23rd February 2013 – Clifton Caching Chat GC458AJ – cache #2364
The 130 mile drive to Rugby may seem a long way to go just for a caching event, but as I’ve known the organiser (Adam – UKCacheMag) since the mid 90’s long before geocaching was invented, and as it was he who got me into caching in the first place when he told me of his exploits back in 2008 finding his first few caches. The first cache we found together was his 70th and my 17th back in June 2009, I thought I would go and celebrate his 1,000th smiley with him… free cake helped with the decision !

I met many new people, not really putting faces to names I see on logs as I live so far away that their caching names were new to me as well !

I was a bit worried about the new caching series he’d put out for the event as the pictures put on the internet the previous week when Adam set them showed him walking through fields that looked more like rivers, but happily a week of dry weather and the fields were relatively dry !

I wonder how long it will be until Adam’s celebration of his 2,000th smiley… at the rate he finds caches that will be about Christmas 2017 !

23rd February 2013 – The Dirty Dozen #02 GC2QED0 – cache #2365
The event was at the boatyard cafe Adam works at, which is called Bridge 66. This cache was actually under bridge 66, though actually I can’t say I had anything to do with finding it… as I wandered down to the towpath a previous finder (Bellybuster) was directing The Shoopers to the cache using the hotter / colder method, so the cache find had nothing to do with me !

23rd February 2013 – Clifton Circular – Stick o flauge GC469CY – cache #2366
May not have got FTF as we weren’t the first group to head out for the caches… however I did claim FTL (First To Log !) asthe caches weren’t actually published onto the GC.com website until mid afternoon the next day
I did this part of the walk with Bellybuster and The Shoopers, this was a Bellybuster find

23rd February 2013 – Clifton Circular – Mud Slide! GC469CR – cache #2367
Fortunately not particularly muddy today… we waited for the group who had set off first – calling themselves CCCC (Clifton Caching Chat Crew) to get FTF and replace before Bellybuster, The Shoopers and I found this one

23rd February 2013 – Clifton Circular – A track with a view GC469C3 – cache #2368
The path then went through a muddy tunnel under the canal and then we had to guess which way to go as the place was just a scrub banking with a stream at the bottom, eventually we made our way over the stream and up what turned out to be a railway embankment It was actually quite strange to find a large piece of railway structure here, as there is no sign of any more of what must have been a viaduct over the canal and what is now an industrial estate. The Shoopers found and signed the cache while I explored the ‘end’ of the viaduct (an 8ft high spiked railing with a sign on saying “Warning – Sudden Drop”)

23rd February 2013 – You Can’t Find Me #2 GC2CQM7 – cache #2369
The Shoopers had found this particular cache before, but it took us ages (and a look at the hint) to find the cache as we were looking for an earlier incarnation of the cache and it had now changed in size and method of hiding

23rd February 2013 – Clifton Circular -Across the valley GC469B7 – cache #2370
A fairly easy find for The Shoopers and I… two possible sides from which to approach, we attacked it from the nearest side to us, as we walked away we saw another set of cachers trying to approach from the other side… but they found it impossible and had to walk round.

23rd February 2013 – Clifton Circular – Clumpy GC469BP – cache #2371
At this cache I managed to tread on an old fence post which had a rusty sharp 4″ nail sticking out that went straight through the sole of my boot and into my foot… fortunately I was not putting much weight on so it only just punctured the skin… While Mrs Shooper retrieved the cache and signed the log Mr Shooper and I made the nail safe.
Fortunately in the week since the photograph was taken the floods had dried up, so it was only just a little bit muddy around the gate !

23rd February 2013 – Brindley’s Bends – Clifton Curve GC2288V – cache #2372
A relatively easy find stuck on the post supporting the fence for The Shoopers and myself

23rd February 2013 – Clifton Circular – Church GC46F4V – cache #2373
The Shoopers on I weren’t sure of where the cache was going to be, Railings, Road Signs, Church Notice Board, War Memorial and a Yew Tree were all within the possible ground zero, but Mr Shooper eventually turned it up hidden by the Yew Tree – this caused the delay in getting the caches onto the website as it was on Church property and had to be relocated before it could be published

23rd February 2013 – Clifton Stroll GC1B41H – cache #2374
Found ? well sort of !

This was a little mystery/multi cache whereby you needed to calculate the coordinates from the dates on the plaque on the bench. The Shoopers and I had sorted out the co-ordinates and were walking along the road towards the cache when the CO came along the other way with the cache in his hand after collecting it for archiving. We proved to him we had got the correct co-ordinates and he let us claim it as a find

23rd February 2013 – Clifton Circular – Concrete Hula GC469CG – cache #2375
Found with The Shoopers, was further away from the title object than we expected, though as that is full of litter I am glad it wasn’t in there !

23rd February 2013 – Clifton Circular – Notices GC46E5T – cache #2376
Found with The Shoopers as we finished the new cache trail, an easy magnetic keysafe stuck to a bench