Southampton Travel Bug Hotel Missing

[+Birders]

It's a very great shame but the cache has gone missing, with at least 5 GB-Oz TB Race contestants and another long-distance TB. We were about to place two long-distance TBs in it too so we were lucky not to have been there a little earlier or they would have been lost also.

 

One can only hope that it's not the work of anyone involved in this sport of ours.

 

We're sure that Spottyspaniels would be glad of any information..

[NeilFord]

Spottyspaniels is on it. There's a possibility that it might have been removed by someone in authority locally.

 

One of the logs does mention that the location was easily viewable by muggles however.....

 

- Neil.

[+MarcB]

A lot of travel bug hotels have gone missing recently, including the Birmingham and Gatwick ones. It's a great shame too as they usually have loads of travel bugs in

MarcB

[500 Posts!]

[+Fangsy]

TB Hotels seem to be a risky business. A good idea though.

 

What seems to be the catch-22 about them is that they need to be easy to get to in the vacinity of places like airports or train stations, so people passing through from far off places can quickly place TBs in them. This usually means though that they're a lot more likely to be found by accident by muggles, which can as we're seeing be disasterous

 

It's a pitty there is no other way of making them accessable to cachers with limited travel time. One thought that did occur was the use of something similar to a safety deposit box arrangement. A box held securely by a desk in an airport hotel? Cachers would need to provide a printed page or something to staff.

 

It's probably wholy unworkable, but I do think these TB hotels need to be more secure.

[+The Hokesters]

Need to find places with combination lockers. Not sure if this is possible but would be nice.

[+Learned Gerbil]

I aree that it is getting supicious.

 

Birmingham Bug Hotel

March 26

 

Gatwick Bug Hotel

April 18

 

Southampton Bug Hotel

May 5

 

I know Birmingham was hit deliberatly by someone who has deliberatly trashed at least one other cache.

 

Gemma's Gems

 

Gatwick was well away from the airport - I beleive people have spent £20 in taxi fares to get to it and back before catching their flight. BTW, checking all the TB Hotels almost none seem to have been lost outside the UK, whereas we have had four removed or trashed in less than two months if you include Cardiff.

[+The Wombles]

TB Hotels seem to be a risky business. A good idea though.

 

What seems to be the catch-22 about them is that they need to be easy to get to in the vacinity of places like airports or train stations, so people passing through from far off places can quickly place TBs in them. This usually means though that they're a lot more likely to be found by accident by muggles, which can as we're seeing be disasterous

 

It's a pitty there is no other way of making them accessable to cachers with limited travel time. One thought that did occur was the use of something similar to a safety deposit box arrangement. A box held securely by a desk in an airport hotel? Cachers would need to provide a printed page or something to staff.

 

It's probably wholy unworkable, but I do think these TB hotels need to be more secure.

 

We placed both the Heathrow and Birmingham bug hotels. Neither were found by muggles (in 13 months and 22 months). I recovered the Heathrow bug hotel after a group of cachers were reported to the Police, who demanded that the cache be moved. You can read the history on the cache page here.

 

As Mark says, the Birmingham one was emptied of it's contents - history here.

 

I've investigated other storage methods. As you'd expect, the airports (and hotels immediately around them) no long provide safety deposit boxes for security (anti-Terrorist) reasons. Mark (The Cat) was negotiating with an information desk at Manchester to place a container with them, but I've heard no more about that.

 

We've come to the conclusion that bug hotels are a security concern when close to an airport, and place a large number of bugs at risk of loss wherever they are. Hence we've decided not to name any more caches "bug hotel" even if a cache is convienient for depositing travel bugs.

 

If anyone solves the problem of placing a physical container at airports then we look forward to visiting.

[+The Hokesters]

That stinks

 

We might need to ask for the whole thing to be paid membership to prevent this cr*p from happening.

 

The t*ss*rs are probably watching the forums too.

[+Fangsy]

Need to find places with combination lockers. Not sure if this is possible but would be nice.

Thats a good idea actually. Before you go to a cache that acts as a TB hotel you'd have to mail the cache owner and they can send you the combination.

 

Now, this doesnt essentialy negate the possibility that someone can visit the cache one day, then a few months later return and raid it. However it does prevent muggles getting into it, and it does keep a record of who's asked for the combo.

