England & Scotland June 2 - 12 Tourist Spots.

May 22, 2005

This is the first post I have made to a forum, so if wrong, please forgive.

My daughter and I leave June 2 with a tour group to spend eleven days in England and Scotland. While I realize we will be very limited since with a group, I am hoping there will be some way to get at least one cache in each area of the UK (I have a travel bug I want to leave, too.). Can anyone give me ideas about specific cache sites I may wish to attempt so I can download the waypoints for those and review the info sheets?

Thank you,

ang_ang from TN in USA

May 22, 2005

There are a lot of great caches dotted around England and Scotland, which areas are you planning on visiting. We can certainly help you out with some good ones in Herts and Bucks

2.2k · May 22, 2005

got to say that you need to be just a little more specific about where you will be visiting. i know we're a little smaller than the usa but still quite a large country!!!

list the towns to be visited and i'm sure we'll be able to supply one or two....

1.4k · May 22, 2005

If you're visiting Scotland then no doubt you'll be in Edinburgh.

Take a look at Haggis Hunter's bookmarks.

He's put together some well chosen lists of recommended caches for a variety of choices in the city.

Cheers, The Forester

3.8k · May 23, 2005

If you're visiting Scotland then no doubt you'll be in Edinburgh.

Take a look at Haggis Hunter's bookmarks.

He's put together some well chosen lists of recommended caches for a variety of choices in the city.

Cheers, The Forester

Cheers Forester, I guess that has saved me from making the post :huh:

I have to agree with Nobby Nobbs, you will have to be a bit more specific on the locations which you are visiting. I'm sure you will then find a lot of information coming your way.

May 23, 2005

Per the suggestion, here is a rough idea of where we expect to be:

First day there is a walking tour of London

Second day we go to Windsor, have a guided sighteeing tour of London, and attend a theater performance.

Third day - Stonehenge and Bath with an Elizabethan Banquet in the evening (it could have been free time, but daughter wanted to do this).

Fourth day - Oxford and Stratford

Fifth day - Yorkshire

Sixth we go to Edinburgh region, with a guided tour of Edinburgh, a visit to Edinburgh Castle, and another walking tour of the area on the Seventh day.

Day Eight is a walk to St. Andrews and that night the guided Ghost Walk in Edinburgh.

Ninth day is a visit to STirling Castle, the William Wallace Visitor Center, the Falkirk Wheel Experience Boat Trip, and Trossachs and Lock Katrine.

The next day we return home out of Glasgow.

Thanks for any help and suggestions you have about convenient and reasonably doable caches we may access (and the suggestions already given).

Edited May 23, 2005 by ang_ang

3.8k · May 24, 2005

Sixth we go to Edinburgh region, with a guided tour of Edinburgh, a visit to Edinburgh Castle, and another walking tour of the area on the Seventh day.

Use my Edinburgh option 1 (Crag & Tail is below Edinburgh Castle) or Option 3. Make sure that you have options 2 and 4 on your list as well, as you may have time to do one or two on them as well.

Day Eight is a walk to St. Andrews and that night the guided Ghost Walk in Edinburgh.

Here is a search of caches from St. Andrews

This cache is situated at The Falkirk Wheel, make sure you have a calculator.

I'm not to sure if you are likely to or not, but if you end up at Bannockburn, whilst you are up Stirling way, then make sure you have the details for this cache.

Here is another search, this one is from Loch Katrine. Whether you will have the time to do any or not is a different matter, but if you have them with you, you never know.

Hopefully what I have listed will be of help whilst you are in Scotland, I'm sure someone else will be able to help with caches in England.

I hope you enjoy your visit :blink:

May 24, 2005

Thank you so much!!! :blink:

May 24, 2005

Fifth day Yorkshire....... LOL

Only one of the largest counties in the country!

Looks like that a trip planned by Hollywood.

Why is it that everyone thinks Stonehenge is so special!? if you want special you should really go to Avebury, park by Silbury Hill, take a quick walk up to West Kennet Longbarrow, then walk to Avebury, and forget about Stonehenge, drop into the NT shop in Avebury and buy a Stonehenge postcard, much better use of your time!

May 24, 2005

Looks like that a trip planned by Hollywood.

Why is it that everyone thinks Stonehenge is so special!? if you want special you should really go to Avebury, park by Silbury Hill, take a quick walk up to West Kennet Longbarrow, then walk to Avebury, and forget about Stonehenge, drop into the NT shop in Avebury and buy a Stonehenge postcard, much better use of your time.

Phoenix, they're with a tour group... calm down. Opinions are subjective...

We all know that Stonehenge isn't all that... same as everyone in Ireland knows that the Blarney Stone is rubbish and there are prettier spots than Kerry - but that's not to say that this needs to be broadcast to spoil other people's holidays. Remember that you're now acting as an ambassador to your country... and IMO you're not doing too well.

