A cache a day keeps the dr away!

When I started caching I began to feel a great sense of well being and happiness that I hadn’t felt since I was a child. And I believe it was very much due to the fact I was getting outdoors, walking and exploring the natural environment. 

Getting outside and seeing a whole host of wildlife, climbing trees and getting stung by nettles, were all things I hadn’t done since I was little.

Over the years mine and everyone  else’s world has been filled with more and more high tech gadgets, online services, and labour saving devices that mean we barely need to leave the house! 

We no longer need to go out and do the food shop as everyone delivers. And catching up with friends is no longer an outing to the pub, they’re all available almost 24/7 on social media, Skype, FaceTime etc etc!

Many experts now believe as a result we’re rapidly becoming more socially isolated and definitely less fit!

So why go for a walk when you’ve got thousands of online games apps, films and other devices to entertain you, all within an arms reach of the sofa?

Why indeed?! Well maybe it’s to go and find a Tupperware box, hidden under some sticks, at the foot of a tree just so that you can open it up, pull out a piece of paper, sign it and then proudly log it as found on your online profile! 

When you think of it like that, it doesn’t sound that appealing I’m sure. But combine it with the exercise of the walk; the new places you see; the people and animals you meet along the way; the fun of solving puzzles; the challenge of getting that box in your hand - sometimes tree climbing and even swimming are involved - and going to events to meet a whole host of new and like minded people, and suddenly it becomes a hugely enjoyable leisure time pursuit. 

These are the joys of Geocaching and that’s why me and thousands of people all over the world are doing it every day instead of sitting indoors glued to a box.

I certainly feel at my happiest and healthiest when I’m caching regularly. And with that in mind I was very pleased to hear about Geocaching HQs latest souvenir challenge - Streak Week! 

The challenge was to grab at least one cache a day for a week. 

A couple of years ago I managed a cache a day for a month, but I do know cachers who have actually managed a whole year! I take my hat off to them. That really is a challenge. 

Needless to say I was pretty confident of achieving the latest souvenir and on day one, Sunday, I picked up three caches just outside three of Thetford’s big superstores. 

The following day, I was passing Barton Mills so stopped off to pick up the Church Micro, a magnetic nano on a noticeboard. 

Day three was a quick drive out to Isleham to pick up EPPs challenge cache ‘Let’s us box’. It involved finding 100 letterbox caches. I’d  been nearly there for quite some time, but a bit of “bunny hopping” on RYO62s Letterbox series a few weeks back had got me well and truly over the line. And it was a lovely drive out with great views of the sunset. 

Day four, Wednesday, was a bit of after work caching, and as I left Cambridge I stopped in nearby Fulbourn to grab ‘Hunt for mill’. It turned out to be a decent sized cache on the edge of a new housing estate, so a quick cache and dash. 

As I drove home I stopped again to grab the lovely War Memorial multi in Six Mile Bottom, before ending the evening’s caching after getting a text from the other half telling me my dinner was on the table! Oops! I think I forgot to mention a caching trip was planned.

The following evening, four more after work caches were grabbed during a detour to Brinkley, Carlton and Dullingham. First stop, ‘Mini Wood’ where I picked up a badge TB.

On the outskirts of Brinkley I picked up ‘Its a Fun Guy’ number six on a trail of completed some time ago, but this one had alluded me. Not tonight! As I walked up to the start of the path I spotted the cache instantly, a brilliant china Fungi! Well what else could a ‘Fun Guy’ be?! 

At Dullingham I picked up EPPs long solved Village Sign mystery cache before heading home for my supper. 

Friday, Day Six of Streak Week saw me heading to Linton, just east of Cambridge. I parked up and spent an enjoyable hour or so wandering around the large village collecting three multis, including a fine pair, and a Sidetracked cache.

I also picked up the brilliant ‘Locked In’ cache which was a combination lock tied to a lamppost. Thanks to the very helpful cache page and a quick bit of calculating, I soon had the numbers for the combination lock and the log book was quickly in hand.

I finished by picking up a church micro at Balsham and a Fine Pair cache at Weston Colville.

The final day of Streak Week was Saturday and after having made the other half feel very guilty for leaving me home alone during the recent Bank Holiday I managed to persuade him to come caching with me around Cromer, on the North Norfolk coast. 

It was our second visit this year to Cromer - the first on a rather wet & cool birthday a few months back. But today there wasn’t a cloud in sight and after grabbing three caches around the town we set off on the ‘Cromer Walkabout’ series, which was based on iconic 80s bands. 

It was a decent walk, albeit along a rather busy main road, Cromer’s version of the M25! But all caches were found quickly and safe and well. 

As we were about to divert off the series in order to do a reasonable sized loop back into Cromer following another series, we stopped to grab number 12 which happened to be a tree climb. 

I was just unloading my rucksack ready to start climbing when I turned around to see the other half already a decent way up with the cache in hand! I knew I brought him for a reason...he was clearly keen to get the walk over and get to the fish & chip shop!

More quick finds followed as we picked up caches on the Crime Fighters Series as well as a couple of puzzle caches.

As we neared Cromer again, we also picked up our second Sidetracked cache of the day - a small tube inserted into a tiny hole in the wall of the railway bridge. 

Finally, after a hot and sweaty walk, we arrived back in the town. We’d managed to grab 25 caches in all. As we sat with a cold drink and a packet of chips near the seafront, logging our finds, up popped the new souvenir on our profile. I was very happy indeed. 

Next week, we’re off to South Cambs again, and find rather more than a Tupperware box down what was once a pretty country lane...!