Firth of Forth

I thought I would try to find out who the keenest cacher in Scotland is. By my reckoning it is Ullium at a rate of 6.19 caches per week, closely followed by Perth Pathfinders at a rate of 6.18 per week. Ullium has the advantage of being retired! Given the relative sparsity of caches in Scotland, the distances that have to be travelled and the walking that has to be done, I think that these figures are pretty impressive. PPs also have an impressive 0.86 rate of cache setting; that's almost one cache per week! Other prolific Scottish cachers are: 3rd = place: Allieballie 5.52 (with no locationless and a 4-year-old in tow) 3rd = place: Roolku 5.52 (who does it on a bike) 5th place: TartanT 5.42 6th place: Haggis Hunter 4.53 7th place: The Tupperware Party 4.26 I hope that I haven't missed anyone out. Please correct me if I have. Oh and my rate is a miserable 3.99.

Allieballie, Now you're dream is going to come true! And you can count yourself all grown up too! Hope you enjoy the day.

Many thanks for all the congratulations. 100th cache end of Feb 04; 200th cache end of May 04; 300th cache Sept 04. 400th cache will be much harder to achieve in the same kind of time scale due to the forthcoming long Scottish winter nights. It may also prove difficult unless a lot more new caches appear within striking distance of Edinburgh. I've already been asked how I'm going to celebrate my 400th and I reckon it will have to be this one (or perhaps for the 500th!) Summit to the Sea - The Hidden Cache. Happy caching everyone!

Beds Clangers - thanks for the thought! It's not the only offer of aid that I have had; what a friendly bunch geocachers are!

Yes, I have heard about their amazing service and will see if it proves true. Unfortunately I live in Scotland which is not very near to Romsey. They are quoting a 'turn around' of 12 days, which is going to cut it fine for the 2nd Scottish Geocachers Day Out on Sept 25th!

Mine switches itself off from time to time - I suspected that it happened when it was knocked. Annoying but worked fine. But now I have a new problem: horizontal lines appearing on the screen. Luckily it is still (11 days to go) under warranty and Garmin are telling me to send it into them. However, how can I possibly bear to be without it??

I've been out of circulation for a few days. Is the event cache page now up and running? Have I missed it or is it still with the approvers? Hope there isn't a problem with it!

The report on the 1st Scottish Geocachers' Day Out at Ben Nevis and Glencoe is now available for viewing in the online mag at 1st SGDO report. Many thanks to Pharisee, Ullium and Stuey for their contributions. Looking forward the next (slightly less arduous) SGDO in Edinburgh on September 25th, along the Water of Leith cache trail.

I sent mine in a day or two ago; hope you got them as I don't see my name in your list.

Geoki - Welcome to geocaching and to the Discussion Board. When such issues are not transparent, then discussion is good. It's likely that there will continue to be different views on this matter, and that cachers will adopt differing strategies. I don't think that there is a problem with this as long as everyone does their best to be responsible and promote the hobby.

Thanks very much for pointing that out Snaik. I haven't read the whole thing yet, but it seems that geocaching is a perfectly acceptable "pasttime". I had already sent a further email to the landowner, pretty much telling him that I was about to set up the cache and how I proposed to do it. I will pursue it with vigour now!

I accept what FFB says, and agree that 'dangerous' precedents may be set about needing to seek permission in Scotland. However, I am loth to place a cache on a private estate, when I know who owns the land, without seeking permission. I have been 'in discussion' with the laird of one such estate for some months now. He has brought up issues such as insurance (e.g if someone slips and breaks a leg while looking for the cache). It shouldn't really be a problem, as he already allows moutain bikers to use some tracks in the estate, which is obviously a far more dangerous pursuit.

