Tag Archives: sidetracked

by bike, road trip

Eastbourne By Bike

Trad: 6 Multi: 6 Puzzle: 4
Walked: 7.2 miles

Local caching buddy Kitty!! has family down in Eastbourne. She hates the drive there and back when it has to be done in a day, and was glad of some company. So I was able to hitch a ride, go and play on the seafront on my geo-bike while she went to do the family business.

I found plenty of caches along the way, including SideTracked, Church Micros and some solved puzzles which I had prepared for the trip.

SideTracked Eastbourne
SideTracked Eastbourne

Moving inland from the seafront to find some CMs…

CM8354
CM8354

The bike made life a lot easier and I was able to cover much more ground than if I had just been on foot.

CM4435
CM4435

We wrapped up with a quick find on the Downs under a great sunset, before heading back to Essex in Kitty’s car.

Last Light On The Downs
Last Light On The Downs
solo

Camden Constitutional

Trad: 4 Multi: 1
Walked: 7.9 miles

Another afternoon shift in London meant another morning walk while the sun was shining. My first stop was for Ghost Tube SideTracked Lords. The view from GZ showed the pavilion roof off rather well.

Lords Skyline
Lords Skyline

Then I made my way to the final of the old Virtual/Multi series, Catastrophe, Calamity, Cataclysm – The Prize! It has been a long while coming, since I’ve been doing the feeder caches in dribs and drabs over several months. Great to finally have this one ticked off the list!

Next was a visit to Regents Canal which was a DNF, and then further along for Stephenson’s Vaults, a cheeky placement which had to have a fave. It was tricky to retrieve between muggles, there was a lot of traffic along the canal today.

This Is Art
This Is Art

After another trad find in Camden it was finally on to my last one of the day,  Carreras Cigarette Factory near Mornington Crescent. This was hidden opposite the splendid Art Deco façade of the old factory, guarded by a pair of regal-looking cats!

Carreras Factory
Carreras Factory

Playtime over, I headed off to Westminster to start my shift.

solo

A Southwark Selection

Trad: 2 Multi: 1 Puzzle: 1 Earth: 3
Walked: 8 miles

I enjoyed my day off yesterday, and said goodbye to Alistair who was off back home to Newcastle. Not finding a cache was a bit weird, but a relief at the same time!

Today I was back in London for meetings, but started a bit later than normal, so I made the most of the morning by going into Westminster Cathedral to tackle the Earthcache based around the different marbles inside. It’s quite eye-opening!

Westminster Cathedral EC
Westminster Cathedral EC
CM8005 - Southwark St. George
CM8005 – Southwark St. George

After work it was still fairly light, so I took a walk around Southwark and Bermondsey to pick up several caches which have been on my to do list for a while.

First stop was CM8005 St. George. An easy find once I had crunched the numbers. Then onto a solved puzzle and trad CM before heading to the Cathedral for the Earthcache, Southwark Flintstones. I didn’t spot Fred or Wilma, but did gather enough info for the cache!

Selfie At Southwark Cathedral
Selfie At Southwark Cathedral

My last port of call was the SideTracked Earthcache at London Bridge station, which I eventually found when on the right level. More info gathered, ready to fire off emails to the CO’s when I get home. So I’m easing back into it gently after finally breaking my streak!

London Bridge EC SideTracked
London Bridge EC SideTracked