By the way, there's a virtual at Stonehenge

ang_ang - enjoy your trip :blink:

2.2k · May 24, 2005

what i love is that the tour operator has thought to waste a whole nine days to take in the entire area of england and scotland!!! so basically you're view of the uk is going to be the inside of a coach! will there be any time to actually stop and eat in one of our quaint little tea shoppes!!!

hope you enjoy the trip but next time don't come on a tour....too much to see but better to see a little in detail than alot in a blur at 70mph.

3.8k · May 24, 2005

Come on guys, this is a bit of a thread drift, ang_ang has asked for our help on what caches are available, not for us to criticise her reasons for choosing a certain type of holiday.

I know several British people that have gone abroad and done the coach/air tour thing and have came back saying they had a great time.

Each to their own, lets concentrate on helping her get some caches done whilst she is over here, and not question why she chose a certain type of holiday.

Who are we to question anyway? :blink:

3.8k · May 24, 2005

This thread may assist you for your London visit.

Yorkshire is massive, if you know where you are going to, such as York, then you will be able to get some help. :blink:

May 24, 2005

Stonehenge doesnt need an ambasador, you could open up a landfill at the site and it would still be the most popular tourist attraction for Americans comming to the UK!

I work with a lot of Americans, and frequently arrange stopping points for UK tours. If someone thinks a 9 day dash along the length of the UK is good, then fine, if that the only way they can access this country then thats fine, but, I really wish these tour organisers would show some imagination, and try to educate their tourists beyond the Hollywood stereotype of this country.

Stonehenge is a classic example, its only signifigance is its reletive completeness, but its got no context, you get no real sense of its history or purpose, where Aveburry is simply crawling with history and context, you get a real feel for people living there, and their culture.

The problem is really down to education, Hollywood 'educates' one way, and the tour operators reinforce that, becasue its what the tourists are asking for, the only way to break the cycle is to reeducate.

So, no, Im probably not avery good ambassador, certainly not for the Hollywood view of this country, consider me more of an educator.

May 24, 2005

Hi folks,

I am very appreciative of the help received from several of you with regard to geocaching in the UK while limited to the type places that are visited when with a tour group.

Quite frankly, it was not my preference to travel the UK with a tour group. I am a teacher, and I would much rather spend time in the out-of-the-way spots that really give a good feel for the country as a whole, or I would like to have spent more time at the truly significant historic locations. However, being a single mother of three with two in high school, and one that has been teaching full time and working on my masters, I did not have the time nor the money to plan the type trip I would have liked. This trip is all my daughter has talked about for five years. It is our graduation presents to each other (her - high school and me - graduate degree). I would have liked to have rented a cottage for a couple of weeks here and there and also would have liked to design an agenda that would have allowed us a chance to look with great depth into the country, its people, and its history. However, we do not always get to do that which we wish to do. I am looking at this excursion as my introduction to the UK with a hope and wish to return one day for a more real and down to earth visit. Maybe some of you will help make that dream become a reality *shrug* Who knows.

Thanks again,

ang_ang (Angela Angus)

Edited May 24, 2005 by ang_ang

3.8k · May 24, 2005

Quite frankly, it was not my preference to travel the UK with a tour group. I am a teacher, and I would much rather spend time in the out-of-the-way spots that really give a good feel for the country as a whole, or I would like to have spent more time at the truly significant historic locations. However, being a single mother of three with two in high school, and one that has been teaching full time and working on my masters, I did not have the time nor the money to plan the type trip I would have liked. This trip is all my daughter has talked about for five years. It is our graduation presents to each other (her - high school and me - graduate degree). I would have liked to have rented a cottage for a couple of weeks here and there and also would have liked to design an agenda that would have allowed us a chance to look with great depth into the country, its people, and its history. However, we do not always get to do that which we wish to do. I am looking at this excursion as my introduction to the UK with a hope and wish to return one day for a more real and down to earth visit. Maybe some of you will help make that dream become a reality *shrug* Who knows.

Thanks again,

ang_ang (Angela Angus)

I hope you Critics feel good now, what a nice welcome to our wonderful country you have gave her, and she hasn't even arrived yet.

Angela, please don't be put off by our critics, I'm sure you will have a great time. As you will find out, the people of this country can be very welcoming, although you wouldn't think it from this thread.

3.7k · May 24, 2005

Well done, Haggis Hunter, for trying to assist rather than criticise. I'll try and continue the welcoming theme.

Angela: I hope the coach tour gives an adequate taste of what the UK has to offer, and that some more geocachers will help with advice on some caches which will give a bit of an introduction to a few out-of-the-way corners. Unfortunately, you won't be anywhere near my home area so I can't really offer much direct help, and I'm out of the UK for a week. Do you have the facility to employ paperless caching? If so, maybe a few forum members could send .GPX files of likely caches from their bookmark lists. Or at least make up a bookmark list for your perusal.

