gazooks

http://www.cache4u.co.uk/ has a goos selection of alternatives.

Sorry to hear the news Deci - you have served the UK community selflessly over the years - what a crap way to be treated. I too feel that gc.com is loosing its way - it seems harder and harder to get caches published these days with so many rules guidlines. Best of luck for the future.

A friend and I were on our last day of a long weekend caching in The Lake District and decided to mop a few caches up near the B&B before we left for home. This shot was taken near GCM4BT - George Hodgson looking across Derwent water just as the wind dropped.

On the subject of CM's - I have noticed an unsettling trend around the Cambridge area where any place of worship is being targeted just so a cache can be placed nearby. I like the CM series as although I'm not particularly religious - I do like a nice piece of architecture and usually the history of the church in question in the listing is of interest. The very reasons I enjoy geocaching - taking me to places I may not have done without the game. But now a load of CM caches have been placed at minor places of worship with no history and nondescript buildings with no appeal whatsover. IMO just so a cache can be placed and for no other reason. I don't know if sadexploration is aware of this 'abuse' (IMHO) of his wonderful series or not but its tainting it for me.

I certainly feel like claiming a find on my caches from time to time.... especially when I've gone to do some maintenance and the cache has 'crept' 50 feet away and its taken me 5 -10 minutes to find. I agree with Mad H@ter's comments.

I was caching in the Lake District a couple of weeks back and we were heading back to the apartment in Grasmere and decided to do a few cache 'n' dashes on the way back. Stopped in an NT carpark and started looking for the cache in the dark (which I had found before) and while we were both searching around a pay and display machine a police car appeared. The officer opened the window and said "Are you robbers ?" to which I replied "No we are Geocachers". The officer nodded his head and then asked if we had seen a certain car and then bid us goodnight and drove off. He must have known what geocaching was This is the first time in 7 years of caching I have ever bumped into the law and it wasn't an unpleasant experience that others have endured. Mind you I was initialy worried - I mean it must have looked well suspicious

The 20 cache find suggestion has been around for a long time - when I joined in 2005 there only about 5000 caches in the whole UK, so to find 20 caches took a few weeks and there were no power trails to speak of. These days you can find 20 caches in a morning on a power trail of micros. IMHO I think the suggested figure should be raised and sadly enforced. The quality of caches in my area of the country is certainly getting worse and like Bendos I do wonder sometimes why I am looking for another micro stuck in a hedge/behind a post etc.

Any of the caches by The Bassetts near Southwold are worth having a go at. Major works of engineering and cunning.

If you're intertested in meeting other cachers in East Anglia try EAGeomobbers - who meet up every so often and cache together. and the EA Cachers can be found on Facebook. Welcome to the fun.....

Certainly to the West of Cambridge a cache would not last that long .... There are at least 2 or 3 eager FTF'rs that I know of over this way. I for one don't really rush out for FTF's anymore unless its a reasonable hour and close by. I leave all the midnight hits to the 'nutters' Maybe the DNF's have put other off of your cache

Which is how I feel really! If I've had a good trek and had to really hunt to find a cache I will jot down a few reminders on my GPSr and write more when I upload the field notes later. If it's just a quick C&D nano then there isn't much to note..... "nice easy find TFTC" is about all you can say!! I agree - and I've come across the odd series like that as well. Sometimes TFTC is a bit like leaving a 1p tip in a resturant

As a CO I am not looking for praise as someone suggested - I just think that if I put out a fun cache I'd like to hear from finders what they thought of it - did they enjoy it etc. I have a few less fun caches and don't expect too much of a log entry for them, but I have a series of secret agent caches that invlove codes and puzzles and the listing is in a 'Your mission is...' type style. The majority of finders 'report back' in a similar style with some imaginative mission logs - I love reading these as they have entered into the spirit of the cache. A blank log or TFTC doesn't cut it for me in these cases. I am aware that everyone plays the game in their own way but as someone else said whats the point of putting them out then if you get nothing back from them. As a CO I can play the game my way as well. I might ask blank log owners to write a little something else but as yet I have not deleted any that have not.

I've had several blank logs of late and have sent the cachers in question a polite email explaining why logs are important to cache owners. I also pointed out that I personally consider a blank log to be rude. All but one ccaher has gone back and written something. The other logs I hate (while we are on the subject) is just 'TFTC' - just s bad as a blank one in my books.

I have had dealings with the WT in Cambridge etc with little success - they won't even consider caches on their land - even when the caches are just off public footpaths around Cambourne near their headquarters. I don't supposed it helped that they had just discovered 30+ caches on their various properties - placed without permission.

Having read this thread with interest and agreement with many - here are mine... - caches with no parking co-ords - we don't all know the local area - micros where a larger container could easily be supported - unsuitable containers (chinese takeaway tubs) - caches in bags of any kind - cache locations where there is nothing of any interest (other than a hole to pop a micro in) - blank logs - seems to be on the increase (a polite email usually follows) - short logs (TFTC) - if they have a problem with my cache - tell me or is it just laziness. - cachers who insist on telling you the hint before you even start looking - naff hints - unmaintained caches - newbies telling me my co-ords are out when the cache has been there 5 years without a problem - sometimes have a problem with nature but then thats half the fun.

I agree that my main moan about ivy covered trees is the use of micros - never a problem if the cache is of reasonable size. Did one micro recently where there were several possible locations - GPS pointed to middle of path and the clue was 'The Hedera is really helpful' - couldn't find it - no surprise there. Although it now seems the cache is missing. However, I must admit to having a micro sized cache in an ivy covered tree ...... but the cache title includes the words ivy covered tree and the tree itself is the only ivy covered tree you can see - never had a DNF

Try the Flitch Way near Stansted Airport - 15 miles along an old railway line (now a cycle/ footpath) with 40 + caches. a little mud in places but a fairly level ride.

Using an iPad on a footpath is like saying 'MUG ME !!'

The one and only time I encountered a mouse while caching was a few months ago. I was looking for a micro in a line of trees (groan) and there was a dead branch lying against the 'Y' two branches. I moved it and saw a little hole with vegetation stuffed in it. Aha ! I thought and stuck my fingers in - only for a poor mouse to jump out and scamper off. Gave me a hell of a fright I replaced everything as it was in the hope the mouse might return after I had gone. The micro was in the next tree

How about a series of caches based in trees ....

err - why don't GS just stick a spellchecker routine on the cache creation page (American or otherwise)

Don't hold your breath - unless you are in a part of the country where cachers swap equal or up !!

You really should get a life - too much effort

One of my caches had a log that noted several items removed and replaced by a used golf ball - to add insult to injury the log ended 'hope you dont mind' - with a caching name I could not decipher and they never logged it either. and another had all the items removed and replaced by a bunch of copper coins. so now I just fill my caches with party toys and something extra for the FTF.

I use camo gaffer tape to decorate my lock 'n' locks - very effective.