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Event Organisers Request


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When organising an event, please consider the fact that not all attendees could be arriving by car. Some (like myself) may infact not be able to drive, but have a free weekend and so look to attend via train. Because of this (thankyou to Simply Paul, for altering his page), could cachers please identify on the cache page itself, what the nearest train station is. I am not asking that cachers organise meets around pubs close to stations (this is not always possible), but if they could state where the nearest station is, this would help other cachers in my position who look for a day out but then become unsure of how to get there.

This possibly something which could be in the criteria for putting on an event - MODS???? (I know your jobs are hard enough already, but there arnt that many events each year so i wouldnt have thought it to be that much of a hinderance!?!?!?

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Good points raised there, I think. It's all too easy for cachers who drive to assume everyone else will get to the event in the same way. Happy to amend the page for my Scafell Pike climb event on lathama's suggestion, and I hope other event organisers will consider adding this information to their current and future pages too.

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What next?

 

Is this a request for the terminally lazy?

No, it's a request for those who know to pass on information to help those who don't.

 

The same thing applies to parking. Of the ten most recent caches placed in my area, only one has had parking coords included. This makes planning and getting to the cache take so much longer.

 

Please, help your fellow cachers by adding parking coords. After all, you probably parked there when placing the cache B).

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What next?

 

Is this a request for the terminally lazy?

No, it's a request for those who know to pass on information to help those who don't.

 

The same thing applies to parking. Of the ten most recent caches placed in my area, only one has had parking coords included. This makes planning and getting to the cache take so much longer.

 

Please, help your fellow cachers by adding parking coords. After all, you probably parked there when placing the cache B).

I do normally add parking co-ords, but not always!

Sometimes part of finding the cache is in the planning and I will occasionally omit parking co-ords, particularly if there is a number of possible routes to the cache. This gives the finder the opportunity to check there maps and plan the best route, i.e. shortest/longest, easiest/hardest terrain etc.

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The attitude of some people on these forums disgusts me. I make a serious point which will help cachers travel to an event, and i get lambasted for it. Whats the point of me even trying. I could at this point leave and never come back (or say something which isnt allowed). I am glad to see that paul understands why i posted this on here, but some people need to start understandning that this is a sport for all not just the snobs who watch these forums and then if a topic comes up which they "dont agree with" start to lambast people who are trying to make things easier.

 

I am really angry with certain comments above and feel that they are totally uneeded.

 

If someone doesnt know the area and then clicks onto street map or another website the nearest train station is not always easy to work out. so 10 ish words on a cache page wouldnt go amiss!

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As someone who did not have a car until recently and likes to have a drink I would love to have more events within walking distance of a station (say within 3 miles), and to have the odd cache available on route. This could apply to caches as well as events.

 

That being said I don't believe this should dictate where the event should be, it should just be one of many considerations. We have to acknowledge that most cachers are drivers, that the train is often more expensive than car (that is just wrong, but don't get me started) and that is is not fare to lower the quality of an event for many for the benefit of one or two.

 

I will add that with planning a Bus is often a practical solution, and a list with fellow cachers is often offered.

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The idea was Lambasted perhaps, not you.

 

Just because people dont like the idea and give their reasons or ask questions and you dont like it is not a reason to have a pop at them!

 

Ok.....................

 

What next?

 

Is this a request for the terminally lazy?

 

how is someone who cannot drive NOT supposed to take this personally!

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Whilst I think there is nothing wrong with the idea I totally disagree with demanding this information on events. I really don't think it is too tricky to work it out for yourself.

 

Slightly on topic - it may be useful to add the contact details of the local chippy and Chinese, Indian and pizza takeaways going by comments at two recent events :laughing:

 

P.S. Don't start because I haven't included kebab houses or sushi restaurants B)

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Whilst I think there is nothing wrong with the idea I totally disagree with demanding this information on events. I really don't think it is too tricky to work it out for yourself.

 

I disagree.

take for example the 5th Scottish Cache bash. By looking alone at streetmap. No train station is clear (ok distance is greater up there). Also for scafell (which is how this all arose after a convo at bucks meet), there are 3 or 4 stations on the coast but the closest one to the start location was not clear.

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The idea was Lambasted perhaps, not you.

