Barcraigs Reservoir

After an early morning visit to Kia in Linwood for some warranty repairs on one of the cars I decided to take a quick detour on the way home to grab a few caches. I hadn't really planned for this to be much of an effort but in the end it turned out to be quite an adventure.

First up was A Fine Reserve and after negotiating some rather curious fishermen (or were they anglers?) I quickly reached the GZ. As luck would have it this cache was hiding in the very first place I looked... todays gonna be easy I thought... but no, the next two weren't nearly as simple!

From here, I followed the path around the edge of the reservoir and then along the boundary road until I reached a gate back down to the dam. After dodging some more anglers (who seemed to be attempting to catch birds in mid flight with their lines) I got to the top of a sort of levy or overflow channel and followed the arrow down it to The Green Mile, now where could the cache be hiding? After ruling out a few places where I felt the cache would surely never survive I hunted for a further 10 minutes without luck. Out of desperation I then started checking those places I'd ruled out too. Surprise surprise it was exactly in the place I'd ruled out first! Doh! I thought this was a really interesting spot for a cache and I guess it is technically a waterfall so makes sense considering the CO was Amazo. Favourite point awarded!

My final cache of the day Water Water Everywhere........ was probably meant to be quite simple, just a walk over a causeway and there you are, but the bridge at the far end of the causeway was down (poachers apparently!) so it was the long way around for me. It may not seem much farther around from The Green Mile on the map, but most of the way is ankle deep mud and knee deep bog. Add to that the local sheep and cows who have helped decorate the place with coo pies everywhere and you have quite a challenge to get to GZ. I eventually made it only to find coos hiding in the bushes right where the arrow was pointing. Not being a big fan of the bovine race I was ready to turnabout an abandon the cache but I'd worked so hard to get there I decided they weren't going chase me away. So, armed with a big stick I did my impersonation of Sir Alec Guinness as Obi Wan (when he chases off the sand people) and just like in the film, off they scarpered (the cows, not sand people!). The contents of the cache itself were a little disappointing so I added a few bits of treasure and signed the log (I may have used the word evil a few times which reflected my mood at the time nicely!!). Before heading back the way I'd arrived I decided to have a look at the broken bridge from the other side and yes it's knackered but it's only over a small weir so providing the water level is low it's wade-able using the bridge to hold on to. I did just that and got a bit wet but it helped clean off the mud and coo poo from my boots and troos! Another favourite point was awarded!

Cumbrae

Saturday and it was a lovely day so after the kids clubs were finished we decided to go for a cycle. It was supposed to be Brownie camp that weekend and we'd promised Super Girlie that we'd do something nice to make up for it being cancelled. Our first plan was to head up to Strathclyde park but after a quick rethink we got the bikes on the car and headed towards Largs and the ferry to Cumbrae. I'd never been to Cumbrae myself although some of the other Super Collectors had so this was all new to me and what a great place it turned out to be. Oh and we did some caching along the way!

After a fun ferry crossing we got our bearings and were faced with the choice... left or right. A handy information board showed us the route around the island and as Millport seemed slightly closer to the left, left won. We were hungry!

Our first cache of the day was Stinking Goat which came pretty quickly. After spotting this within seconds I decided to let the kids find it, but after a few minutes I had to resort to giving them clues. In the end I pretty much had to tell them where the cache was and it was a race to get to the hiding place first.

Next up was another goat, this time Green Goat. This cache was being guarded by a couple of divers who were sitting in the layby next to it having a chat. We nearly moved on, but using the kids as cover we had a quick look and came up trumphs! Log signed and back on the bikes I don't think the chin waggers had even noticed us!

Lion King was located at Lion Rock which as it's name suggests is a rock which looks like a lion. From the road this is quite impressive, however when you get close up you can see how much of it is being held together with cement. This cache turned out to be a bit tricky and the coords are definitely miles out. After a long hunt myself and Super Girlie were about to give up and head back down to the road when I happened to spot a rock in a hole which didn't look the same as any other rock in any other hole. Good job I'm not a short arse and I could reach in for a feel. Aha that feels like plastic... and so it was. Hint for others, we found this on the opposite side and opposite end from where our maps were directing us.

Back on the pedals again and we were nearly at Millport when we pulled over and Mrs SC and Super Girlie headed off down a wee path to look for Raiders of the Lost Ark. They were back in jig time so I guess it wasn't difficult but they reported that the log was unsignable. However it was a type of cache we've never encountered before so not all bad!

Once we got into Millport we decided to give the towns caches a miss and to leave them for the next visit. We were hungry and nothing unhealthy junk from a chuck wagon would do. After burgers and hotdogs on the beach and a visit to the local toy shop (they do excellent goodie bags) we headed off again to complete our circuit of the island. and soon reached Deadman's Bay.