Here is what was referred to, as it is in another thread: "Scottish Forestry Commission, permission obtained in Aberdeenshire I think that Scottish cachers will be interested to know that Geoki asked for and received permission to place a cache on forestry land in Aberdeenshire (Bennachie Booty). With permission, I will repeat what Geoki told me: "I spoke to someone at our local forestry office who then asked someone further up. We had to follow strict instructions about placing the cache, including providing them with the grid co-ords of the proposed placement before we actually put this in situ. They also didn't want the cache off of the set walks as future forestry works could put the public at risk, also as Bennachie is an archaeological monument in areas we weren't allowed to place the cache any where near these areas. We worked closely with the map sent by the forestry and the local office. We are hoping that as we have gone about this the correct way that in the near future we will be able to set up some more within this area." Maybe this will set a good precedent for the placement of other caches on forestry commission land in other parts of Scotland.

Hey John, That's pretty good going!! Didn't see that funny hat at all going up Ben Nevis though! Congratulations from me.

There is only one cache ('Dell Boy') that is currently archived, and hopefully it will be back up and running in time for the bash. The coordinates for 'Bramble Path' have changed due to pipe laying. Otherwise all is well.

On topic now - have already sent my thanks to Lassitude, but I just wanted to commend the photographic skills of cachers. Without exception, they are beautiful pictures.

But!! There never was a 'rigid gagglecache concept', except in your view of things!! Shall we stop referring to this event in these terms?

To quote from 'Eats, Shoots and Leaves': ".. it is generally accepted that familiar contractions, such as bus (omnibus), flu (influenza), phone (telephone), photo (photograph) and cello (violincello) no longer require apologetic apostrophes". I recommend the book - it is amazing that someone has managed to make a very dry topic (punctuation) extremely readable and funny.

Forester - If you look at the cache it states that it is on 'Forestry Commission' land and that permission was obtained to place it. If you want further information, I suggest that you contact the cache placer direct. I thought that the title of the thread would show that I was talking about Forestry Commission land. Sorry if it wasn't clear. As I understand it, but I may be wrong FFB, public access is different from doing something to the land like placing a cache.

Adding an 's' is making a plural of a singular word. No apostrophe required. In fact, I saw a sign outside my local Safeways a while ago, saying: "Photo's developed here". Although I felt like going in and telling them they had got it wrong, I resisted. A few weeks later I noticed that the offending apostrophe had been covered up. Way way off topic now!

Aye, the photos (note no apostrophe Pooter - have you not read 'Eats, Shoots and Leaves':excellent book!!) are mine. Why?

I may be wrong, but I don't think that the idea is that everyone sets off at exactly the same time and finds all the caches together as a very large group. I think that the idea is that people set off at an approximate time, in groups of their own choosing and at their own pace, either on foot or by bike, choosing which caches they want to do. Obviously people will meet up at cache sites, have a chat and go on their way. As for meeting in the pub at the end, we will make sure that there are at least a few cachers to welcome the varying groups of 'gagglecachers' from a prearranged time.

You can get from Leith to Balerno via 2 buses. However, I hope to attend the event one way or the other - I may decide to cycle down even though I have bagged all the caches already. I would be driving from the Leith end with bike on roof, so there is a possibility that a few people could leave their cars at the Leith end, and book a seat in my car to Balerno. I would have at least 3 spaces, maybe 4 if daughter chooses not to accompany me. (I could also take another bike - again if daughter chooses not to accompany me)

I think that Scottish cachers will be interested to know that Geoki asked for and received permission to place a cache on forestry land in Aberdeenshire (Bennachie Booty). With permission, I will repeat what Geoki told me: "I spoke to someone at our local forestry office who then asked someone further up. We had to follow strict instructions about placing the cache, including providing them with the grid co-ords of the proposed placement before we actually put this in situ. They also didn't want the cache off of the set walks as future forestry works could put the public at risk, also as Bennachie is an archaeological monument in areas we weren't allowed to place the cache any where near these areas. We worked closely with the map sent by the forestry and the local office. We are hoping that as we have gone about this the correct way that in the near future we will be able to set up some more within this area." Maybe this will set a good precedent for the placement of other caches on forestry commission land in other parts of Scotland.

Just before I read your last post Ullium, I was already about to say: I can feel another SGDO coming on!