 

Just because people dont like the idea and give their reasons or ask questions and you dont like it is not a reason to have a pop at them!

 

Ok.....................

 

What next?

 

Is this a request for the terminally lazy?

 

how is someone who cannot drive NOT supposed to take this personally!

 

1. These are questions

 

2. Why are events so different from other caches?

 

3. What is to stop you looking up this information for yourself?

 

4. I drive, however I regularly give non driving cachers a lift to caches and cache events as do most other cachers I know.

 

If you want to take it as a personal attack please fell free to do so. No skin of my nose.

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The idea was Lambasted perhaps, not you.

 

Just because people dont like the idea and give their reasons or ask questions and you dont like it is not a reason to have a pop at them!

 

Ok.....................

 

What next?

 

Is this a request for the terminally lazy?

 

how is someone who cannot drive NOT supposed to take this personally!

 

1. These are questions

 

2. Why are events so different from other caches?

 

3. What is to stop you looking up this information for yourself?

 

4. I drive, however I regularly give non driving cachers a lift to caches and cache events as do most other cachers I know.

 

If you want to take it as a personal attack please fell free to do so. No skin of my nose.

 

1. Agreed they are questions but phrased in a manner which after what i had written at the top of the page, feel have been aimed staright at me and others like me who cannot drive.

 

2. I have not said they are different, but events gather more people together on 1 specific day, unlike a cache which may see 15 visits in a month.

 

3. As i have explained, looking for yourself if sometimes problamatic when it can be found that stations are hard to work out the closest one (or one which is the easiest walk).

 

4. Agreed also, but for cachers who live a long distance away, it can sometimes be easier to get a train as you are your own passenger then, not having to worry about someone else, being able to leave when you want to... not when they have to.

 

I have done, will continue too (i have a hard nose too)

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The attitude of some people on these forums disgusts me. I make a serious point which will help cachers travel to an event, and i get lambasted for it. Whats the point of me even trying. I could at this point leave and never come back (or say something which isnt allowed). I am glad to see that paul understands why i posted this on here, but some people need to start understandning that this is a sport for all not just the snobs who watch these forums and then if a topic comes up which they "dont agree with" start to lambast people who are trying to make things easier.

 

I am really angry with certain comments above and feel that they are totally uneeded.

 

If someone doesnt know the area and then clicks onto street map or another website the nearest train station is not always easy to work out. so 10 ish words on a cache page wouldnt go amiss!

Two wrongs don't make a right!!! I think you are lambasting the people who have lambasted you.

 

As for the terminally lazy comment, I think it was more aimed at you should look on a map. Let's face it on any type of map a train station isn't exactly the hardest thing to recognise?

 

If an organiser of an event wants to go that bit further then it is good that they have provided such information. But if they don't, then do the research yourself, and then perhaps post a note of your findings on the event page.

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Lincs cache bash was organised in lincoln where it is obvious how to get there (streetmap shows the trainstation) - and someone actually came by train B)

 

Brum bashes are not exactly good examples are they because

 

1. they were organised before many of you were caching

2. the 1st brum bash i was still a newbie (living at home with parents (ie) car

3. Both only had 3 people come

4. 1 set of people came by car to second event

5. car share was arranged for 1st event but in the end not needed.

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Slightly on topic - it may be useful to add the contact details of the local chippy and Chinese, Indian and pizza takeaways going by comments at two recent events :laughing:

 

P.S. Don't start because I haven't included kebab houses or sushi restaurants B)

 

How could you? You missed off McD's and KFC! :unsure::laughing:

 

Joking apart... The actual idea is a good one and it is always good to see as much useful information on the cache/event page as possible, but it may be a tad unfair to request that it becomes part of the criteria for organising caches.

The final amount of information supplied should be up to the organiser and there is nothing stopping other people adding extra information into the logs as they see fit.

 

The organiser has a lot of work to do to actually arrange the event and to expect them to do the donkey work regarding directions/local stations isn't really fair. (IMO)

 

Keith (geotrotters)

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Lincs cache bash was organised in lincoln where it is obvious how to get there (streetmap shows the trainstation) - and someone actually came by train B)

 

Brum bashes are not exactly good examples are they because

 

1. they were organised before many of you were caching

2. the 1st brum bash i was still a newbie (living at home with parents (ie) car

3. Both only had 3 people come

4. 1 set of people came by car to second event

5. car share was arranged for 1st event but in the end not needed.

