Happy Humphrey

I hope the weather for the Manx Mission is anything like as good as the last few days. It's been more like the Mediterranean than the Irish Sea: there's not been a moment's cloud all weekend! Manx Mission has been approved and all the IOM Geocachers that I know about have been sent emails - they seem a bit lethargic at the moment, but hopefully one or two will turn up for the free beer! (That is, free of artificial additives, as the Manx beer purity laws don't allow anything but water, yeast, malt, sugar and hops). Wednesday night will be in Castletown: probably at the Glue Pot There will need to be a port-mortem on the caches Seasider failed to log, and a revised plan for the final day! HH

I'm a Wizard and part-time liar. HH

OK, the Event Cache has been set up, subject to approval by Mr. Eckington and the honourable Lactodorum (I don't think I dare call them Ecky and Lecky until I've logged 1000 caches!). It's called Manx Mission (what a surprise) and is on the Tuesday, 25th May. I've booked a table so there should be no excuse from Seasider that he didn't get fuelled-up enough before his abortive cache-logging attempt! HH

It all sounds fine by me: if no-one objects then it's an event cache at The Bay in Port Erin on Tuesday 25th May. They do great food there too, if you're interested. Seasider - I guess you're due to arrive at 5 to 5, so you should be able to get to PE at any time in the evening. Nibbo / Cushag - is this all OK with you? We can meet again in Castletown on Wednesday. Do you want me to post the cache - it would be nice to recruit a couple of the others here (who are probably totally unaware of this whole thing...) HH

Possibly we could make the Wednesday evening an Event Cache in The Bay? How many people would we need to make this worthwhile? Or perhaps Tuesday as Seasider may want to soothe his aching feet by the end of Wednesday...

The coffee's good there as well - Seasider's information is obviously from a reliable source. I'll be able to help out with the beer...

Seasider, Good news - well arranged by Cushag. If Nibbo or Cushag won't mind driving you down to Port Erin you'll be able to try the newly-crowned Manx CAMRA Pub of the Year (the Bay: which happens to be Humphrey's local). If we can get you fuddled enough you might find the challenge just a bit too much! We'll all have to meet up anyway - perhaps Elvis The Trog and the other IOM cachemeisters will be persuaded to drop in as well. I hope Nibbo will be carefully briefed to stay in the car and give no clues when he's taking you to the caches he knows... HH

Seasider, It's disappointing that you won't be able to come across - did you check Emerald Airways as well (lots of flights at £70 return including taxes from Liverpool)? I might be able to suggest cheap options on transport and accommodation if you want to email - or perhaps you're going to be too busy maintaining all those new caches! HH

Seasider, Any news on the travel arrangements? I'm away tomorrow, back a week on Friday. HH

In the last couple of weeks I've clocked up quite a few miles on foot whilst geocaching. Not quite just geocaching: I was walking the northern half of the Pennine Way, but picking up geocaches on the way. There are a few which are pretty much on the footpath itself. The hardest day with a successful cache find was Hauxwell House (GC7A2F) with about 17 miles of walking over rough and boggy moorland. The hardest cache of all was "Reivers Revenge" on Windy Gyle (GC132F): I reached Windy Gyle in thick mist after about 12 miles of very hard mountain walking, consulted the PDA with the cache details and discovered that the cache itself was half a mile back towards the Cheviot. Across a small valley. With about another 15 miles still to go that day, I thought "S*d that!" and continued towards Byrness...perhaps I'll go back one day and take the short way up there (3.5 miles each way).

Seasider, I didn't think the puzzle would baffle you too much! There's another new cache at Groudle now: it should be easy enough to collect on the way round the island, so the trip should be even more worthwhile. Let me know your travel details and if you want accommodation booking. HH

Seasider I'm back on the 7th, so it looks like I'll get chance to buy you a pint of Bushy's - great stuff! The new cache has been approved, by the way (Time Piece). HH

Like Cushag, just back from a UK trip (walked half the Pennine Way - visited Aysgarth Falls like Cushag as well). I managed 13 caches, and I placed the new IOM one yesterday. Hopefully it'll be approved in the next day or so! HH

Sorry for the multiple posts: I need to get used to this PDA / GPRS set up!

Seasider, I'll certainly be keen to meet up for a pint, as long as it's before 30 April (I'll be in Italy for a week then). E-mail if you want any more help (of the non-caching variety, of course). I've just been geocaching in the Kielder area, and noticed you've been here as well...

Seasider, I'll certainly be keen to meet up for a pint, as long as it's before 30 April (I'll be in Italy for a week then). E-mail if you want any more help (of the non-caching variety, of course). I've just been geocaching in the Kielder area, and noticed you've been here as well...

Seasider, I'll certainly be keen to meet up for a pint, as long as it's before 30 April (I'll be in Italy for a week then). E-mail if you want any more help (of the non-caching variety, of course). I've just been geocaching in the Kielder area, and noticed you've been here as well...

Seasider, I'll certainly be keen to meet up for a pint, as long as it's before 30 April (I'll be in Italy for a week then). E-mail if you want any more help (of the non-caching variety, of course). I've just been geocaching in the Kielder area, and noticed you've been here as well...

Seasider, OK, rules understood - the new one (if ready) is just a bonus cache in case you get the rest with time to spare (fat chance!). Let me know if you want accommodation, as I know someone in Port St.Mary who has a very good B&B. Or book yourself if you prefer. HH

Cushag, There will be a slight delay with the new one as I'm walking through the Cheviots and Pennines for a few days from Friday. I'll have my GPS and PDA with me and try and log a few caches. I'll try and get the new cache(s) in place by the time of Seasider's visit as I'm sure he'd enjoy a "first" (unless someone gets it before he comes across!). I've had to do a bit of work getting it right, and it's almost complete (no, it's not another Man Hunt!). I'm glad you're enjoying Man Hunt - it was my first cache placement so I was relieved that Yessir managed to get round it without too much trouble. HH

Seasider, Does this spark of interest in the IOM caches mean you're back out of retirement? I happen to be staying at a place on the Haltwhistle Burn next Sunday and notice that you were there last month, so you haven't been retired long! Hmm, you have to realise that once the caches here have been collected by a Manx resident, there's not always the immediate opportunity to get a few more as there's a small matter of the Irish Sea to cross. So a couple of caches which take some time should be welcome news for the community here. Perhaps not so welcome on a UK "cache and grab" raid, but more suited to the "traa di looar" (time enough) approach of the Manx! The newcomer will get a fine tour of the island on this hunt, in any case. Watch out for the next new cache, time is running out... HH

With the addition of Man Hunt (which takes at least 5 hours), the IOM caches are no longer collectible in a day (now there's a challenge!) - although you might get the others in that time. I'd estimate at least a full weekend for "normal" people to find the lot, although the superhuman might just do it in 24 hours. You'd better get in there soon to stand a chance, though, as there is a very difficult one in the pipeline, which will have most geocache hunters snookered before they start!