Here we found a small memorial garden dedicated to members of the armed services who have died in the service of our country. This is a nice spot and aside from all the walkers and cyclists passing by is quite peaceful. This was another cache which took a while to find. At first we thought it was hiding in the middle of a huge scratchy bush, however after a look around we found an easier way to the middle and after several thourough searches, we finally searched properly and found the cache.

Further along the road we arrived at the coordinates for Shallow Grave. This was one of those caches which seems easy once you know where the cache is but which is amazingly difficult to spot. After looking everywhere I even ventured down to a little stream at the side of the road for a look and found a tunnel! Despite being fairly certain that the cache wasn't in there, I decided to make my way under the road just for a laugh. Once on the other side it was great fun surprising the kids who were wondering where I had gone! Back at the correct spot and after a few minutes I happened to stand in the right place and look in the right direction and spotted something which was silver and shiny. Ah ha!

By now we were all getting a bit tired and hungry again (junk food doesn't really fill you up!) so we decided to skip the rest of the caches we were going to pass and get them another day. That was the plan anyway, but it wasn't long until we were having a look for The Hunt For Red October (I just couldn't go past a cache with a name like that!!). This turned out to be one of the easiest caches of the day as well as the last.

We had a brilliant day on Cumbrae and will definitely be back to hoover up the rest of the caches we missed some time soon but for now it was back to Largs on the ferry and a lovely slap up dinner at the beautifully refurbished "The Waterside" just outside Seamill.

Return to the Trocal Pond

Back in December I visited the Shewalton Sandpits in search of Explore Shewalton Sandpits - Trocal Pond. Despite a long search on that day I came away without finding the cache. It's one of those DNFs which had been annoying me ever since and so it was time to go back for another look.

This time I decided to take a second set of eyes in the form of Super Girlie and it turned out to be a good idea. The reserve itself is a lovely place to visit and is a real haven for wildlife. It also has the added bonus of being next to a golf course and we came away with a few lost balls.

Upon reaching the GZ we were under tree cover which had the GPS flitting all over the place. After five minutes looking on one side of the hollow we widened our search and almost straight away Super Girlie came up trumps!! Brilliant!!

Glasgow Fort

Just outside Glasgow Fort shopping complex is Auchinlea Park and since we were at the shops we just had to go and find the cache which is hidden there.

The park itself is a welcome sight in this area and is a lovely tranquil place. The cache called Retail Therapy was really simple to find but nothing really to get excited about.

Falkirk Wheel

After a great Birthday party in Falkirk we headed to "The Wheel" and as we were there decided to bag a cache Falkirk's Engineering Wonder.

The cache is located near the car parks and despite being hidden in a small wooded area surrounded by a fence was simple as it has it's own style to get across and a clear path to follow. The cache itself was a decent tub and inside were a host of goodies for swaps. Amongst these were some colourful wrist bands from Holland and these proved a huge hit with the kids. Left a few decent items plus a GC.

As well as finding the cache we did of course have a go on the wheel. This is a nice wee boat trip which we all enjoyed and the wee woman who ran the boat and gave us a commentary was brilliant, so funny!!

Barassie beach

Saturday morning and while Super Girlie was at one of her clubs myself and Super Kid headed down to Barassie to bag a couple of caches and had a great time despite the howling wind.

Parking on Rosemount Drive we were soon in the vicinity of Goat Fell Cairn and it was only a few seconds before we found it hiding in a gorse bush. Oh I just love gorse bushes, honest. Why anyone would choose to hide a cache in the middle of the spikiest plant on earth is beyond me. Since there was no way Super Kid was going in for it (not that I'd have let her anyway) it was left to me but despite pulling my jacket sleeve down over my hand for protection I still managed to get an arm full of prickles.

Further along the beach we arrived at A Tour of Ayrshire #4—WEST---- Troon which took a couple of seconds to find (Super Kid did the honours!). This was an unusual container which we liked, although this would have been a great spot for a bigger tub.

Day off in Killie

It's very rare for me to get a day off to myself, but on 27th August I did and planned spend it caching. I hadn't planned for the weather being bad but since it was my only day off I decided to go out anyway heading to Kilmarnock hoping to clear the place out of caches. Unfortunately things didn't go to plan and I ended up finding just two.

After a stop in Crosshouse to look for Fisher - PM without success I headed to Annanhill House to look for On the rails. Upon arrival I wasn't really sure as to whether I was allowed to park in the grounds as it looked like a private residence. There weren't any signs around and an exiting car went past me without a second glance so I decided to chance it. The cache itself turned out to be very simple to find although I think I just got lucky. Not a very interesting location but another smiley on the map.

I then headed to Another Brick In The Wall... which is a cache I'd looked for before and failed to find. It was only upon arriving at the GZ that I realised it was disabled. Back in the car and around the corner and I reached Stoned in Kilmarnock - Fairy Flood Gates. This one took me a wee while to find and I nearly gave up on it. One more look and I spotted some more potential hiding places which I hadn't checked and sure enough there it was.

