Primitive Person

I wouldn't recommend that, Ryanair have a £300 surcharge per geocoin carried. All that extra weight, dontchaknow.

Argh! It's a virtual! No wonder it didn't show up on my PQ. Looks like I'll focus on a few in Inverness itself. Lee

Something went wrong with posting this and it's appeared twice. Can someone please sort that out for me? Sorry... Lee

At Easter, I'm taking a trip to Inverness and then taking the train to Wick and Thurso, the two most northerly stations on the UK rail network. I've wanted to do this for years, and the caching is pretty much secondary, but if I can get a few in while I'm there, well, it's a bonus. I used Memory Map to make a track and loaded it into Caches Along A Route, and generated a pocket query - but not much came out. It isn't surprising given the extremely remote nature of the area, but maybe I'm missing something (I went for an area one mile either side of the line). So...are there any caches within moderate hiking distance of stations on the line that are highly recommended? I can spend up to 3 or 4 hours between trains in one or two locations, and haven't decided where yet, so if you can help with ideas, I'd be really grateful. I'm actually surprised by the number of micros and nanos up here, and would care to avoid those... Any tips welcome. I'll certainly try for a few in Inverness itself, but would like to get out in the sticks a bit more. Lee

Sounds great, and I'll happily come along - just one request, please make it easy to get to the start/finish point by public transport (a short walk from a station would be good). Lee

Really? I've got a TyTN II and I think it's a superb phone. Caching with it has proven to be a great experience in my book. I use a combination of Memory Map and Beeline GPS. I used CacheMate for a while, but recently I had some trouble with the phone crashing regularly, and I had to re-install the OS and upgrade the firmware to stop it constantly entering the bootloader. It was a pain because it was doing all this at random and totally wiping everything each time it did. The xdadevelopers website taught me all I needed to know to fix the problem, but now I'm running Windows Mobile 6.1, and I can't get CacheMate to work properly on it. I've not used the iPhone 3G or the Nokia N95/96 etc., but there's one reason I won't touch them with a barge-pole - the lack of a proper keyboard. I'm not due my upgrade for 6 months or so, but for my next phone it'll either be another Windows Mobile device (if I can get one that's a significant improvement on the TyTN II), or the T-Mobile G1. Android looks really promising, and the form factor of this phone is great - maybe by then there will be some good caching software available. Lee

I have done a lot of night caching and I would recommend that you do pair up with someone. last thing you want is to have an accident and not be found until the morning. Chances of freezing to death are quite high!! A head torch is a good suggestion, but keep another torch handy. 1. If your head torch fails you have a back up. 2. Head torches aren't great for searching at GZ, but for the walk in the are good. I'm not normally worried about going out alone on caching trips, but I can see that there's sense in partnership at night. The likelihood of slips, trips and falls increases in the dark, and certainly at this time of year it gets VERY cold VERY fast once the sun sets. Worth thinking about. I'd certainly not consider going out at night with only one torch - a back up would be essential. Also, I'd take 2 GPSr's. The one on my phone - with Memory Map - is hugely useful for getting around, but it's prone to sudden lock-ups and battery life is short. A back up is, again, of vital importance. As soon as you can't see distant landmarks, it gets much harder to find your way around. Lee

Aha - there's a good idea for some night caching. I've only found one of these thus far and would like to do the rest. It's easy for me to get there and it's an easy walk from the station, so an evening out in that neck of the woods could be a lot of fun. Lee

Thanks a lot for the pointers. A couple of my first attempts fell flat because I couldn't scan the landscape easily, and nearly bumped into a horse in the dark on one occasion! There's potential for getting lost more easily, and struggling to stick to paths. However, in the past I've only had a Geko 201 for navigation - I now have Memory Map on my phone, and this will hopefully make finding paths in the dark a lot easier. Lee

Given that the dark evenings are upon us, it's now only possible to cache in daylight at weekends, as it's dark by the time I finish work. Last winter I didn't do very well when I tried caching in the dark and my find rate was very low. As I'm more experienced now, I hope I'll manage better this time, but I'd value any hints or tips for night-time caching, and recommendations for good ones to find in the dark. I'm not thinking specifically of night caches, just ones you can find fairly easily with a torch, without the risk of falling in holes, off cliffs etc. I'm in London and will happily travel to Home Counties locations for a good find, so point out the good-to-do-in-the-dark ones you've enjoyed. Lee

