Motorway services caches

[+sydnsue]

We are shortly travelling to Scotland from the south coast so it would be a good way of increasing our counties list if there were any caches in the service areas. Towing a caravan we do not want to leave the motorway. Short of zooming in on the map for the whole route of 600 miles, is there any listing of all service area caches?

[+T.D.M.22]

We are shortly travelling to Scotland from the south coast so it would be a good way of increasing our counties list if there were any caches in the service areas. Towing a caravan we do not want to leave the motorway. Short of zooming in on the map for the whole route of 600 miles, is there any listing of all service area caches?

 

You could do caches by route. Select the route you want, and select distance from route. Could be a mile, or 500 meters. And boom, you get a list of every cache within that distance of the roads your are travelling on.

[+speakers-corner]

I seem to remember a series of Caches called Motorway Mayhem. Have a look to see if there is a Bookmark by this name.

[+Amberel]

We are shortly travelling to Scotland from the south coast so it would be a good way of increasing our counties list if there were any caches in the service areas. Towing a caravan we do not want to leave the motorway. Short of zooming in on the map for the whole route of 600 miles, is there any listing of all service area caches?

Just in case it is any help, I wrote a web page a few months ago for someone who was doing a county challenge, and you might find it useful:

 

http://www.amberel.com/county.htm

 

It depends on whether or not the counties I use are the same ones as you want to use - there is a link from that page to the list of counties. Also the accuracy near borders is constrained to the accuracy of the boundary polygons I obtained, though I do warn you if you are near a boundary.

 

General warning - when I do server maintenance it is usually just after midnight, so there is a higher risk of not getting a connection at that time (but it rarely takes longer than 5 minutes).

 

Rgds, Andy

[+mellers]

I seem to remember a series of Caches called Motorway Mayhem. Have a look to see if there is a Bookmark by this name.

The Motorway Mayhem series is prolific, however there is no requirement for any of them to be at a service area and some (many) are often some distance away, down a teeny-tiny road with perhaps a bit of a walk after that too. I've never seen a bookmarked list of them either...

 

I know where you're coming from though (metaphorically that is!). If I'm going on a long caching trip I'll be in a camper van so really have to plan very carefully any caches I'm attempting en route. I have been down those teeny-tiny roads with it in the past and it's no fun. "Caravan-friendly" or "camper-van" friendly isn't an attribute yet so you do have to do a lot of work with Google Earth Street view in advance! I also used GSAK and the County/State/Country macro to make sure which county any given cache was in.

 

You could try checking out this bookmarked list from a CO who set this challenge to get 15 caches in 15 counties in one day. I've not visited them all, so can't personally vouch for them, but you'd think that the pre-requisite of getting to them quickly from an arterial North/South route would mean you wouldn't have far to walk.

 

Creating a pocket query (or several pocket queries) based on your route would be a really good option, but you may have to come off the motorway network either by foot (out the back of the service area) or with your car and caravan combo. Is there an option to unhitch and leave a spouse with the van while you go hunting?

[+Yorkshire Yellow]

We are shortly travelling to Scotland from the south coast so it would be a good way of increasing our counties list if there were any caches in the service areas. Towing a caravan we do not want to leave the motorway. Short of zooming in on the map for the whole route of 600 miles, is there any listing of all service area caches?

 

Not sure of your route, but my input here, in case it's of use to you:

 

I only know of two in my neck of the woods, being the ones at the M5 services at Strensham Services northbound and southbound.

 

I've done two at Leigh Delamere on the M4, one being this earthcache and the other being a traditional. They are on opposite sides of the M4 but there's a footbridge between the two.

 

You might want to check out which services you'll pass using this site. There are postcodes on the individual listings which you can cut and paste into the search screen on GC.com to see if you're in luck.

[Blue Square Thing]

There were certainly a couple at the services on the M25 between the M20 and the M23 - can't recall the name of the service station now. They may still be there - big caches, supposed to be travel bug hotels. Not the nicest caching in the world ime.

[+Ranger Roo]

I think there was one at Frankley services near Birmingham on the M5

[+MBFace]

Lots on the M6.

[+Perditus]

We stopped at this one on the M6 on our way to Loch Lomond last week, if that helps

[+*mouse*]

As your Premium members, why not just run a PQ along the route and filter out anything with a high terrain and difficulty. Then you can view these on the map and pick out ones that make sense.

[+sydnsue]

Thanks to all who have replied to my query. I shall create a route although that may take some time to do to limit the hits to just the service areas. I had wondered if there was a list of all service area caches, but obviously not. Maybe a future project.

[+Pieman]

There is a Motorway Mayhem bookmark list. I know because (as an antidote to them) I used to have a "Not Motorway Mayhem" cache that was briefly on the list.

[+GilkerscleughCachers]

There is caches at:

 

M74 - Abington Services (Search ML12 6RG)

M6 - Tebay Services N & S (Slight walk up service road)

M6 - Killington Lake - (Slight Walk)

M6 - Burton In Kendal - (Slight Walk)

M6 - Forton Sevrices N & N - (Slight Walk)

M6 - Charnock Richard N

M6 - Keele Services N

M6 - Stafford Services N

M6 - Hilton Park Services

M5 - Strensham Services N & S

 

Thats all I can remember off the top of my head.

 

Also,

 

Depending on where you are in Scotland, If you leave the M74 at J12, You can follow the Old A74 (B7078 & B7076) and pick up 12 caches. The Old A74 is wide and suitable for Caravan Cachers.

[+sandierose]

spotted Motorway Mayhem on either side of Fleet services on the M3.

[+Oxford Stone]

http://www.geocaching.com/bookmarks/view.aspx?guid=3fcede5e-36b5-4e1f-978a-50191e88b6d2

 

If any of you go to France, there's a bookmark of "Autoroute" caches out there:

 

http://www.geocaching.com/bookmarks/view.aspx?guid=c136c1e3-a2fe-4cda-934e-aa457820a9da used it and got a couple between Paris and Calais.

 

Motorway caches I've done:

M40 J4,5,6 mayhem caches

M40 Oxford Services

M25 Clacket Lane Eastbound (think there are 2 westbound and one on the bridge over, not accessible from motorway?)

M40 Cherwell Valley

M4 Heston, both sides

M25 South Mimms

 

M40 Warwick I think there are 2 one side, none the other!

 

There are a couple of JJEF caches near Maidenhead that are feet from the M4 but on footpaths.

 

A34 S of Oxford, "Cache and Dash not on your nelly!" is actually straight up an embankment from a lay-by so in fact is perfectly doable as a cache and dash if you like battling through vegetation (it's even on the roadward side of a fence!)