Any geocachers here?

I was just wondering if anyone here geocaches by bike (or even, not by bike)?

Geocaching = hunting for plastic boxes of crap hidden all over the place by other geocachers, using a handheld GPS.

BB x

PS I asked Bluequinn to ask this ages ago but he never remembers!! :-)

Have done some in the past MOC got me into it - haven't done it by bike as he doesn't ride - but even he admits that it would be a lot quicker if he was on one.

My housemate has done the Clapham Common ones by bike no problem. I was going to try a few in the New Forest when I was there on a MTB a few weeks ago, but the iPhone I borrowed wasn't really up to the challenge, needed a proper gps

I've always fancied it, but never had GPS. I have an iPhone, sure that'll work. How does one start?

The iPhone app is OK but not always as accurate as it could be, and it drains the battery fast. It's good for doing one or two caches in your lunch hour though. Bluequinn uses it sometimes. I have a dedicated GPSr, a Garmin Oregon which is cool as it has maps

Basically you just go on the geocaching website, enter your postcode and it'll display a list of caches near to you (they are everywhere, all over the world - there are even some in Iraq, on the Falkland Islands etc). Then you put the co-ords of the caches you want to look for into your GPS, and go and look for it. With the IPhone app, you don't need to do this as it just picks up your nearest caches based on your location. Once you've found it you sign the paper log in the box, and when you get home you also log your find on the website. Some of the boxes are big enough to hold trinkets, and you can swap stuff if you want - kids particularly enjoy that.

Most caches are in interesting/unusual/beautiful places, places that you might not otherwise find. There's a metric arseload of them in London!! I prefer going out into the countryside though, as you're more likely to find the bigger boxes. Now I'm more or less recovered from my last back surgery I'm hoping to be able to get out into Essex caching on my bike.

Have a look at www.geocaching.com, everything you need to know is there :-)

MOC put a bug in one of our local ones (metallic dog tag thingy with a reference number for tracking) and it travelled all over Southern England before going to Belgium and Germany,

Nice one, I love travel bugs :-) Even if you can't get out yourself, you can still watch your bugs make their way round the world.

This sounds really pointless and nerdy, complete waste of time.

I'll try it at the weekend.

Hahaha I had pretty much the same response from another male friend: "this sounds gay as hell. I'll give it a go next week"

Is like a poor mans Letterboxing?

Give me Dartmoor, walking boots, a map, compass and a flask of tea over GPS and a bike any day of the week

My brother and I talked about it a few times, but never got around to it. I sort of forgot the iPhone had GPS, better make use of it. Might plan a route that takes in a few caches and go for a ride on Saturday.

Yep, it's like modern-day letterboxing. I can't easily get to Dartmoor but I'm going to go wildcamping there next year and give it a try. I love walking and climbing myself (I do most of my caches up mountains in Snowdonia) but Bluequinn hates it.....so I'm looking forward to caching by bike, just as soon as I can manage riding more than ten miles without dying!!!!

Good lucky Sparky, let us know how you get on :-)

Yes, unfortunately I'm a geocaching addict.

Just uploaded a route of caches onto my GPS going down through France but had to cancel my trip.

You do actually get letterbox/geocache hybrids that can be found either by letterbox style clues or by GPS co-ordinates, and can be logged on geocaching.com

I also find caches listed on Terracaching, Navicache and Opencaching.org.uk. I'm always up for caching with new people if anyone needs caching companions.

My dad does, and we do a bit when I'm up there or he's down here. There's a really good one in Regent's Park, in a 'secret' garden. Done a few in Spain too, in the middle of the day, in an area with no shade. Verdict: grueling.

That Secret Spot cache in Regents Park is one of my favourites. It's such a good place to know about, especially on sunny summer days when you don't have to work :-)

Excellent, Booga and myself have just realised we know each other vaguely from geocaching.com!

It's a small world! :-)

yup, i do loads of geocaching and nearly always by bike - loads in woodbridge /colchester area that are good to find & include good bike ride - there's one called The Rendlesham UFO which is a nice multi cache and about 1/2 day out (with 6 y o & missus at their pace)

I planted a cache this evening, although I'm doubting whether it will pass the review. It doesn't go against any of the rules but it's a bit of a dubious place.

You planted it in someone's orifice?

Not someone

I still don't get it. Is there cash in the boxes? I'm in then.

Are there even boxes?

I still don't get it. Is there cash in the boxes? I'm in then.

Not cash, just a lot of spare gas piping and 7075 ski poles. And Franklin balls. I know that none of this will interest you in the slightest and I can't really imagine you ever getting into geocaching.

Sorethroat, where is the cache you planted? If it doesn't pass the review try listing it on opencaching.org.uk or Terracaching, that's what everyone does when groundspeak refuses their caches!

It's planted beneath a willow tree on an island in the middle of a village pond. It's a publicly owned pond so that shouldn't really be a problem.
It got rejected because it was too close to another one, a really crap one that's hidden beneath a post box!