Splendidz

Thanks everyone for the fantastic entries After much deliberation I have chosen the winner..... and that is.... (drumroll please)..... Happy Humphrey for the photo from Clumber Park - as I thought it had an appropriately autumnal feel to it, Congratulations! Althought special mention for cheekiness should go to Little-leggs as his photo managed to make me laugh and shudder at the same time! And now it's over to you Happy Humphrey...

The series around Pitsford Reservoir would be really good to do on bikes Here's a link to #1 or a bit further afield I enjoyed cycling around Grafham water doing the 3SW series There's also the Norbital caches on the cycle path around Northampton... I'll see what else I can think of! Didz

Thanks for the great entries so far I'm just bumping this up, as it's the last day of the month and we don't have many entries and there was me thinking that 'water' would be an easy theme for October - we have sure had plenty of the stuff falling from the sky!

Many thanks to Clue-72 for choosing my picture as the winner of the September photo competition (which can be viewed here) As my picture was taken in a flooded fort that was on an island in the Medway estuary - so it was entirely surrounded by water I have decided to make the theme for this month - 'Water' please interpret that as you wish! The rules are: 1) The photo must be cache related and to do with a specific UK cache (any type including events), caching series or caching trip - please include a link to the cache or the GC.... code so we can see where the picture relates to. 2) Maximum of two photos per caching team or cacher. 3) A new thread is started each month, with the OP stating these rules. 4) The winner each month is decided by the winner from the previous month - the new winner starting the thread for the subsequent month. They may set a theme if they wish. 5) Follow the theme Happy snapping! Didz

Yippee! I've won something Many thanks to Clue-72 for choosing my photo ... I'll get my thinking cap on and try and come up with a theme for October...

Shall I start the ball rolling?!? Here are a couple of photos from a low cache (at sea level!) They are from the brilliant Fort Darnett cache on an abandoned fort in the Medway Estuary in Kent. The fort is flooded - so we were able to paddle the kayaks around inside!

Ah! I remember that water fight well ... I think it may even have been me that instigated it!

Hi, I've noticed your name come up this week on a couple of caches on my watchlist this week - so I presume you aren't far from me I'm from Market Harborough - I'm always happy to help if you need advice on local caches or anything! Didz

Hi, There is this event in Hoby, Leics on Friday. Apparently they are publishing lots of caches on the day - some on a walk and some drive-bys. I'm sure you could team up with some experienced cachers to do them and pick up some tips along the way!

I'm loving the map view Here's an abseil cache of mine that could be included http://coord.info/GC2J8G6

There aren't many events in the Leicester area but they have very regular ones in Nottingham - this event is on Sunday... or there is this one in Market Harborough (where I'm from!) in February Don't give up with the GPS though... it will be worth it in the end

Oooo! Cache U Nutter coming to Leicestershire - That's exciting news ... I will look forward to doing some more of your mad caches!

Hiya, There are quite a few events coming up in the next month or two in the East Midlands. I'm sure if you went along plenty of folks would be willing to help you out Where are you from? So that I can suggest local ones! Didz

I see you have just done one of my favourite caches in the East Midlands Lord Blackadder - The brilliant INFERNO I would highly recommend that one to anyone who enjoys a challenge! I have started making a Bookmark list of my Ultimate Favourite caches - there are a few more in the East Mids on there!

Ooo! I've just been having a play and found my spurious claim to fame is I'm #1 UK cacher for 4.5*D/5*T caches (and 1.5/5*s)

I'm off to Norfolk (Nr Beccles) to do some boat caches (a few of them are 5/5*s) I'm sure I'll have fun doing them whatever they are rated at ... but I'm always keen to hear about more challenging 5/5s!

I expect the difficult bit is doing it without getting arrested I'm off to do some more 5/5* at the weekend and none of them seem to be too tricky... so will I be disappointed if none of them are a challenge? Maybe a little Will I still enjoy doing them? Oh yes, I expect so! So will it really matter that they're overrated? Nope!

Wow! Well done I did my 100th 5* Terrain on Saturday... but it looks like I'll need to try harder on the 5/5* front

Here's my entry from Witches Beware which has 11 Fave points ... and here's another one from the same cache...

You do have the craziest - and best - ideas Mandy! ... I don't have a dog ... but I was wondering if Inca The Geohorse could join in! Diddi x

Just in case anyone was thinking of coming to (or knew anybody who was) The Boat Only Event #4 - Just to let you know that due to the high river levels that the location has now changed to Nr Whittlesey (Cambs) - where there will be an undercover eating area in case of rain and there are also some more 'Boat Only' caches in the area too!

I can't see that being at all practical; although ideally reviewers would at least ask for the CO to check, if it appears from the description that the cache is massively overgraded, I doubt that they'd have the time or inclination. How about you put together a bookmark list of "genuine" 5/5 caches? Then those who want a real challenge (as opposed to an easy way to collect lots of high-rated caches) will have some help. Yes, you're probably right and the reviewers have enough to do without policing D/T ratings - although maybe a standard reply for 5/5*s redirecting the owner to Clayjar's rating system may make them think twice about the rating?!? Good idea about the bookmark list.... whether I ever get round to doing it though is another matter!

I have just come back from a short trip to Essex where we did nine 5/5*s... and not one of them was anything like a 5* diff (a couple of them needed boats so were 5*T, the others were not very high treeclimbs and paddling under a bridge!) ... but I have to say I didn't really comment they were over-rated in my logs - as people may have got annoyed if it affected their stats if they were down-rated because of my comments! I was wondering if reviewers could ask a few questions at the publishing stage for a 5/5* to check it really suits the grading? (as they do when you try to set a 1*Terrain) especially if the CO isn't an experienced extreme cacher. I have found 49 5/5*s and IMHO probably only about a quarter of them were true 5/5*s (which I think should be a serious challenge/scare you stupid - or preferably both!)... I suppose all these 5/5s do make my stats look quite good though

I sometimes go caching by Horse only when the cache are within riding distance of the yard though - as the Horsebox uses twice as much Diesel as the car ... and it's a pain getting on and off and trying to hold an impatient horse whilst searching! Here is Inca The Geohorse with a cache

These photos were taken in Bradgate Park Nr Leicester last week, unfortunately I didn't have a proper camera with me - so had to take them with my GPS The beautiful Deer were near this cache which I DNFed (I haven't logged the DNF because when I got home I found it had been archived that day!)