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Original poster

Geocachers! Sign in here.

55 replies

DoesntTheTurkeyDragOn · 02/01/2010 08:44

I see from the Children's Walks thread that there are a few of you. I've been caching for a year now - thanks to a recommendation on Mumsnet. It started as a way to get my lazy children out and about but has now taken over my life - the children have been sidelined!

I am HouseOfDragons, of course

OP posts:
thegrowlygus · 02/01/2010 08:47

What a coincidence - we are off on our first mission today and I am just on the internet looking up where we shall go looking first! (popping on here first though obviously!)

And of course having found the link from here in the first place!

golgi · 02/01/2010 08:53

I've just heard about it on the other thread, and we're off to try and find our first one today.

geordieminx · 02/01/2010 08:53

I've just read about it on the other thread, could someone explain it to me?

Is it something ds (2.5) would "get" it?

minxpinx · 02/01/2010 09:02

I confess to being a geocasher! We often do them when we are on hols - a good way to discover different places.

SplitPea · 02/01/2010 09:07

Me! Me! I'm a geocacher - it's great for walkers and people who want to explore. My youngest two love it! They take their job of looking out for muggles VERY seriously indeed

LauraIngallsWilder · 02/01/2010 09:08

What is geocashing - I am intrigued

MrsGokWantsatidyhouse · 02/01/2010 09:11

What Laura said

SplitPea · 02/01/2010 09:13

Geordieminx - it's basically a treasure hunt using GPS.

www.geocaching.com/

You find a cache near to where you want to explore and put the coordinates into your GPS. You then find the cache using the GPS and any clues provided. The cache is usually a small box containing a log book and small prizes. You sign the log book, take a prize if you wish (but replace it with something else - cracker prizes are ideal for this!) and hide the cache back where it was for the next Geocacher. It's all free too. Some caches are micro caches and are tiny with just enough room for a roll of paper to sign your name.

Have a look at the website. You'll be amazed how many caches there are - I bet there is one near to you. I walked past one every day for YEARS without knowing it was there!

SplitPea · 02/01/2010 09:15

x post with Laura and Mrs Gok - I wasn't ignoring you both

Original poster
DoesntTheTurkeyDragOn · 02/01/2010 09:25

The children are very useful as they can rummage places without looking suspicious. Unlike me.

DD has come along since just before she turned 3. She did get it but we had to pick them carefully so there wasn't a long steep hike or anything.

Both the children and I love the idea that there are all these hidden boxes around that the majority of people walking pas t have no idea about. I've recently put 9 in a local wood which is popular with dogwalkers and I bet none have any clue (although they may have wondered what on earth I was up to, wandering through the woods with a variety of odd containers with me ).

OP posts:
MrsGokWantsatidyhouse · 02/01/2010 12:52

Oooh! that looks interesting.

Will be great when we are off camping.

golgi · 02/01/2010 13:29

Well, didn't go too well as the GPS packed up and couldn't find it!

Boys weren't too disappointed though, and enjoyed bashing ice with sticks in the wood. We're going back out for another go this afternoon, having fiddled with ancient GPS machine.

cornsilkcremeeggspotter · 02/01/2010 13:34

can you use an iphone for this? Is there an app?

RatherBeOnThePiste · 02/01/2010 13:39

Did one on last week - it is good fun indeed, ours love the treasure hunt side, we have set one up before too.

thegrowlygus · 02/01/2010 13:46

Unmitigated disaster. Ended up in dead end field, in sleet storm with whimpering 5 year old and virtually hypothermic 2 year old.

Had strong feeling I was going to be on the local news with one of those very serious looking rescue people saying "people really should take more care before they set out on a hike".

Anyway we are all home, warm and dry now. 5 year old gutted because we didn't find the cache. Think it was a bit ambitious for our first find, given our amateurish navigation skills (and 2 compasses that gave different headings which didn't help matters at all )

Dh says it has to be one of those events that we never speak of to anyone ever. "the day mummy and daddy went f*ing nuts and walked us to the middle of nowhere in a snow storm"

cornsilk there is indeed an iphone app. Not that it helped us!!!!

GuimauveRoastingOnAnOpenFire · 02/01/2010 13:46

Me me me! Love it! Haven't done much since DS arrived though, but will get put more again when it warms up in the spring.

Cornsilk, DH has some sort of iPhone app for it. I think you need a 3G (or possibly 3Gs, who knows?) that has GPS capability to do it with just the iPhone.

hocuspontas · 02/01/2010 13:47

Have just signed up! Looks fun

golgi · 02/01/2010 13:52

growlygus - glad you made it back!

Sounds....interesting.....

I think the conclusion we came to this morning is that you NEED reliable GPS. And a boy scout or someone who can read maps.

mumwhereareyou · 02/01/2010 14:00

Me too, although now the rugby season is upon us, we haven't done too many this winter. As both DH and DS and DD1 do rugby and that wipes sunday out and DH works every Saturaday. But come April when rugby is finished we will be back doing it every weekend. Also had a week in Scotland in August and picked it becuase loads of geocaches in the area, think we did 20 over 7 days.

Our three DC love it and is an easy way of getting exercise without realising it.

Original poster
DoesntTheTurkeyDragOn · 02/01/2010 14:41

LOL @ thegrowlygus

We did our first one almost exactly a year ago when it was -6. Sensibly, however, we chose to do it in a park/woodland that has a cafe serving hot chocolate to thaw out small (and larger) hands. I'll never forget the look of delight on DS2's face as he stuck his hand in a tree and pulled out the cache.

there is indeed an iPhone app - costs £5.99. I have got it (as well as a handheld poncey GPSr) and it seems to work well. I wonder how accurate it is at times though. Probabaly good as a cheap introduction but maybe not a substitution for a "proper" GPSr. You can get hand held ones that will do the job for around £40 (Garmin Geko) although more expensive ones can do the job better.

OP posts:
Wastwinsetandpearls · 02/01/2010 14:58

I have been geocaching for a year or so after a recomendation from a mumsnettter.

We have the iphone app and a garmin, I have not had that much luck with the i phone.

Strawbezza · 02/01/2010 16:08

I'm a very keen geocacher too, absolutely love it. We've explored loads of areas we had never been to before. Kids (young and old) love it too.

Wastwinsetandpearls · 02/01/2010 16:09

That is the best thing about it discovering new areas.

We have only been down here just over a year and geocaching has been a personal tour guide.

We are off in a moment to do a quick sneaky one.

SplitPea · 02/01/2010 18:42

thegrowlygus
Our first attempt was spookily similar to yours! We didn't have a proper GPS so we were using a sat nav - with disasterous results. We were traipsing through the woods in the middle of nowhere in fading light one Christmas Eve. I really did wonder if we'd ever make it home again!
Since getting our trusty GPS (the cheapest Garmin - it's fab) we haven't had any problems at all.

golgi · 02/01/2010 19:06

Didn't get there this afternoon either, as we got distracted by an iced-over lake and then it started snowing rather heavily...

Have had great fun not finding caches though. I'm asking for a GPS for my birthday, and we'll have a proper go.

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