 

Unless the cache box is moved to a different locker in the same place every few weeks, with a new combination, then there is still a chance of it being raided, but much easier to monitor.

 

It seems like a whole lot of work and effort to ensure the security of small items in a game, but these are things that people have put effort into, and in some senses have an emotional attachment to.

[+The Hokesters]

Now, this doesnt essentialy negate the possibility that someone can visit the cache one day, then a few months later return and raid it. However it does prevent muggles getting into it, and it does keep a record of who's asked for the combo.

 

Unless the cache box is moved to a different locker in the same place every few weeks, with a new combination, then there is still a chance of it being raided, but much easier to monitor.

Oooh me head hurts

 

My thoughts were similar to this but I was thinking along the lines of combi locked lockers but I don't suppose there are any in the right places.

 

This idea could be developed though...

 

The Hokesters...

[+OzGuff]

There is a TB hotel in Hendersonville area in western North Carolina that is a combination lock locked box attached to the exterior wall of a cacher's business. It seems to have weathered the elements and plunderers pretty well.

 

Jenny' Bed and Breakfast and Travel Bug Hotel If you check the logs I am sure you will find a photo of the cache container. This is definitely a 1 for difficulty! (Unless you have arthritis and can't open the comination lock!)

 

It has been around for almost a year with no problems. If you can find a cacher with their own business willing to install such a cache container, or maybe a local group each throws in a few bucks/quid...

 

Bummer about the TB hotels! Hope this doesn't spread to the colonies!

 

Here is a link to a photo of the cache container

Edited May 5, 2004 by OzGuff

[NeilFord]

That is such a cool idea! Finding suitable locations close to airports, etc might be a little hard here in the UK, but that doesn't mean we shouldn't consider it.

 

- Neil.

[+Naefearjustbeer]

That is a pretty cool idea.

I couldnt help notice the TB in the photo is a throwing star!! I am sure these are classed offesive weapons and illeagal in this country

 

( I know the bug hotel is not located in this country before everyone tells me so)

Edited May 6, 2004 by Naefearjustbeer

[+Mr & Mrs Hedgehog]

I aree that it is getting supicious.

 

Birmingham Bug Hotel

March 26

 

Gatwick Bug Hotel

April 18

 

Southampton Bug Hotel

May 5

 

I know Birmingham was hit deliberatly by someone who has deliberatly trashed at least one other cache.

 

Gatwick was well away from the airport - I beleive people have spent £20 in taxi fares to get to it and back before catching their flight. BTW, checking all the TB Hotels almost none seem to have been lost outside the UK, whereas we have had four removed or trashed in less than two months if you include Cardiff.

Well when we found the Gatwick bug hotel it was in the open, right next to the path and easily spotted by any passer by.... or returning taxi driving trying to work out what his last fare paying passenger was doing We did cover it up before we left BTW

 

Southampton MIGHT have been taken by someone official....

 

So I don't think we need to over react at this stage....

[+The Rouses]

There is a TB hotel in Hendersonville area in western North Carolina that is a combination lock locked box attached to the exterior wall of a cacher's business. It seems to have weathered the elements and plunderers pretty well.

You could do the same thing at someone's home too I guess...

 

If they lived near the airport, and had an easily accessible wall. It would mean putting your home's lat and long online....maybe not such a good idea...

[+Learned Gerbil]

There is a at least one west African cache that instructs people to knock on the door and ask the home owner for the cache when they get to the coordinates.

[NatalieFord]

There is a at least one west African cache that instructs people to knock on the door and ask the home owner for the cache when they get to the coordinates.

I wonder what you are supposed to do if nobody is home?

[+Grant Clan]

It might sound a bit extreme, but what about installing these fireproof safes (combination type) that can be purchased from the likes of Makro and Argos. Might need permission from landowners to install them (bit of concrete).

 

These could be funded by local cache events.

 

Just a suggestion. Combination could be given as part of a multi cache.

 

Somebody would have to be really determined to get the TB's.

 

[NeilFord]

There is a at least one west African cache that instructs people to knock on the door and ask the home owner for the cache when they get to the coordinates.

I wonder what you are supposed to do if nobody is home?