Do you have a contract mobile phone? If you do, look at getting a caching-friendly model when you're next entitled to an upgrade. This is what I did - I ended up with a T-Mobile MDA Vario III, aka the HTC Kaiser or TyTN II. It's sold under dozens of brand names, but is quite widely available as a contract phone on most networks. A number of other phones are suitable, anyway - what you want is something that runs Windows Mobile and has built-in GPS. Then you're ready to run CacheMate and Memory Map, which will give you all you want. I've found my device to deliver everything I wanted and a whole heap more besides. I do all of my logging from it while I'm out in the field. As mentioned elsewhere, though, they're no good in the rain, as dedicated GPS units are weatherproof and phones generally aren't. Also, battery life is often poor. Lee

Even the cheapest and simplest GPS will work fine for caching - I have a Garmin Geko 201, which is pretty basic but does an excellent job. It has a mono display with no maps, but it finds the Tupperware. Honestly, everything else is bells and whistles. Don't fork out a fortune until you're sure you want to stick with it long-term - if you do then invest in something better, you've got a spare in case it breaks. Saying that, though, I bought my Geko for caching but have subsequently used it for a whole heap of other things besides - it's one of the most useful gadgets I've ever bought. Lee

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Many trains use GPS to pinpoint their location for automated PA announcements, and also things like opening the correct doors in platforms at stations. Tunnels present issues, though... Lee

It's not an unreasonable request. It's their land, and if they don't want caches on it, it's up to them. The moderators have to comply with any request made. What's the point of fighting it? All you'll do is make Geocachers look immature and unreasonable and it acheives nothing. Yes, the whole "security" thing is bonkers and I disagree wholeheartedly with that excuse for removing them. But once again - it's their land, and they can do what they want with it. We don't have the right to do what we want there, without permission. This looks like throwing toys out the pram to me. All caches are supposed to be placed with permission, and the landowner is free to remove that permission at any time. Yes, it's a shame, but come on - London is full of caches. Why get so angry about this? Lee

All good points, but a suitable Windows PPC device need not be expensive if you can get one on a mobile phone contract. As I said earlier, my MDA Vario III/aka HTC TyTN II, was my most recent mobile phone upgrade. I had to move up to a tariff rather over-the-top for my needs, but I didn't have to fork out anything up front for the device, which really is a corker for caching. It's been great value for money, in terms of the use I get out of it, even if I never come close to using my minutes and texts each month! What you might want out of a device may be different to me, but this phone has built-in GPS, wifi, HSDPA broadband (kicks sand in the face of the iPhone, even the 3G one), fold-out keyboard and the ability to run a vast array of third-party software. I run the same software as The Pineapple does above, and at any one time I have around 3000 caches stored in it, enough to keep me going for years. I run several local Pocket Queries to keep the area around my home covered, and then if I'm going somewhere further away, I'll run another one to get the details I need. Memory Map is very nice, although I didn't make a lot of use of it until I got Lordelph's Lovely Icons - these show you the cache type on the maps, and it transforms the user-friendliness of the program and makes it seriously good stuff. Beyond all the technobabble - it can transform the way you cache and allow you to be spontaneous. Even if you've got an unexpected spare half-hour, you can pull up the nearest cache details and shoot off for a quick find or two. I even write most of my online logs from this device - CacheMate contains a View Online link for each cache, so you can go straight to the webpage and write up your find. I like doing this as it helps me to write things up while it's all fresh in my mind and helps me not to forget anything. Only disadvantage of this lot is that it saps battery power fairly quickly and even with an extended-life battery you won't get more than a few hours GPS use out of it without running the battery down completely - so if you're a really hardcore cacher, or away from a power source when camping in the wilds, it may not be good for you. An in-car charger will be a useful accessory so you can recharge while travelling. I use public transport most of the time, and keep an eye out for trains with at-seat power points... Also, it's far from weatherproof, and in the rain I keep the phone in a pocket and revert to my trusty Geko 201 - a very basic, but enormously robust and reliable device with amazing battery life. Lee

Micros can indeed serve a purpose where bigger caches don't work - certainly they're good for urban locations, where they're far less likely to cause security problems and are less prone to muggling. The key to making a micro work is being clever with where it's hidden, and also making sure the location is worthy. Without a big box, I tend to want a good reason for going there, if you know what I mean. I get annoyed when you come across an unimaginative micro in a location that's crying out, and capable of sustaining, something much bigger. A rubbish micro stops anyone else planting a bigger cache nearby, of course. In terms of maintaining them, if anything micros need more attention as the log sheets often turn to sludge very quickly. 35mm canisters are not waterproof. A decent lock and lock will cope much better with typical weather conditions. Lee

