Jantaculum

I have an ancient pair of leather CAT walking boots, lightweight and pale pink, that I didn't think would last five minutes but have actually been on all sorts of caching adventures and lived to tell the tale. Otherwise, a pair of pale brown suede Brasher shoes (£29, TKMaxx), a pair of Timberland trainers (£20, TKMaxx) and a pair of Merrell lightweight summer trainers (can't remember the cost but from TKMaxx) Guessed the common theme yet?

Thanks for explaining - I have done a few Flonopolies and, having noticed that something had gone wrong with the caches, was wondering if something had gone wrong for you. Sorry to hear that you've had a hard time, and very best wishes for getting things back on track.

Never thought of checking out geocachers on facebook before! - what a great idea

I'm not going to admit how much Honestly, don't bother cost me because Mr Jantac may be reading the forum.......... all I will say is that putting a cache next to TKMaxx is asking for trouble

Circular walk it wasn't! - more like a zig-zag of going round in circles and missing out one completely But we did manage to find 11 caches in less than 4 miles of lovely walk

Circular walk it wasn't! - more like a zig-zag of going round in circles and missing out one completely But we did manage to find 11 caches in less than 4 miles of lovely walk

Essex on Easter Sunday - the Wickham Bishops series Surrey on Bank Holiday Monday - Blackbushe Airport 19 in two days (which was a record for us) Amazingly it was sunny, not sure how we managed to avoid the showers and defy the weather forecasters!

Thank you! Nice simple one for technophobes like me

This doesn't quite fit your definition but I wanted to plug it anyway ('cos we did it today and it was great) Wickham Bishops Series Seven caches in the series, one more on the direct route and two (we didn't do these) available with little detours. There are also 12 caches on Blackbushe Airport in Surrey which we are hoping to put together in a circular walk tomorrow, starting and finishing at Spitfire

11.9 miles No distance really. Maybe I'm guilty of ignoring the caches nearer to home and concentrating on those further afield. Note to self - have a closer look at local caches!

So subscribers only caches are also being affected now?

So now I'm the proud owner of one of these - a Tilley TH8 in Mocha I blame you lot for MAKING me spend £54! Seriously though I'm delighted - been looking for a good quality hat that actually suits me for quite some time.

*now going shopping to look for a Tilley*

I live in England = I cache in the rain

I knew there would be a good use for all the broken umbrellas that I haven't got round to throwing away Thanks

Blacks in Lakeside Retail Park had a new delivery this morning

Another vote for Craghopper and Rohan Lightweight Craghoppers in the summer (water resistant, dry quickly, don't need ironing which is always a bonus and their ladies' trousers are actually quite well cut and DON'T have the unflattering elasticasted waist which is not a good look) and heavyweight Rohan striders (I think) in the winter. Actually, the heavyweight Rohans aren't confined to the winter - I wore them caching today (British summer - what British summer? It's like winter but with nettles )

There are still a few, just a very very few, left at Blacks in Lakeside (in the Retail Park)

I'd recommend caching and sightseeing - caching, of course, will show you lots of hidden corners in London, but if you want to see some of the main sights I'd recommend: this one at the Victoria and Albert museum. The museum is free to enter and it's a treasure house! It's also got a great cafe which isn't too expensive by central London standards. The V&A is adjacent to the Natural History Museum (beautiful old building) and the Science Museum, both also free. St Paul's Cathedral - if you're planning on visiting here, and you've got enough energy to get to the top, there's a virtual with one of the best views of London. You get such a great sense of British history at St Paul's, my favourite is the tomb of Nelson. There's also guided tours if you want to learn more (and if your wobbly legs can stand it after the climb to the top!) The cafe, which is situated in the crypt, is a great place to eat - you're surrounded by statues and memorials - and never too busy. If art is your thing there's plenty to see at the National Gallery (also free entry) in Trafalgar Square. This one involves a tour of some of the pictures then a walk to the final cache. I wouldn't worry too much about getting Nuvi maps for a short holiday. If you check out the caches before your trip (and print out their locations on the Google Maps link from the cache pages) then that's usually accurate enough - you may find that for some caches the maps are so accurate that you don't need the GPS at all. This does work best if you've got internet access at your hotel though, for last minute checks or changes of plan. I would recommend buying a pocket A-Z once you arrive in London, that'll give you good maps as well as the public transport links (buses and Underground) There's a Visitors A-Z which costs about a fiver and gives you details of tourist attractions as well as maps. Enjoy your holiday

Another navigable canal is the Chelmer and Blackwater in Essex. It starts at Chelmsford and ends at one of my all-time favourite places, Heybridge Basin near Maldon, where sea-going boats can lock out to the River Blackwater. Helen in Mustardland has placed a series along most of the length, the Chelmer Navigation Series, and there's a few other caches along the way as well. Here's a link to one of the caches, and some lovely pictures here

Hello Team McG The usual two recommended caches for TB drops in London are Last Delivery and London Letterbox - both visited frequently so TBs are likely to be colllected quickly

Having never mastered paperless (well not YET anyway) I do read the cache pages carefully. I enjoy doing that - I'll read the details, click on any links about the location and check out the photos. I'll also read the logs if it looks like the cache is going to be tricky to find, to see if there's any more hints. I actually enjoy 'doing the research' - it's interesting to find out a bit about a new area so I can tell the kids things about the area & find out other nearby interesting places to visit. (I've just re-read my post & realised that it makes me sound just like a typical stereotyped teacher - guess what I do for a living! )

Glad you had a good time

There's one HUGE advantage to urban caching in the rain - fewer muggles. I've done quite a few magnetic micros under cover of an umbrella

I'm of the 'keep it simple' group - I use a Foretrex, it's a bit less noticeable for urban caching and conveniently strapped to my wrist in the countryside. I've never DNF'd a cache because of not having the mapping facility, but I'm sure that (on many occasions!) I've walked further than necessary