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The great outdoors

Here you can find advice on camping, outdoor activities and walking in the UK and abroad.

Original poster

outdoors shite: geocaching

30 replies

Sneezeblossom · 24/02/2012 09:41

I've just started geocaching with the kids but not having a very good success rate. I'm using c:geo on my android phone.

OP posts:
LilacWaltz · 24/02/2012 09:42

Why are you not succeeding? We do caches using just a location and the clue! No device at all( because I dropped and smashed my iPhone)

pookamoo · 24/02/2012 09:45

(Why is this thread in a topic about the 2010 World Cup?) Confused

We love geocaching, it just takes a bit of rummaging about a bit!

LilacWaltz · 24/02/2012 09:46

Because there isn't an outdoors topic for it to go into!!

LilacWaltz · 24/02/2012 09:46

It's a sit in!!

Original poster
Sneezeblossom · 24/02/2012 09:47

I get to the within 10m of the cache and can't find the Bastards

OP posts:
Original poster
Sneezeblossom · 24/02/2012 09:50

its a sit in, BTW,occupying a derelict topic to get a new outdoors topic!

OP posts:
saggarmakersbottomknocker · 24/02/2012 10:20

I've never done this. Can some one explain the principle please?

Original poster
Sneezeblossom · 24/02/2012 10:53

www.geocaching.com

OP posts:
VivaLeBeaver · 24/02/2012 15:32

Principle is that its an online treasure hunt. So you get some co-ordinates and then go off to find it. I use a GPS and get to the location that way, you can use phones with GPS or a map! Most people do use a GPS or a phone.

The item is a container with a log book - they range in size from micro type ones to big ammo boxes.

Sneezeblossom - are you looking at the difficulty rating? When starting off it might be best going for the ones that are rated easier, and the larger the size the easier as well. So avoid small ones and try for standards. When you're within 10 metres you want to stop using your GPS and start hunting. Look round and think where you might hide a cache - under logs, stones, etc.

bumpybecky · 27/02/2012 20:14

agree with the difficulty rating tip - you want to look for the easy ones!

does the c:geo app give you the hints? how about the previous logs? you can also get an idea of where to look from previous finders

when we started I used google maps aerial view to get a farily good idea of where the cache was before we left home. This is harder now as google maps aren't on the gc.com site, but if you copy and paste the co-ordinates from the cache page, it's still possible :)

EndoplasmicReticulum · 27/02/2012 21:46

Ooh, can I join? I like a bit of geocaching - we set our first cache up last weekend and it was really exciting when people started finding it!

We're on 55 finds so far. I have set myself a target to get to 100 by the end of this year, I intend to start at home and work outwards, and go and try to find all the ones I've given up on in the past.

Can anyone explain what you're supposed to do with Travel Bugs?

bumpybecky · 27/02/2012 21:57

yes :) you're supposed to log that you've found them, either a discovered log if you find it and leave it where it is or a retrieved log if you've picked it up to move it on. When you move them to a new cache you need to log it as dropped off.

Some travel bugs have missions (might be to go to a specific place, or to visit caches with certain theme) others just want to go as far as possible

If you find one that isn't where it's supposed to be it gets a bit more complicated, so won't talk about that!

bumpybecky · 27/02/2012 21:59

we're currently on 135 I think and have set our target as 366 finds this year, we've managed 22 so far :)

EddiesTeddy · 27/02/2012 22:13

I am waiting until Wednesday the 29th to bag my 500th so I can fill in the date on my caching calender. I have been caching since July and have my own series :)
I love caching me!

EndoplasmicReticulum · 28/02/2012 07:05

How have you got 500 since July? That's impressive.

EddiesTeddy · 28/02/2012 09:38

There are lots of caches in my area, I know people who have got those figures in a MONTH! But they are addicts

bumpybecky · 28/02/2012 22:01

my first caches have been published this evening :):) I am very excited!

EndoplasmicReticulum · 28/02/2012 22:19

Ours got found 20 minutes after being published - at about 5.30 pm must have been nearly dark! It seems there is a lot of geocaching pride in being First To Find, and people wait to pounce on new listings.

SausageDogs · 28/02/2012 22:29

If you are using c:geo it is not terribly accurate. The trick is to count down the meters to it. So from 100m away I start counting my paces. I know I pace 8 steps to every 10m, so I count down the 80 paces and it generally takes me exactly there, whilst c:geo is still faffing around saying 'this way, no that way, no over here'.
I also guess many of the hiding places. Suspicious piles of rocks, a carefully placed piece of bark, something magnetic.

EndoplasmicReticulum · 28/02/2012 22:36

We've got our eye in finding them now. I find small children are useful as they are low to the ground and don't mind sticking their hands into holes in trees. That's because they've never seen Flash Gordon.

I don't like nanos though. Neither do the boys, as there is nothing interesting in there to swap!

bumpybecky · 28/02/2012 23:20

well it's been nearly two hours and nothing yet!

I know from the local fb group that one of the nearby FTF nuts is currently rather tiddly in a pub on South London (35+ miles away!) and one of the others isn't going to try tonight. I'm sure they'll get found tomorrow, the local meet up is on in the evening and these are less than 5 miles away :)

are any of you into puzzles? I've solved quite a few, not actually been an collected most of them though!

LilacWaltz · 28/02/2012 23:25

There is a church puzzle locally, involves visiting 8/9 churches to dolce it, leaving that for the summer hols

Would love a FTF!!

The travelbug we retrieved was logged, and I now get emails following it's progress round the world.... Very interesting.

LilacWaltz · 28/02/2012 23:26

Solve not dolce Hmm

bumpybecky · 28/02/2012 23:29

we got a ftf last summer :) I was happily mn-ing and got an email notification of new cache less than 3 miles away, so we all piled into the car and went and found it, about 35 mins after publication! Grin

Strawbezza · 02/03/2012 21:39

I love geocaching and am very pleasantly surprised to find 3 current threads in here about it!

I've been caching since 2008 and have 4500+ finds.