You may already have a suitable device, if you have an upper-end mobile phone like the Nokia N95 or a Windows Mobile device. I got an HTC TyTN II when I got my last upgrade, specifically for caching purposes, and I haven't been disappointed at all. Lovely little beast. If you're due for a mobile phone upgrade soon, get a GPS-enabled one, and you'll be off on your paperless way pretty quickly. Lee

Absolutely. Quality is very hard indeed to define. For example, a lot of people love puzzles. Some puzzle cache listings are just lists of numbers and letters and nothing else. Clearly, some people relish the challenge of trying to work these out, and the logs reflect great enjoyment of them and indicate high quality. However, for me, these are a complete no-no. By no means do I just want to do drive-bys, but I don't want to do completely cryptic caches that make me feel stupid for not getting them. I know what my own definition of quality is - but it's possibly completely different to someone else's. Of the 130 or so caches I've done, I don't think any were really a waste of time, but that's because I won't do a cache simply because it's there. I'll read the listing and logs and consider whether I really want to bother with it. It's the best way to decide. You all know what you like, so be selective and ignore the ones that don't look appealing. This is yet another reason why honest, constructive and descriptive logs are helpful and should be encouraged. Lee

I quite agree. As the owner of seven active caches, I'm always open to suggestions and I love it when people take the time to write long logs, whether friendly or not. TNLN TFTC on its own is really unhelpful and disappointing. I make a lot of effort to write detailed logs, as much for my benefit as anyone else's, and it's a great way to enjoy the game. I see my logs as a kind of diary, and it helps me to remember what I was doing. Lee

Spot on. The whining and accusations here are horrible, and over the last few months what was once a pleasant and fun forum has turned into something horribly negative and political. Some people are even flouncing off and archiving all their caches, because they've taken against Groundspeak (but won't tell anyone why). For goodness sake, why get so angry? Just have fun. Isn't that the whole point?!? Lee

I think it's extremely negative indeed, and to be honest, I don't know why I'm reading this as it's winding me up. I think a lot of people here are harbouring petty grudges against Groundspeak that they won't explain, and are being snobbish and elitist towards newcomers. I've been caching just over a year. Yes, there are caches of poor quality. But no-one is making you do them. Stick to the good ones. Just because it's there, doesn't mean you have to do it. But stop being so hostile towards newcomers - it's actually very rude and quite un-necessary. I'm having as much fun as I did when I started, and my eight hides (seven still active) have been well received. Lee

Absolutely. It's a diverse sport, and just because a type of cache appears that you don't like, doesn't mean the game has gone to the dogs. If you don't like micros, exclude them from your PQs and ignore them. I Personally, I love the variety of caches out there, but I tend to avoid most puzzles and prefer a bigger box to a micro. Not everyone thinks it's all about numbers - but if for some people that's what they want, why should it bother anyone else? Absolutely. A cache I did recently had a pretty negative log beforehand, questioning why the hider had chosen the location. I wanted to do the cache anyway, as others in the series had been good, but when I got there I discovered a well-hidden cache in a very pleasant spot indeed, in a nice park next to a river. Clearly someone hated it, but I really enjoyed it. I think it's a bit arrogant and conceited to think that a cache you personally don't like is an example of how caching as a whole is going downhill. Lee

Interesting point. I can see what you mean, but I hid my first cache after I'd only found a few. It seemed like a good idea at the time, and the cache led a charmed life for over a year until it got vandalised (it was literally used as a toilet) and I had to remove it. Looking back, it clearly wasn't a very good location and the cache wasn't hidden well enough at all. It worked for a while, but there's no way I'd hide anything like this again and have been much more careful since. We all learn, I suppose. Lee

To be honest, I get really annoyed with people harking back to the Golden Age all the time. I've only been caching for just over a year, and I love it and think it's great fun. OK, there's bad caches out there, but the vast majority I've found have been well worth doing and I've found it a rewarding experience. I don't think anyone views micros as the norm. Personally, I rarely bother with micros, and prefer bigger containers. I've hidden eight caches so far and only one is a micro. Having a snobbish and elitist view about how the sport used to be better is bit of a slur on newcomers. There's plenty of great hides in my area, and lots keep appearing, many placed by newer cachers. Without new caches coming online, the game would die out. Lee