Scottish Caching?

[+Slainte]

My daughter will spend the rest of the summer at Napier University in Edinburgh, and would like to do some caching while there. However, I'd rather not spend the money on a set of UK maps for her GPS. If she takes the unit and information pages for some Edinburgh sites, she'll be able to locate the coordinates, then use the info pages to locate the caches, won't she? No roads or references, I know. Just trying to save a few dad-bucks here.

[+The Hornet]

You'd be well advised to post your request on the UK Forum or on the GAGB forum or the local Scottish/Irish forum.

[+Slainte]

I thought this was a fairly generic, how-to question. Basically, is it possible to geocache without maps installed on your GPS? I will revisit the sites mentioned; thanks for the reminder.

[+Vinny & Sue Team]

I thought this was a fairly generic, how-to question. Basically, is it possible to geocache without maps installed on your GPS? I will revisit the sites mentioned; thanks for the reminder.

Yes, I agree that your question is a simple generic technical question, and the answer -- much as you have likely figured -- is that it is eminently doable to use a GPSr that does not have maps installed for hunting geocaches. In fact, when I have traveled over the past three years to India and Nicaragua on consulting jobs, I have brought along an inexpensive GPSR (Explorist 100) that did not have ANY type of maps installed at all, and I did just fine in hunting caches. I have also done the same thing on some of my field trips in the USA, and in fact, all of my finds while on trips to Los Angeles have been made using a GPSr with no maps installed.

 

And, starting in a week, I will be in Malaysia on a consulting job for a period of about 2.5 weeks, and my only GPSr at hand for hunting occasional geocaches will be one which does not have any maps installed for that area, and, as always, I will do just fine!

 

Postscript: Incidentally, I suspect that it was the title of your thread that threw the other poster, helping them to believe that you had asked a regional question...

Edited July 8, 2008 by Vinny & Sue Team

[+Moose Mob]

I sepnt a couple weeks in the UK and didn't have any detail maps. Wherever you are, geocaching is a little tougher not having street maps but very possible. The maps help by telling you where the roads and the contour lines are. They make things a lt easier.

[+hydnsek]

Agree with the other replies. I visited five European countries a couple years ago, cached in all of them with no maps, just the cache page info and local printed maps. No problems.

[+TheAlabamaRambler]

I found my first 500+ caches with an eTrex Yellow, no maps, so it can certainly be done.

 

Like with broad-band internet access, though, once you move up it's tough to go back!

[+Moose Mob]

On the flip side...

 

No maps is OK for casual caching, but when caching 9 European countries in 16 days, the maps were extremely useful. (Notice I didn't use the word critical.) Moun10Bike was the designated navigator and would know which caches were on the road we were on and which side of the road t was on. We also used street routing a lot.

 

Again, maps are not needed, just nice to have.

[+Slainte]

Thanks to all who responded! Now I'm off to download Scottish cache pages. Some nice bagpipe music should help get the job done. Thanks again!

[+coggins]

Thanks to all who responded! Now I'm off to download Scottish cache pages. Some nice bagpipe music should help get the job done. Thanks again!

If you can do with countor maps, here are some free ones that might just fill the bill if you have a Garmin GPS:

 

Instructions: http://www.paulmac.force9.co.uk/geo/index.html

 

Maps: http://www.smc.org.uk/ContourMaps.htm

Edited July 9, 2008 by coggins

[+tozainamboku]

Just trying to save a few dad-bucks here.

You must be Scottish.

[+Harry Dolphin]

Just trying to save a few dad-bucks here.

You must be Scottish.

 

Watch the ethnic jokes!

[+wimseyguy]

And I thought this thread was going to be about finding caches driving on the wrong side of the road and stopping for a wee dram at each waypoint.

[+hukilaulau]

Just trying to save a few dad-bucks here.

You must be Scottish.

 

Watch the ethnic jokes!

You must be Cetacean

[+NYPaddleCacher]

Agree with the other replies. I visited five European countries a couple years ago, cached in all of them with no maps, just the cache page info and local printed maps. No problems.

 

I've cached in a couple of European countries and two in Africa. Not too suprisingly, Google Earth works just as well outside the U.S. Using a pocket query I created a database of the areas I was visiting, then used the Google Earth export macro for GSAK. Then, I could capture a few screen shots and print them off.

 

I found that if you do a google search on "Waypoints" and the city you're visiting that there are often collections of waypoints that others have taken. For example, there is a nice collection of waypoints that I found when I traveled to Rome that has the locations of all the subway stations.

 

You can also use Google Earth to collect existing placemarks by turning on various layers. Granted, they might not always be complete accurate but you don't really need 20' accuracy for the coordinates of a large hotel, restaurant, town square, etc.

 

When geocaching in heavily wooded areas it's a good idea to "mark you vehicle" before heading off into the woods. Extending that practice to mark any kind of recognizable location (like road intersections) can help you navigate unfamiliar areas.

[+Slainte]

So many good ideas! Thanks to you all. Oh, and yes, there's some Scottish back there somewhere, but the frugality comes from having two daughters in college. Yikes! Anyway, thanks again, and sláinte mhath to you all!

[+Blaidd-Drwg]

I always load maps for countries I'm visiting, and then never look at them unless I'm on a tour bus. My technique for most countries is to just check my GPSr when I stop for one reason or another. This works for me since I'm usually on a guided tour. When I was in Germany, it would have helped if I'd used maps since the roads there weren't in a nice grid like here in Oklahoma.

[+Harry Dolphin]

Just trying to save a few dad-bucks here.

You must be Scottish.

 

Watch the ethnic jokes!

You must be Cetacean

 

Cetacean is, of course, by choice. I usually refer to myself as half German, a quarter Czech, and a Fifth of Scotch. (Most people tell me that that doesn't add up. So much for a sense of humor...) Oh, well. I tried.

 

Ah, as to OP. I went several years with the Garmin eTrex, using local maps. Worked for me. Tough to go back again, but Gupy GAP insists on taking me to the nearest road. Usually not a problem. Figured out how to foil Gupy the Great and Powerful after he insisted that I needed to head north on the NJ Turnpike, make a U-Turn, and park on the side of the Turnpike, and wade through the Meadowlands. "Take me to this parking area, instead!"

[+The Hornet]

A discussion on UK maps available for Garmins can be found here.

[+lordzogat]

I generally navigate by watching the co-ordinates change. IE N44 37,567 etc etc. Yes a map helps but is not impossible to do without.

[Mr.Yuck]

Agree with the other replies. I visited five European countries a couple years ago, cached in all of them with no maps, just the cache page info and local printed maps. No problems.

 

I've cached in Canada without maps, that's a foreign country, isn't it? Not entirely true, I have a little dot for cities on my GPS. But yeah, it's no problem, and save yourself some dough.

[+brodiebunch]

We were in Scotland two years ago and did not have any UK maps uploaded. We sorta resorted to printing the geocache pages from the website and using city maps. We limited ourselves to geocache on the beaten path (major tourist areas and parks)

 

As for geocaching suggestions for her, GCJKTR (Greyfriars Bobby) is a great one, with a great story to it. If she can get out of Edinburgh, in the town of Doune is GCJPYV (Monty Python's Holy Grail) is another worth finding. The castle is great and maybe its my age, but I found myself mouthing lines from the movie the whole I was there.

[+Blue Magician]

My daughter will spend the rest of the summer at Napier University in Edinburgh, and would like to do some caching while there.

 

There are plenty of caches in Edinburgh. There are even some in the University Campus which take you on a short tour of the grounds.

[+okvalle]

One of the coolest caches I have found in Edinburgh, and I can recommend it, is this one: St. Andrew Square