Finally I went in search of Stoned in Kilmarnock - Shelly Put The Kettle On which is at the back of the Tesco car park. This one was very exposed to muggles and I got lots of strange looks from cars and passers by. After a really good hunt I came up with nothing and decided to call it quits for the day and went to McDonalds for lunch.

400th Find

Well we finally reached 400 finds and it was Mrs SC and the kids who did the honours with Skye Picnic Spots : Broadford.

Lochaber and Skye

Having 6 weeks off in the summer holidays is one of the perks of being a teacher so Mrs SC and the kids decided to have a sneaky wee extra holiday without Mr SC before it was time to go back to school.

Renting a caravan in Spean Bridge, it was an great excuse to go and do a spot of caching and in all they found 12 caches (and had one DNF).

Mrs SC was supposed to write they trip up here but as it's been over a month since they got back I doubt it's going to happen so here's a list of the caches they visited.

Found
The Curling Ponds - Fort William
Braveheart - Fort William
Sugarloaf - Fort William
WBMC @ Fort William
The Bunker - Fort William
Rock on! - Fort William
Lochside Cache - Fort William
Highlander's Home (Eilean Donan Castle)
Leny by Kyle
Skye Picnic Spots: Broadford
Isle of Skye: Camas na Sgianadin
Isle of Skye: Loch Ainort


DNF
Blarmafoldach Viewpoint - Fort William

Moscow and Fenwick

This post (and the next few posts) is a bit late, by almost a month in fact but I just haven't got around to writing them up. Thankfully we've not been out caching that often so there's only a few posts to catch up on so here goes...

After a long day at work I decided to do a spot of caching on the way home. The rest of the family were away on holiday (see following post) and so I had the whole evening to spare. Heading down the A77 I decided to first have a look for The Sign of the Flying Bicycles which is right next to the road. Pulling in to a small stretch of the old road which is now part of the cycle track I hunted high and low but eventually had to give up. It was only once I got home I discovered that the data cached in the phone was out of date and that the cache was disabled. No wonder I didn't find it.

Next up I had a look for a cache in Waterside, Primrose Bank. I'm sure this should be really easy to find and indeed other cachers have logged that it is but when I visited there was no way to look for it without getting linched by the locals. You know in the old western movies when the baddie walks into the bar, the music stops and everyone stops talking and looks around? Well that was exactly how I felt at this cache. I was watched as I parked, followed by some kids up to the GZ, there were at least two people in the houses opposite noseying out the window at me, there were people in the garden right behind the GZ and then their dog started going mental at me. So much so that I had no choice but to about-turn and head back down to the car where those kids were waiting on me and a guy up a ladder in just a pair of y-fronts shouts down, "can ah help ye mate?", my reply... "er... naw yer all right" .... (weirdo). In short there was absolutely no way to look for this cache without getting caught, marched into the town square and burnt at the stake. I think this is one for 5am on a Sunday morning!!

From here I headed a bit farther East to Moscow. No not the one in Russia, the one in East Ayrshire. Here I went looking for three caches. The first of these was MOCKBA which turned out to be a fairly straight forward side of the road type cache. Next was Turbines view the Russian "Law"  which is further up the same road and hidden in an area of forestry. This one turned out to be simpler than I though and after a longwinding detour around and through some boggy ground riddled with hidden ditches and guarded by spiky conifers I eventually found the wee blighter right at the edge of the clearing. Doh, oh well I suppose my work shoes needed a clean!! Third came A New Russian Forest which is further down the same road towards the village. As its name suggests this is hidden in a section of new(ish) woodland, however the nettles were almost as high as the trees and after a highly dangerous and stingy attempt I decided it would be safer to come back another time.

Leaving Moscow I headed towards Fenwick but on the way went to look for By Bruntland Bridge and in the process I managed to disturb a mature lady and gentleman who appeared to have been getting sightly "over romantic" in their car just before the bridge... either that or they'd just been for a swim and were having a race to see who could get their clothes back on the quickest!!! They were still there when I left but were sitting fully dressed looking all serious... I laughed 'til it hurt.

Just down the road I found Jane's Wee Rendevous Bit. This is a simple cache hidden at a bench by the side of the road. Another nice easy one to boost the numbers!

The Parliament Wall was to be my final cache of the night as it was getting dark and I was getting hungry. Located in Fenwick village, this cache required super stealth mode as it is at a road junction and overlooked by houses. Finding the cache was easy, it's in the obvious place but getting it out and in on my own was awkward. If you've got an invisibility cloak, take it with you for this one!

Finally it was time to go home, only to hear that Mrs SC and the Super kids had found more caches than me!!