BikerKats

Sometimes a cache doesn't quite live up to the expectation, but on another day, when you just want to do a quick and simple cache, it might fit the bill exactly. Horses for courses.

Hi, we're from Middlesex/West London. "Famous" people from our neck of the woods include Sue Cook (former crimewatch presenter), Fearne Cotton and Russell Grant. Good things about living here - we're on the edge of London so we can get out quickly when we want to Oh, and we can get into London easily too, if we want to Happy caching!

I'm not sure if this is the best place to ask this, but I activated a coin about a month ago and the icon is still not showing on our profile? Any suggestions?

That looks like the one we have. Enjoy your trip, I'm so envious!!

I have an Ordnance Survey paper map of Jersey, but I have no idea whether this is available for memory map. It appears to use something called "UTM grid" as well as Lat/Long references. I've just looked at the Jersey caches and see that locations are given in UTM grid as well as Lat/long - if you can obtain a copy of this map I'm sure it will be more than sufficient for your needs.

For an FTF prize we have included a lucky dip lottery ticket for the next draw. Some of the better things we have exchanged (left and taken) are - carabiner compasses, packs of playing cards, toy cars (hot wheels type cars cost about £1 and boys love them), trolley tokens. The best thing we have ever picked up in a cache was a small battery tester which gets a lot of use in our house. I recently saw one in a catalogue for £4.99! It is true that all caches seem to end up full of tat, but it is especially disappointing when a new cache is full of tat before it has had many finds.

How awful - our thoughts and prayers go out to Ewan and his family.

I've only just read this thread as we are also considering a trip to Oxford and I hope this reply is not too late for you. In the last year we have discovered Youth Hostels - we have found them very good value especially for a family. There is one in Oxford which is new - it is by the railway station so should be convenient. Non-members can stay in Youth Hostels for a small supplement - or it might even be worth joining. See www.yha.org.uk

Something as big as that should include a GPSr... Second thoughts, perhaps someone could invent a GPSr with the most useful Swiss Army Knife attachments on it.

We have been putting in our caches sachets of Silica Gel that you often find in packaging. Most of our caches were placed this summer and it's too early to tell how successful this will be. Our oldest cache (January) is still dry inside. Has anyone else tried this?

I'm still hoping Island Hopper might show up as there's no evidence that the cache was raided, but I think you're right with the other one, off to the graveyard to join poor old buggy bear Sorry Boardslider, it was our cache that was muggled with Mini #1 in it If we can be of any help in putting a replacement with a copy tag in a nearby cache, please let us know.

0.8 of a mile from our home co-ordinates, although we have placed some nearer. The next nearest that isn't ours is 1.4 miles away. If we use our postcode instead of the home co-ordinates, the nearest that isn't ours is 1 mile away and the next nearest that isn't ours is 1.2 miles away. These are two different caches from the nearest to our home co-ordinates, which then become 1.7 and 2.4 miles away. Quite a discrepancy.

Agreed. Interesting topic. So how do male/female teams split the various aspects of caching? We are a family of four - Mum, Dad, daughter and son. We usually all go caching together and have probably had an equal number of actual finds each. In planning our trips, I usually have the initial idea about where we might go, but Mark will download the waypoints and put them into Memory Map. I do all the logging of finds and it is usually me on the forum (although Mark will post on technical stuff). We have placed a few caches - Mark makes the camouflaged micros and I buy the bits and pieces for assembling traditional caches. The children both like to have their say in what will go in which cache. We all look for locations. Once a cache is hidden, Mark establishes the co-ords, then I post the details on GC.com. And, for the record, I can navigate, and I've always liked maps. Jen - BikerKats

Yes, that's the one! I don't know where yours is, but I wish I was there

We have done this a couple of times. The first time, someone else beat us to three coins ; the second time, we grabbed a coin which we intended to move on very quickly, but then couldn't (long story). As others have said, just log it as a note on the cache page rather than a find.

2/3 Scaw, Howngills #1 is not the nearest cache (although I see I did ask which is nearby, not which is the nearest cache) Can anyone get the nearest?

Ok, try this - what is it, where is it, and which cache is nearby?

Thanks for the suggestions so far. Making it a micro is a possibility as we could probably hide one not too far from the original location. However, I know not everyone likes micros and we have a good balance here of micros and traditional "small" caches, some more difficult than others, making a visit here worthwhile with something for everyone. A micro might be the best solution for this park but I would then want to find a couple of good locations for some more traditional caches. We know this area quite well and there are a few bits of woodland I wouldn't encourage anyone to visit

Sorry for the delay in providing the next question, having the same problem!

One of our new caches disappeared - muggled, we assume - when we were on holiday and we are considering what to do about replacing it. The cache was a camouflaged tin and was hidden under a bridge in a park. A finder posted that the log book had been written in by muggles, and the park is a pleasant and popular one where kids of all ages play and congregate, so we should not be surprised that it has gone! (Swakeleys Troll) However, we like the park and think it is a good location for a cache. We are considering placing another cache nearby, but not in the exact same place. So, How different does a new cache have to be to become a different cache? We can amend the co-ordinates, and would have to re-name it if the new cache is not under the bridge, (the original is called "Troll"). If it is only a few metres from the original one, would it be regarded as another cache altogether and would it then be disappointing to cachers who had previously found the Troll and returned to the park on publication of a new cache, expecting to find something new? Or should we just abandon this location?

Looks like Durdle Door in Dorset - from the cache site Durdle Door?

Just get one of the Lancashire coins, and a bottle of tippex No, no, only the real thing is good enough! e-mail sent to MikeG

Are there any of these handsome coins left? If so, do you have gold or silver available? And, finally, who is handling the sales at present? Many thanks.

We logged our find and e-mailed at the same time as a result of the following: A fairly local multi had a couple of DNFs during the autumn and the owners posted that they would accept e-mails of the final co-ords until they could check it out. We tried it in May, e-mailed the co-ords but did not log at all at this point, expecting to receive a reply. Two days later, another cacher logged a TB/coin swap so, on this evidence that the cache was still there, we logged our DNF. Eight days later, having still had no reply to our e-mail, we visited again and this time found and logged it. So our first experience of e-mailing the owner resulted in no reply (although in the end it was not necessary). In general, I would say a week is long enough to await a reply, but during the summer holiday season perhaps two weeks is more reasonable.

We've wondered the same thing, but the last time we came across one of these we were certain we were in the right place, so e-mailed and logged at the same time. We still haven't heard anything (after nearly 2 months) but think we probably would have done if our answer had been incorrect.