In my opinion that is a full contradiction of what you are asking for now. All the reasons you have given are meaningless.

 

It's obvious from any map where the train station is, the question should be how to get to the event from the train station?

 

Brum bashes are good examples aren't they because

 

1. Irrelevant, people where still without cars then, and trains where about. Same situation just different time period.

2. Irrelevant, because your parents had a car, people without could just lump it?

3. Irrelevant, that is impossible to know until the actual day of the event.

4. Contradiction, everypone else had to suss out how to get there on public transport.

5. Good idea, but was only suggested, no follow up information was given so that people knew they wouldn't be left by the kerbside.

 

My point is that twice now you have made a statement that is more like a demand, but fail to live up to your own standards. Being on this forum is like being a politician, you need to make sure there are no skeletons in your closet before making demands, regardless of how well meant they are.

 

Personally I would have started the wording something along the lines of - I have came to realise that getting to events without a car is difficult etc, etc.....

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What a lot of fuss over one little polite request. If we return to the original post, we see lathama asking if people could include the name of the nearest railway station for events. There's no demand there. It's just something organisers might wish to consider, which seems fair to me. I've considered it and I think it's a simple enough courtesy to include the info on the cache page. You may not agree, in which case don't include alternative transport details. The suggestion mods get involved is less realistic, in my opinion, but there's really no need for a online duffing-up to happen. B)

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What a lot of fuss over one little polite request. If we return to the original post, we see lathama asking if people could include the name of the nearest railway station for events. There's no demand there. It's just something organisers might wish to consider, which seems fair to me. I've considered it and I think it's a simple enough courtesy to include the info on the cache page. You may not agree, in which case don't include alternative transport details. The suggestion mods get involved is less realistic, in my opinion, but there's really no need for a online duffing-up to happen. :laughing:

I agree it is a lot of fuss, but he did demand as I have quoted below.

 

.......could cachers please identify on the cache page itself, what the nearest train station is. .................

This possibly something which could be in the criteria for putting on an event - MODS???? (I know your jobs are hard enough already, but there arnt that many events each year so i wouldnt have thought it to be that much of a hinderance!?!?!?

Not much of a hinderance for the MODS???? to make sure that it is listed? That's not only a demand but is plain ignorance and cheek! The approvers work hard enough for us as it is, to make that statement is an insult.

 

Before my skeleton is dragged up, I apologised for my damning statement that I made in the past.

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Yes. I think that the original post came across as a little bit of a complaint against everyone who did not think about non drivers rather than the suggestion that it was, then everyone gets upset and complains/rebels, then this escalates and so on and so forth.....

 

Let's all just chill on an hot day.

 

Ps. currykev, that just means everyone takes offence :laughing:

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Yes. I think that the original post came across as a little bit of a complaint against everyone who did not think about non drivers rather than the suggestion that it was, then everyone gets upset and complains/rebels, then this escalates and so on and so forth.....

 

And there's me thinking I had put in a level headed "opinion". :laughing::laughing::laughing:

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I'd doubt that this is an issue to take up with Jeremy or TBTB...what may be more effective is to email an event organizer of the event that you plan to attend, and ask them in advance to post on the page what the nearest train station would be. Ususally the event planner lives near the area, and would offer that resource to you!

 

In the US (Ohio), we often camp as near as possible to events...I email the organizer and ask if they could post information about campgrounds near the event on the cache page. That way I can plan my trip.

 

We've held events before, and so often you can be so busy planning that you can forget the details. :laughing:

Edited by BlackBrownDog
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Whilst I think there is nothing wrong with the idea I totally disagree with demanding this information on events. I really don't think it is too tricky to work it out for yourself.

 

I disagree.

take for example the 5th Scottish Cache bash. By looking alone at streetmap. No train station is clear (ok distance is greater up there). Also for scafell (which is how this all arose after a convo at bucks meet), there are 3 or 4 stations on the coast but the closest one to the start location was not clear.

