Simple & Fun Cache Series

[+Jango & Boba Fett]

Having moved to an island off the west coast of Scotland almost a year ago I've had to discover the art of placing simple traditional caches which are fun to find but can not be classed as trail trash. However, my thoughts keep straying back to cryptic puzzles and long distance mountain multis. So I'm appealing for some suggestions for some simple fun series which might like to have their franchise extended to the Isle of Arran. There are already some series caches on Arran including:

1. Cromscout's Off Yer Trolley! - a chance to do some CITO
   
2. thunderbird30's Water of Life - a tastey wee drap!
   
3. J33P KN's ROC & AA Posts - for Cold War fans
   
4. J33P KN's Lunga Micro Series - courtesy of Ken's breeder cache on the Craignish Penisula
   
5. Big Rab's Good to Talk - for the telephonically challenged
   

With a complete lack of Motorways for any Mayhem, and not enough visitors for a Geo-Post Box I thought I'd see if there any fun franchise series that I've so far not managed to spot. Any ideas gratefully recieved.

[+Team Clova]

There is thehaggishunters series "Lest We Forget" at war memorials in the East and North although Big Rab (I think) has started a similar series in the West "We Shall Remember Then"

 

No Motorway Mayhems on Arran then???

[+Team Sieni]

Go Pack Go's This is England series.

 

7 trad Caches on beautiful walk on the South Downs, (including - yes - a micro in the woods) leading to an 8th bonus GCVCZC.

 

Advertised as 4 miles. We did them in the "wrong" order making it a wee bit longer, a fantastic day out.

 

Can't see its applicability to Isle of Arran mind! Unless you want to call it This isn't England.

 

Edited to add. Didn't read the original post properly. franchise series like Motorway Mayhem is what you're after, not self contained ones as above. Doh. Anyway, no harm in giving a boost to a great little series.

Edited October 25, 2007 by Team Sieni

[+The Cache Hoppers]

How big is the island? The top cache in the UK at the moment, according to GeocacheUK (any arguments on the why's, wherefores and validity of the stats is for another thread ) is PopUpPirate's Subaru - a rally drive of sorts using pace notes and a co-driver is recommended. It's around 8-10 miles so I don't know whether there is scope on your island for that or not, but it would be a fun way for geocaching visitors to see the sights.

[+Happy Humphrey]

As another "island cacher"...

 

Probably the best cache type for a small island is a series - I set one earlier in the year (I'm not going to link to it or name it due to cache advertising restrictions!) and it's been very successful as far as I can see. I'm not suggesting you exactly follow this suggestion, but it may be useful as an example. The format was based on the well-loved Alchemy Quest series, which I found a very absorbing and fun set of caches without any major difficulty.

 

This one was spread all over the island; three sets of three micros - each set has one on a hill, one in a valley and one on the coast. All in nice places to visit. Each contains a code which gives part of the coordinates to an ammo box (one in the north, one in the centre and one in the south): find all three ammo boxes and you can find the final cache.

 

As that makes a total of 13 caches, it's an absorbing day's caching as a challenge: or, locals can find them over a period of months, or a visitor could spend a long weekend seeking them out. Make them all fairly easy finds, well-sited and weatherproof and there will be years of enjoyment ahead. It could work as a multi as well, but wouldn't be as enjoyable. Make the theme something uniquely Arran!

[+Jango & Boba Fett]

.... Make the theme something uniquely Arran!

I'll just jumper to it - though in fact that's the Irish Arran not the Scottish one. But your idea does remind me of a great series down in Shropshire - Team maddie Uk's Zodiac Series.

[+Happy Humphrey]

.... Make the theme something uniquely Arran!

I'll just jumper to it - though in fact that's the Irish Arran not the Scottish one. But your idea does remind me of a great series down in Shropshire - Team maddie Uk's Zodiac Series.

Seeing Arran on "Coast" last night reminded me to check this thread...

 

Yes the Zodiac series is similar: although we only made a start on it, it looked to be another one of those absorbing and fun series. There's also one by Skippy and Pingu (Rainbow) which also makes for a great day out. There's something about "collecting the set" that appeals, and if there seems to be some point to it then you keep going even when time seems to be running out.

I suppose Zodiac, Alchemy et al are a "franchise" in that they are now a tried and tested model for a geocache series, but it does work very well (which is why I also used the same format). All you have to do is think of an appropriate theme (Macmillan books?) and perhaps a little twist (unusual containers?) to make it different.

[markandlynn]

Did someone say Aaron

 

The zodiac series works well with its cluster approach leading to the final

 

Alchemy's pyramid approach is a good and much copied approach

 

Painting by numbers has another approaqch in that each cache in the series can be done individually but there is a cunning bonus at each location which leads to the final.

 

There are also tiered multis where you can only find them one after another.

 

all can sufffer from the missing stage issues but the tiered type suffers the most.

[+Happy Humphrey]

all can sufffer from the missing stage issues but the tiered type suffers the most.

Agreed: but one of the strengths of the "Pyramid" style is that one or two missing stages isn't bound to stop the geocacher completely. It's normally possible to surmise the location of an ammo box using two-thirds of the numbers.

I would advise particular care to camouflage all caches very well when setting a series, however, and choose locations well away from muggle traffic but with a clear sky view and not too remote or well-hidden (because you need to check any cache in a series in double-quick time if there's a DNF, otherwise there's a question mark about the whole set).

[+Eckington]

I hope I will not embarrass Andy now, but undoubtedly the best "series" of caches I have done, for interest and a variety of terrains, disguised containers and locations, has been the "Curiously Manx" series ( and I still have a couple to do! ).......(when my legs have healed )

[+mongoose39uk]

For me it would have to be Pengy&Tiggers Dominoes and Dice Series.

 

Short and reasonably easy in a good location.

 

Did the final at dawn on misty day.

 

Very nice indeed, especially as the Deer walked out a few yards in front of me.

 

Sadly the series is no more.

[+Happy Humphrey]

I hope I will not embarrass Andy now,

[+mumbo jumbo]

Not quite sure if you could call it a franchise but there's Team Marzipan's Village Vexation series of trads. Saw loads of these whist planning for a trip to North Wales earlier this year.

[+HazelS]

Not quite sure if you could call it a franchise but there's Team Marzipan's Village Vexation series of trads. Saw loads of these whist planning for a trip to North Wales earlier this year.

 

I'll respond for the Marzi's as a) they're away and they don't come in here!

 

Village vexations are not strictly a series... they are all trads placed in various villages around N Wales, and are all a bit of a cunning hide - hence being called Vexations. The only thing they have "in common" with each other is that no two hides will be the same.

 

They are all pretty good caches - with only one or two exceptions!!

[+Realmofchaos]

Cats-eyes SOM (Sights of meaning) in the Peak District. Several easy drive by's with a few off the beaten track, a highly enjoyable series IMHO.

[+Delta68]

Cats-eyes SOM (Sights of meaning) in the Peak District. Several easy drive by's with a few off the beaten track, a highly enjoyable series IMHO.

 

We haven't done many serieseseses but S.O.M is our current favourite as well. Rather than just a string of micros at random locations, each one is at a location which is interesting in its own right. Cats-eyes' C.O.D series is pretty good as well