Ouch!!

Headed back to To Sumit Up tonight for another go. GPS was well behaved tonight and we found the GZ on the very first attempt. Nice big cache container, dry with plenty of log space. Only treasure item inside was a lovely little Russian Doll which the girls were thrilled to find. We left a couple of items in return from our goodie bag. First the swimming seal, a Santa ring and also a pine cone which fell out the sky and hit me on the head whilst I was writing in the log book. Ouch!!

Found the GZ so quickly there was plenty of time for the kids to have a play nearby before heading home to bed.

The Art of Caching

I nipped up to the Glasgow School of Art on my lunch break today to have another stab at it.

Spotted the cache no problem today (I'm sure I looked there before!) but it was muggle central so it took a wee while to grab without being seen. Took it around the corner to sign. The log was stapit foo but I managed to just about squeeze our name in there! Replacing the cache (a wee nano) was even harder as there were work men working nearby and loads of school kids milling about.

Next I headed down to Big Trouble in Little China Town. Here I spent too long poking around looking for a nano until I re-read the cache description and realised I was to look for something a little bigger. By then I was starting to feel a little conspicuous as there were lots of people going in and out and college kids from Stow College around so I left it for another time. I think I know exactly where to look now though so should get it on my next visit.

A rare day off work

Had a day to myself today as I get the English bank holidays and the rest of the family get the Scottish ones, so I decided to go for a walk and some cache collecting.

After a look at the map I headed down to St Quivox to look for the cache of the same name. Stopped outside the cemetery checked the GPS, hopped over a couple of gates and had the cache in 30 seconds flat.

Next I headed up the road to Auchincruive B743 but despite a thorough search in the obvious place (in and around) the cache was nowhere to be seen. This is a busy road so not the best place for a cache and there is also a bus stop just over the road with another just along from the GZ. I think the cache has been mugged.

Annoyed, I then drove up to Ayr we go ( again) 2 ! where there's a really nice monument dedicated to both William Wallace and Robert Burns. Not sure why they needed to share a memorial but it's a nice spot just next to the River Ayr. Found the cache after a bit of a hunt as the clue is a bit misleading.

I went on foot from here up a farm track towards Long wee hard Oswald. On the approach I thought it was going to be a trudge through a muddy coo field but I eventually found a forest path which led me down to a stunning view point over the River. Following the clue I sat down and had a look around, but saw nothing. Here the trees have actually grown around the metal fence and in some places the fence has been completely engulfed in the wood. I was about to give up when I spotted something and went to have a look... BINGO!

From the view point the path doubles back on itself down to the River side and I followed it until I reached the GPS coords for Wagon Way Bridge (Another Oswald). Spent ages looking for this one but wasn't really sure where to look as there was no phone signal and I'd forgotten to take printed copies of the cache details. Needless to say I never found it. I did spot some people over on the other side of the river acting very suspiciously (they probably thought the same about me). As there's another cache over there I suspect they were fellow Geocachers looking for The Whole Oswald.  

I eventually gave up looking and moved on around the river to The Dark Oswald a simple find and our first TB called Hedwig Traveller Travel Bug. Hedwig's mission is to visit each county of the UK so we'll have to help him on his way!



At this point I decided to call it a day as I was on School collection duty. I had a really nice day, this is a lovely walk so I'll definitely be back to find the rest of the Oswald caches in the area.

4 out of 6

Up a tree

Challenge Complete : Be a Kid Again!

Here Fiona and Eilidh (the mini Super Collectors) are up a tree to complete the challenge.

Anyone Hungry?

Bagged our first non-local cache today The Viewpoint whilst visiting my parents in Bearsden, where I grew up.

The cache is at the very top of Hungry Hill which was just a grass field when I was a kid.

It was here where all the kids in the area would go sledging as it was the biggest hill in the area with a big natural bowl. The only problem was the barbed wire fence which ran along the foot of the hill. That didn't stop us though, we just had to remember to duck. I was talking to my Mum tonight who recalled some girl who forgot to do so and partially beheaded herself.

Today the hill is covered by a housing estate, but at the very top of the hill there's a hidden view point with a superb view over Glasgow and the Clyde valley.

