I have been looking at the map and noticed several orphans around Rayleigh and Hullbridge, so today I set out to turn them into smileys. I had mixed success. This sad little box was found, out in the open, but no log or other bits. I re-hid it with some more camo, but I fear GZ may have been irrevocably compromised, since there was lots of rubbish strewn around the area.
A Sorry Little Box
The next target was a DNF – I’m pretty sure I found the right place but no cache. The only evidence was this bit of camo ribbon wrapped around a branch.
Vanished
Oh well, Hullbridge was a bit more productive, and I saw a lovely sunset as well, so worth staying out for!
There are a few village signs around the Dengie peninsula and beyond which are not part of the national Village Signs series. Not sure why, but this one, newly published at Rettenden, is one of the renegades! The find was quick enough, however.
Rettenden Village Sign
Once that was done and dusted, I picked up a couple more in Hullbridge before heading home.
Well, who would have thought, when I found some caches on 27th July 2015, the first day of Essex Mega Week, that I would still be finding them daily 400 days later? Certainly not me! I would have called you mad. Now I just call myself mad.
But, the strain was beginning to show. I had somehow reached Day #366 but didn’t want to give up then. 500 days would take me back into December and Winter caching, and I really couldn’t face that – so a little while ago, I promised myself I would stop at Day #400, a nice round number. And here we are!
I wanted to have a good walk for my last hurrah, so Alistair and I set off for the Strod & Trod loop and The Saffron Trail (plus extras) just south of Hullbridge. There were some great hides and we had a lot of fun – something which has not always been the case during the last 400 days, and other reason for “doing it when I want”, not “because I have to”.
A Tricky Little Magnetic DevilAlistair Climbs A Pointless StileFools Along The WayLook What He’s Got!Smiley!Phew! Made It To Day 400, Somehow!
From now on, I will still be caching (but NOT tomorrow!) and writing about my most interesting adventures here, just not every day. Thanks for all my geo-friends’ support along the way, it’s been a blast!
I planned a trip to Hullbridge this afternoon, for a walk along the sea wall to pick up half a dozen caches. The first was a multi, Sitting With Nature, for which I’ve had the co-ords for several months. An easy spot once at GZ.
Effective Stickoflage
Next up was a lovely bird box hide, Scouting Tweets, further along the path. It was quite a way from the posted co-ords and involved a little bit of fiddling to get it open, but the box inside was big enough to let a travel bug go on its way.
Shoe Sets Off
Then I headed off in the opposite direction to pick up a few more. Down To Earth did exactly what it said on the “tin” – a great bit of camo for a cache hidden in plain sight.
Down To Earth
The main reason for heading this way today was to pick up The Brandy Hole, a cache which was set the day I joined geocaching.com, which would qualify me for a Challenge Cache. It was quite a walk from the others along a very muddy sea wall path.
Once I arrived, I couldn’t find the cache anywhere to begin with. Widening my search, I found a very sorry looking box with no lid, 30 feet from the co-ords. It was full of horrible, black, slimy water, and the contents were either ruined through being wet or scattered about on the ground. Oh dear! I’ll have to inform the CO that it needs a bit of attention.
A Slimy Mess!
I was pleased to have had a walk in the sunshine today, there seems to be so little of it about at the moment, so I was glad to have made the most of it.
Mixed results today – two DNF’s around the Church at Ashingdon but I did find a Large cache, the WW2 BRO Hideout Trinity Wood – Book Exchange, which was on my hit-list as the last cache I needed to qualify for a Challenge Cache which requires 10 large cache finds.
Big Bucket
I was also passing The Smelly One, set at the entrance to a sewage treatments works between Battlesbridge and Hullbridge. I was treated to the full aromatic experience while searching for the cache – which thankfully, didn’t take long!
Another day where the weather was pretty grotty – I walked some local footpaths during the afternoon but there were no caches in prospect. However, this evening was the latest Essex Meet #35 in Hullbridge at the Smugglers pub. Great for geo-chit-chat as usual. I also found the new cache which had been published close to the car park, in the dark, with a bunch of other cachers.
