Mysterious creatures, a lost dog & a major police incident...just another quiet week caching!

So we finally saw the much anticipated arrival of geocaching HQs new souvenir challenge Hidden creatures. Just a meagre 100 cache finds required in 4 weeks to grab all the mystical creatures and the 13 souvenirs! Normally, not a problem, but with temperatures now verging on 30 degrees, getting out caching, even after work, has been a challenge in itself! 

I’ve had to swap space in my rucksack, usually set aside for packets of crisps and chocolate bars, for additional bottles of water. And even then I’ve struggled to do much walking in the sweltering heat.

As a result I got off to a slow start in the challenge. It was day three before I managed to drag myself out after work and grab just six caches around the Abingtons and Hildersham.

That said they were in some lovely locations, almost hard to believe that just outside Cambridge there are several villages almost untouched by the mass new house building schemes that seems to be going on in so many other places at the moment. 

Hildersham in particular is surrounded by some beautiful meadows alongside the small river which were lovely to walk along. The hides were also good, especially Gatekeeper with its clever clue, that I didn’t work out until several minutes of searching in completely the wrong place! 

The following day, now firmly back in caching mode I decided to tackle an almost circular walk around Needingworth, Holywell and St Ives. Several different series make up the walk, including the pedal power series which had been published only the night before.

I decided to start with the Falklands Walk which had a nice variety of caches and hides and then diverted to grab three clever caches alongside the river. I hadn’t been out long but upon completing the river caches I’d decided to treat myself to a much deserved cool drink at the nearby pub.

Sadly it wasn’t to be. As I arrived at the door, I spotted a sign saying ‘due to a major police incident today, the pub is closed until further notice’! Oh heck! Oh the disappointment! Nevermind. I made do with sitting on the shady wall outside, sipping my second bottle of water, contemplating whether I should begin rationing it, at least until another watering hole was spotted. 

More great hides followed as I departed Holywell, but not before grabbing the church micro at the pretty church on the hill with the curious little well. The cache was another cleverly thought out water pipe only I failed to spot it on first look as it’s actually in the ground under a less than obvious rock. Deciding I couldn’t really spare the water to get the cache out, I used my little tool instead and the log was soon in hand. 

The walk along the lake path was lovely and every so often I got a glimpse of it beyond the trees as I stopped to pick up a cache. At one point I even spotted someone camping out on the trail, very odd! And further along I came across a cute little dog, who stood watching me as I tried to find a cache. I didn’t think much of it until 10 minutes later I ran into a chap desperately looking for his little dog! Oh dear, hopefully he found it.  

By the time I reached St Ives I was parched, my water supplies were almost gone and I desperately needed a sit down. And that’s when I spotted it, like a lake in a desert, just ahead was the oasis of Morrison’s! I was saved! I almost ran across the car park...with just a quick stop to grab a cache...desperate to get into the air cooled building, and head for the drinks cabinet! 

...several bottles of water later and completely re-energised I made short work of the great St Ives Milestone cache - not seen a milestone like that before - and the new Pedal Power caches on the trip back into Needingworth.

My only hold up was the brilliant Fairytale Fiasco ‘Big Bad Wolflets’, an unusual field puzzle cache that required a sit down and a bit of thought. But little fingers soon twisted the right thing and the key and log was soon in hand.  

Upon arriving in the centre of Needingworth I realised I’d managed to coincide my visit with their annual N-Fest - a rock music festival of sorts that was loud and busy, but fortunately seemed to be occupying most of the village on the recreation ground, leaving me free to roam the streets and grab the caches unhindered.   

  

The Lock Up was great. And I probably wouldn’t have noticed this historical building, dedicated to humiliating the village’s naughty past residents, if it hadn’t of been for the cache here. I also made a start on the Wherigo which followed a similar prisoner theme, but sadly ran out of time to complete it. But it was great fun and I will return to finish what I started soon. 

The final two trips of the week, were again after work caches and dashes. They included three nice caches around Ickleton and one at Hinxton, three near Babraham, and another six at Bottisham and Lode.

A mixture of village signs, war memorials, church micros and some creative hides. GCZ team’s War Memorial at Lode was particularly noteable, as were Uncannyannie’s three Bottisham caches which were all very inventive - a toad, a butterfly and a snail. But my favourite was the noisy croaking frog at Little Bridges Babraham that I just couldn’t get to shut up! Every time I slightly moved him he was off again, very amusing. 

Between them, they helped me get the 12th souvenir, a lovely dragon. Just 48 caches to go for the turtle!