The cache itself is the cleverest container we've found so far. I've no idea how I spotted it but something caught my eye and when I went to investigate it was the cache. Can't say more without giving spoilers but if you follow the clue you'll find it eventually.

Spelling Test

Challenge complete : N-a-t-u-r-e Spelling Test

The full name was too long so we cheated and went for Initials Only!

Eggy Park

Saturday afternoon free so we headed out to Eglinton Country Park to try to pick off a few more local caches.

First was a really easy one right at the entrance to the park View from a bridge 6. We still managed to walk past the cache twice before spotting it. This one is highly recommended as it'll take you no more than a couple of minutes if you follow the clue!  

Lady Ha's the pits was next. I've been to the park loads of times as we live just over the road but I had no idea there was a hidden tunnel. We thought it was fascinating and had a great time shouting down the tunnel.

Finally we nipped up to the visitor center and around to Eglinton Doocot in the Main. Had a look around and quickly found the cache before heading home for dinner.

A fun hour and a half, and 3 out of 3.

Consolation Caches

As a consolation to not finding To Sumit Up (Again!!) we decided to stop off at another cache before heading home. In the end we got a bit carried away and ended up visiting another 4.


First we headed down to the Irvine Beach Park just behind the Magnum, and tackled Irvine Beach Park – Amazing. That was easy and highly recommended for any newbie cachers like us. Then off to  Irvine Beach Park – Enter the Dragon. Sadly this turned out to be a DNF although I'm 100% certain we found the hide but when I stuck my hand in to fetch the cache I pulled out a frog instead. I think they must have heard me scream in Troon!! (not the most dignified thing for Daddy to do in from of his 6 year old daughter!!). Took a snap of the sunset to complete a challenge before heading off.


Next was "Cart" horse ? a beautiful sculpture/statue a the harbour in Irvine. Followed the clue and easily found the cache. Our very first "Nano", wow, so tiny!!!


By now it was dark but as we were driving right past  Fallen, But Not Forgotten on our way home and there was a handy free parking space right outside we pulled over to pay our respects. This is a nice wee memorial garden but at night it's beautiful, the whole garden was in complete darkness with only the memorial lit. Following the clever clue we quickly found the cache.


3 out of 5.

To Sumit up again.

Out again last night with Eilidh the little Super Collector.

After some head scratching and many scrunched up bits of paper I finally had a "Eureka" moment and worked out the correct solution to To Sumit Up. So off we trotted down to the GZ confident that this time we'd bag it. Oh how wrong!!

Firstly the GPS in my phone was acting up jumping all over the place and not making any sense. Then when it did calm down it was suggesting that the cache coordinates were in someones back garden.

Hunted of about an hour, but came away filthy and wet with a nice little patch of nettle stings across my fore head!!! Ouch!!!

I've now had our coords confirmed as correct by another geocacher so we'll try again but really not confident now.

At the end of a Rainbow

After picking my Daughter up from Rainbows on Wednesday we headed over to the location of a nearby cache, To Sumit Up. It was a puzzle cache and I thought I'd worked out the answer and therefore the coordinates of the cache.

I hadn't!! We spent a while hunting around waist deep in nettles and other jaggy stuff and came away empty handed, dirty, and stung to bits.

I now know I had the coords wrong as I've worked out a new answer that I'm fairly confident is correct...

We'll see soon enough!!

On the town...

I work in Glasgow so I've spent a few lunch hours scoping out a few caches around the Charing Cross end of the town.

Think I know where some of them are hidden but they're all nano's in fairly busy places with lots of "Muggles" about.

Haven't had the bottle to go rumaging for them yet.

The First Four

We're new to Geocaching but after our day out and about I think we're hooked.  We started out last Saturday afternoon with the closest cache to our house, Justice Tree woods. Initially looked in completely wrong place but after putting complete faith in the GPS in my mobile phone found the cache without difficulty.

Next came The Eglinton Buddha an easy find but a bit of a scramble to get to.

Eglinton Clearance Cairn was our next victim which prove another easy find but a bit muddy to get to.

Then we headed over to Draught Burn Brig which is only a short distance away. Spent ages looking in the *obvious* place but couldn't find the cache and had actually given up when I spotted what we were looking for. Bingo there was the cache.

All in all our first day out was a great success, four caches out of four and four challenges too!!!