Try the one at Hardknott Pass!

How long has it been there? We might have already done it. I love driving Hardknott and Wrynose.

I take it Geocaching has got you out and about to places you wouldn't have previously been too and given you a fair bit of execise too? Good stuff. :)

[Mark]

How long has it been there? We might have already done it. I love driving Hardknott and Wrynose.

Since 2002, so you probably have!



I take it Geocaching has got you out and about to places you wouldn't have previously been too and given you a fair bit of execise too? Good stuff. :)

Yep, of course! That's what's so good about it, that you see stuff you would not do ordinarily. Just last weekend we discovered the largest sundial in the UK, after having driven past it for years and not taken any notice!

[Mark in Oshawa]

I hate looking for stuff in my flat....why would I want to HAVE to find something out in the bush some place? lol...

Actually, I might try it at some point....I like hiking...and it would be a good excuse for a walk...but I would be ticked if I couldn't find the cache...

[Mark]

Actually, I might try it at some point....I like hiking...and it would be a good excuse for a walk...but I would be ticked if I couldn't find the cache...

A lot of them are arranged in a sequence with set walks around the woods, different places. I like the way most people don't just put it in a random location, they put it close to something interesting and in the cache description page tell you about the location, it's history etc.

It is frustrating when you don't find the cache. There's one I was looking for recently I spent ages looking for it, just to find out later it had been stolen! Mostly cos the cache owner didn't look after it :( . (I wonder who that could be? :p )

[MrJan]

So you use a GPS to direct you to an exact spot, only to find a box and then go home?

I'm struggling to see the point in this. It's not really a treasure hunt because you have a precise location and you aren't using much skill because the GPS does it all (as opposed to using a map). So basically it's just walking around in the woods? Why not just go for a walk in the woods?

[Mark]

So you use a GPS to direct you to an exact spot, only to find a box and then go home?

GPS won't take you to the *exact* spot. It'll get you within 10-20 metres of the location, then you have to start searching. It sounds easy, but it isn't! Sure there are plenty caches where we've just walked up to the location, and spotted it immediately (although I do like those ones). But others where you have to look for quite a while, and others, like the one outside where I work where I've looked loads of times but still haven't found it!



I'm struggling to see the point in this. It's not really a treasure hunt because you have a precise location and you aren't using much skill because the GPS does it all (as opposed to using a map).


As I say, the GPS does some of it, but by no means all! Of course, there's nothing to stop you using a map if you so desired. The geocaching website shows the location on google maps and gives you an OS grid ref.



So basically it's just walking around in the woods? Why not just go for a walk in the woods?

Well sure! But it makes your walk in the woods that bit more interesting.

[MrJan]

Well sure! But it makes your walk in the woods that bit more irritating.

Edited for factuals :p :

I just think that I would go mad if I tried it. Seems to be well popular though, there's loads near me that people have had a crack at. Mind you I was completely put off when I saw words like 'stealth' and 'muggles', that made me want to slap someone :D

[GridGirl]

Geocaching is good if it gets you out and about where you normally wouldn't bother. I'm a fairly active person that will go out walking or be doing something outdoorsy (if thats a word) where as other people are not. Quite a few people that my other half has introduced to geocaching have seen it as an ideal way to get outside and do stuff. Geocaching has done that for them where previously they wouldn't have gone out and done something but now they do and they love the exercise it can give you. Or like Mark said, he didn't know the UK's largest sundial was virtully on his doorstep. You just find out randoms rubbish from geocaching.

I suppose in a way, geocaching is a really rubbish treasure hunt but you get excerise, you can learn alot, and generally go places or find things you would never unless you were geocaching. We've took my other half's grandma geocaching before she died and she was in her mid eighties. We've taken our eldest niece geocaching and she's only three. Although we do have to find and check caches are OK before she goes looking for them. I did have my reservations at first but it is a good hobbie that all the family can enjoy and take part in. :)

[MrJan]

I suppose in a way, geocaching is a really rubbish treasure hunt but you get excerise, you can learn alot, and generally go places or find things you would never unless you were geocaching. We've took my other half's grandma geocaching before she died and she was in her mid eighties. We've taken our eldest niece geocaching and she's only three. Although we do have to find and check caches are OK before she goes looking for them. I did have my reservations at first but it is a good hobbie that all the family can enjoy and take part in. :)

We did something similar when I was a nipper, we called it rallying :D It managed to get us together as a family and get some exercise :up:

I can sort of see the attraction for families but I would far rather just go for a walk :)

[GridGirl]

True, but you can't always take part in rallying and to be honest the waiting around can get quite boring at times. Plus most of the ones I go on are bloody freezing. :p

But do you ever just go for a walk?

[MrJan]

But do you ever just go for a walk?

Not any more. I used to when I was at Uni and I'll generally walk rather than using any type of public transport or cab when I'm on the binge :cheese: The problem is now that I don't like walking when I just leave from my house and I don't particularly want to drive to somewhere nice and then go walking (would far rather give the car a blast). I went to Uni at Falmouth so it was really nice walking in any direction from the house.

[Mark]

Not any more. I used to when I was at Uni and I'll generally walk rather than using any type of public transport or cab when I'm on the binge :cheese: The problem is now that I don't like walking when I just leave from my house and I don't particularly want to drive to somewhere nice and then go walking (would far rather give the car a blast). I went to Uni at Falmouth so it was really nice walking in any direction from the house.

It's good for blasting around in the car too. We did it in the Lake District recently and chose caches close to the road and it helped form a route around some good roads we could take. It was mostly about the driving and the scenery, but the caches provided some purpose to it.

Daniel would disagree, but again, he's still banned :p

[GridGirl]

You'll be doing Motorway Mayhem before you know it. :p

[MrJan]

Daniel would disagree, but again, he's still banned :p :

Why is that? He hasn't gone being rude to people in the F1 forum again has he? :confused:

I'm not sold on this cashing business. I suppose that being a single bloke it's got less appeal.