 

As one of the organisers of the 5th Scottish Cache Bash, may I make a couple of points:-

 

The event is in a VERY rural location - the only public transport that will get you anywhere close to the event is the postbus which runs once on a Saturday morning and not at all on a Sunday. There are two train stations approx equidistant from the event (30ish miles) so no - they wont show up on streetmap!!

 

There are at least 3 carless cachers who will be coming to the event and arrangements are being made on the GEOFREES forum to arrange transport to get them to the event. If anyone has transport issues for a large event far from home, why not e mail the organisers? - Knowing where the nearest station is is pointless unless there is other public transport/other cachers willing to help to get you to the event? Being a car owner, I have very little knowledge of public transport links but have carless friends who can reel off train times and bus links - perhaps like us most event organisers think that cachers who rely on public transport will have many more resources on their computer with relevant links etc?

 

Have now added a how to get there section to the cache page! Local public transport link and where to ask for help links included! :laughing:

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... terminally lazy ...

Ah I never knew that Two Jags was secret cacher, but at least its good to know we have supporters in high places. Can you tell us mongoose39uk which do you prefer, the crocquet or the caching?

 

port_jags.jpg

 

I must admit at the 3rd East Anglian Cache Event I was one of several members of the terminally lazy brigade who arrived by train and then proceeded to walk between all the caches I logged. I must report that some of the slothful cachers even had the temerity to cycle from Cambridge (Leadmagnets) and even sail down from St neots (Nellies Knackers). Perhaps TwoJag39uks could develop a pollicy to help us give up our dangerously lazy approach to caching, perhaps a Booklist of caches that can be done by leaning out the drivers widow of a luxury saloon car?

 

Oh yes this is a tongue in cheek post and here's a smiley to prove it. :laughing:

 

Jango icon_jook.gif

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So if you are lucky enough to get a cache on to the International Space Station, where can we catch the shuttle from? Or do we have to make our way to the US?

I live by the National Space Centre and can inform the masses that there is transport to it via bus and boat B)

 

However, as someone in the same situation as Lathama - I cache via public transport too - I find it interesting that all the people who lamabasted the original question are people who have never cached via train, bus or otherwise (me - I once even cached via Hovercraft to the Isle of Wight) and probably wouldnt be seen dead on a bus with GPS in hand. I remember spending ages looking at MM working out the nearest train to the CoC event. It listed train stations that have not been in use since the 1960's. Hmmm, really helpful :laughing: The National Rail Network website is only helpful if you have the precise details of the final station.

 

terminally lazy
Sorry Tony, but that comment can be seen as offensive - I have caught a bus and walked 3 miles over lots of slippery stiles in the middle of winter just to log one cache while recovering from cancer surgery. Clearly I must be lazier than the cachers who winge in logs that there's no nearby car parking to a cache B)
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Oh dear, I do seem to have offended some people.

 

I am not denying it is hard to cache by car.

 

What has annoyed me is the expectation that the person who is organising the event should be expected to give details of public transport. If they choose to do so fine.

 

I will repeat gain these my original posts were and are questions not comments. OK badly worded but still questions.

 

No smileys from me I am afraid rip me apart and flame you as you will.

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Mrs B covers the entire thread with some fire-retardant foam...

 

OK

 

Let's get back to the original post and I'll throw my hat into the ring:

 

It's a reasonable suggestion that an Event listing could contain the phrase "Nearest station is Little Piddlington-On-Rye", or wherever, although in most cases I would guess that it's fairly obvious which is the nearest station. However, it's good to be helpful, isn't it? B)

 

As for parking co-ordinates for other caches: It can be very helpful to have them, especially if you're driving up and down narrow country lanes where every space turns out to be a "passing place only"...

But then some would say, "That's half the fun of the chase!" B)

 

MrsB

(and everyone knows that the other half is falling in the nettles :laughing: )

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It's a fair request.

 

It does say "could" not "must" . Caching is for all, not just those with cars, or other means of transport, and all the gadgets to go paperless cacheing.

 

Some of the comments here, to a simple request, make me wonder if I want to go and meet my "Fellow cachers"...

 

G

I've kept quiet up until now but well said - I feel the same. I cannot believe the attitude some have shown on this thread.

 

No smilies here either.

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