Lactodorum

And one of them has made progress. I'd like to say they're going fast ......................... Remember, this is not profit making, all proceeds go towards Mandy's costs and helping to fund the Mega event. Due to unforseen circumstances if anyone has any questions about the remaining calendars could they direct them to me for the next few days.

It's me! I'm back

What he said!!!

Hello, and goodbye. After a great deal of thought I have decided to resign from my position as a Volunteer Reviewer for the UK and as Moderator of the UK forum. This decision is final and irreversible. No one thing has made me decide this, rather a gradual change in how things needed to be done. As a volunteer I did the "job" in the way that I thought benefitted the UK caching community and Groundspeak. This worked for several years. However Geocaching has grown in those years and it has become apparent to me that my way of doing things may not now be seen to be appropriate. I therefore felt it best for me that I stop now and make way for someone who will be more comfortable doing things the way they need to be done now. Over the years I have been involved, I have found Groundspeak very supportive of me and I have enjoyed what I did. I thank everyone at Groundspeak for five very interesting and worthwhile years. We may not agree on everything but I hope we can continue to respect each other. Finally I would like to thank all of you for the kind wishes that have been expressed both publicly and privately. Whatever your views now, I would urge you to consider what you are typing before hitting the "submit" button!! Although Lactodorum is now bowing out, be assured that The Hornet will now be taking his place by contributing to the forum discussions and maybe will have more time to hunt Tupperware in the woods. Thank you and goodbye. Peter - Lactodorum

Mandy, I am extremely sorry your excellent calendars have been caught up in this. As you know I have always been a supporter of them and have taken delivery of a couple. However as Deceangi has stated, we have no leeway here. You should apply to contact@geocaching.com for permission to post details of any calendars from now on. We do not have the authority to make exceptions in this matter.

Best chuckle I've had for ages (well today anyway )

No you are not alone. I am still not sure what this is all about but think we should let our reviewers represent our views rather than stir the pot ourselves. But how can they represent our views when we can't make them known cos not everybody knows what's going on! Hazel, and others, please understand that certain discussions must take place in private. Any outcome will be made known in due course so please let things run their course. I would also urge anyone contemplating adding to this discussion to think logically and do not resort to cheap insults (no I'm not pointing any fingers yet so don't read anything in to that which isn't there). I'll leave the thread running to allow for rational debate but I will not hesitate to close it myself or request another moderator, from elsewhere if necessary, to do so if it degenerates. Many thanks, Lactodorum

Chaps and chapesses - Chill . Please.

Miss Jenn is a Groundspeak employee and has a legitimate role in ensuring Groundspeak's policies and guidelines are adhered to. The same applies to Michael who has removed some other similar threads from this forum.

Would people stop posting messages that could be construed as being charity related for the moment. Although these have been allowed here for a long time it seems there is now a problem. I am trying to get to the bottom of it right now. Thanks, Lactodorum.

I hope it wasn't a Dry Stone Wall

I wouldn't presume to comment on how the guidelines are interpreted in other parts of the world.

As this has already sold I'll just close it now but in future please keep such posting to the UK Geocaching Car Boot Sale thread. Thanks

http://www.Waymarking.com/

Maybe not to you. However, like it or not, we (the reviewers) have been told: (my emphasis)I think this is clear enough, (even for me )

If you think about it, the same comment could be made about geocaching. Let's not criticise anybody for their chosen hobby. The OP mentioned Waymarking as a possible solution to a problem they perceived with placing physical objects at locations they felt inappropriate. By all means point out why you agree or disagree with church based caches but please don't fall into the trap of indulging in childish "name calling" - "My hobby is better than your hobby".

Please keep your whingeing on topic by restricting it to geocaching moans. Thanks

An interesting and well considered reply, much of which I would personally agree with. However I will leave it to others to discuss. That's right, they have different laws and customs elsewhere which is why Groundspeak uses Local reviewers who are aware of local circumstances when applying the general guidelines.

Groundspeak has decided, with immediate effect, to change how adoptions of caches are handled. As before, if a cache owner want to allow someone else to take over their cache they can still go to www.geocaching.com/adopt and use the form there. This does not change. However there have been many cases where a cacher has left the sport and abandoned their caches. In these cases we (the reviewers) could ask Groundpeak to carry out a "forced" adoption. That option has now been withdrawn and NO forced adoptions will be carried out. This includes and caches where the specified 30 day waiting period has been started. This will come as a surprise to many and I know some will not be happy with the decision but I believe there were legal "ownership" problems which forced Groundspeak's hand. Indeed a change to the Geocaching Disclaimer which is linked from each cache page will be modified to add the following text. I understand that NO exceptions will be made, even for so called "classic" caches.

A sensitively placed cache in an appropriate position in or near a church is a completely legitimate location. We are fortunate in this country to have such a wealth of ancient and interesting buildings which are available to visit and admire. As has been said above, many vicars, PCC's and similar are quite happy to have such caches on the property they are responsible for. Of course there are always exceptions and anything inappropriate we are notified about will be quickly archived. Be assured that the UK reviewers will not be implementing any blanket ban on caches on church property.

I've had one for a couple of months and it is the dog doodah's The integral GPS is very useful and I've subscribed to Viewranger so I can have proper OS maps available (almost like Memory Map) with Geocaches indicated. The Trimble software is quite useful for any caches you don't have loaded into the phone and has the big advantage of being free. The GPS does sometimes take time to get a lock but it's quite acceptable. The downside of the phone is battery life. With the GPS going and an Internet connection it only lasts a few hours. I would consider it a very useful standby but would still use a "proper" GPS, even a cheap one, for serious caching.

I have to add - there have never been any bad logs about the proximity issue.......and the area was never in any danger of being "cache-saturated" until recently (sorry folks) Feel free to add the Additional Waypoints now and help your friendly reviewers

No If you want to have a moan about my decision I suggest you start another thread (No not really!)

When reviewing we check that PHYSICAL stages of your new cache are more than the 528ft guideline away from PHYSICAL stages of other caches. Sometimes there's leeway and if in doubt contact your local reviewer. Although we have some useful tools for checking such locations they are not foolproof, especially where old multi/puzzle caches don't have Additional Waypoints, so there are bound to be occasional irregularities.

Fine for "urban" caches but for those "in the wilds" don't forget to check out the links further down the left hand side of the page, just before the logs start. I find the Streemap.co.uk particularly useful as it brings up a proper OS map.