Sit, chill and wait for the owner to come home?

 

Something tells me you aren't going to be doing this as part of a cache dash :-)

 

- Neil

(or should that be hubby? :-) )

[+The Hokesters]

Now there's an idea! We have a digital combination safe which cost £30. About 10 times the price of an ammo box admittedly but...

 

Question is where you secure it?

 

The Hokesters

[+Grant Clan]

That's why I said you would need to get the landowners permission. You would need to dig a hole deep enough foer the safe and a reasonable base of concrete to attach it to.

 

Bit extreme but if it protects our recreation then so be it.

[+Volvo Man]

I would suggest that we put out a call to all cachers living in the vicinity of Airports who are willing to place a cache on their property.

 

I think the best way to handle this is the "Home Cache" in the front garden, and perhaps A webcam/security camera pointing at the area to see who's coming and going, this wouldn't stop the cache going missing, but it would show who took it.

 

If permission was granted for the purpose of accessing the property to drop or remove a single travel bug, anybody removing the entire cache would be commiting an offence, with video evidence.

 

There aren's many cachers out there who have never met another cacher, so identification shouldn't be too much of a problem if there is a trasher. Also, these could become webcam caches.

[nobby.nobbs]

home caches a good idea, i mean it's not like everyone will be going to the cache only other cachers. so come on cachers living near airports or stations set up hotels in your front gardens.

 

at the rate of missing caches it might become the norm! would love to catch someone in the process. just to be able to have a little chat ofcourse nothing else!

[NeilFord]

Word is Southampton Hotel has re-appeared! :-)

 

I believe it's going to be found a slightly less exposed location.

 

But lets still work on solutions to securing TB Hotels in future.

 

- Neil.

[Deego]

Re-appeared or REPLACED ?

[NeilFord]

According to Spottyspaniels it has reappeard along with some bugs, who we believe are in some need of some stress counseling :-)

 

Hopefully more detailed news soon.

 

- Neil.

[NeilFord]

Taken from the log:

 

spottyspaniels posted a note for Southampton Travel Bug Hotel (Traditional Cache)     

 

Well cachers, the location has changed. The original Hotel disappeared for a while, then eventually reappeared minus one travel bug. (Spooky, a bit like the Bermuda triangle).

 

Hopefully it will attract those intending to travel from (or to) Southampton Airport. It should also be far less likely than the original, to be observed by passing “muggles”. Unfortunately it isn’t as close to the Airport as the original location, but you can’t have everything.

 

Happy Caching !

 

- Neil.

[+The Rouses]

Was there any clue to why the cache vanished?

 

Any suspicious notes etc.

 

It might be nice to try and get to the bottom of this.

 

I wonder if the missing bug will turn back up somewhere else...maybe this is someone's idea of a joke, not meaning it to be malicious in the long term, just spook everyone?

 

Am I just being naive?

[+spottyspaniels]

Hi

I don’t have a clue where the “Southampton Travel Bug Hotel” went. I got an E-mail telling me it was gone. So I “escaped” from work to go and check, indeed it was gone. Later I thoroughly searched the area for any stray bugs or clues…. Nothing.

 

However, several days later another E-mail told me that a GeoCacher had visited the cache in the hope of finding it…… and there it was ! So they took it for “safe keeping”.

 

I was flabbergasted by the return of the prodigal TB Hotel. The only sad loss was a single Australian TB, and the addition of a suspicious MacDonalds type toy. I suspect that some misguided soul has “swapped” the missing TB for the MacDonalds toy, and not logged their visit. As to where the cache got to, dunno, maybe it was accidentally put back in the wrong place. Maybe someone removed it and was overcome by remorse? Maybe the whole thing was temporarily abducted by aliens from a distant galaxy?

 

The cache is now 2 miles from the Airport in forest, unfortunately not so easy for travellers, but probably more secure.

 

I do like the idea of using a safe, set into a wall, with a combination lock.

 

I had considered trying to persuade the staff at the Airport Hotel into looking after the cache, behind the counter. However, the task of trying to explain why, then persuading them to do it, seemed unlikely.

 

Anyhow, alls well that ends well.

 

PS. If anyone is travelling abroad in the near future. PLEASE visit the cache, and take some bored, and confused Travel Bugs with you.