As you're going to Yorkshire: odds-on you'll stop in York, and there are three caches in the (delightful) city centre - a couple of virtual caches GCAFE6 and GC4762 appear to be worth seeking out (and quick). the multi GCMW8J will probably take too long. Sorry to be brief - I'm about to leave the country (and copy and paste appears to have stopped functioning for the moment!).

HH

May 24, 2005

Quite frankly, it was not my preference to travel the UK with a tour group. I am a teacher, and I would much rather spend time in the out-of-the-way spots that really give a good feel for the country as a whole, or I would like to have spent more time at the truly significant historic locations. However, being a single mother of three with two in high school, and one that has been teaching full time and working on my masters, I did not have the time nor the money to plan the type trip I would have liked. This trip is all my daughter has talked about for five years. It is our graduation presents to each other (her - high school and me - graduate degree). I would have liked to have rented a cottage for a couple of weeks here and there and also would have liked to design an agenda that would have allowed us a chance to look with great depth into the country, its people, and its history. However, we do not always get to do that which we wish to do. I am looking at this excursion as my introduction to the UK with a hope and wish to return one day for a more real and down to earth visit. Maybe some of you will help make that dream become a reality *shrug* Who knows.

Thanks again,

ang_ang (Angela Angus)

I hope you Critics feel good now, what a nice welcome to our wonderful country you have gave her, and she hasn't even arrived yet.

Angela, please don't be put off by our critics, I'm sure you will have a great time. As you will find out, the people of this country can be very welcoming, although you wouldn't think it from this thread.

If you think there is anything that I should not feel good about, then your gonna have to spell it out, because my opinions and feelings have not changed one bit.

Our American friends will still get what they paid for, they will have exactly the same experience, if they enjoy it great, if not then they have a right to be armed with information that will enable them to ask the right questions. It will certainly be a mistake to let anyone on such a trip feel they are experiencing the best or even a fraction this country offers, its clearly a whistle stop tour of the places that have been made popular by the media.

The American equivalent would include New York, the Grand Canyon, Washington DC, Hollywood, the Alamo, Las Vegas, Mount Rushmore, the Rockies and Miami, I sure there are loads of people who would sign up to this trip!

The only people who stand to lose out from critisim in any way are the tour operators, whilst their 'tourists' only stand to gain.

3.7k · May 24, 2005

Sorry, Phoenix, I think you missed the point there...

May 24, 2005

Thanks Haggis Hunter and Happy Humphrey *smiling*.

Phoenix, I could not agree with you more with regard to the lack of depth and reality available in most tour packages; however, sometimes you take the best available to you at the time. I have chosen an educational tour company, and will hope that my daughter and I will gain a bit more insight as a result. Quite frankly, even when I travel within the USA, I look for the quaint out-of-the-way places rather than spend all of my time in "tourist" spots. For example, a few years ago I had an opportunity to visit Pennsylvania. When in the area of the Amish, I did not visit the "tourist spots," but instead I found the opportunity to actually go into the homes of those willing to welcome travelers and experience their way of life first hand for a few hours. It was very enjoyable. When in Israel, I was thrilled to be able to take tea with a bedouin family. In my country, I look for the "home town" favorites, and the off-the-beaten-path places where I can sit down and get to know the people of a given area. There is much history to be found in corners that are rarely visited by the fast-moving tour groups, and I realize and appreciate this to be true.

Just because one chooses to take a tour group trip does not mean the person does not have the intellect to realize that the real treasures of a country or its people will probably go unseen. Sometimes half a loaf is better than no loaf at all when the desire to go and see and experience is present. One day, the whole loaf may savored with much greater satisfaction, if it comes to pass.

Have a good one,

Angela

Edited May 24, 2005 by ang_ang

3.8k · May 25, 2005

Angela you are welcome.

Phoenix I think ang_ang spelt it out just perfect.

Would one be correct in presuming that you don't actually have any usefull advice for her, such as some caches that she may want to try? After all that is what this thread was about.

2.2k · May 25, 2005

good slanging match. cause criticising phoenix helps aswell doesn't it?

my point was just that it seems a shame to try to fit in so much in so limited time. but i fully apprecaite time/money constraints. better see something rather than nothing.

if it's an educational company why not try to explain to them about caching and see if they can fit a cache or two in?? it will then benefit all the members of the group and maybe give them all some extra background info they would otherwaise miss. maybe even give them ideas as to where to pull over for leg strectching breaks. sorry can't help with specifics as you're not coming to my neck of the woods.

goes without saying that multis and so on to be avoided. ideas for virtuals and standard caches in location and on route. oxford packed with loads of caches.

get the tour operators onboard print out some cache pages and send them to the operator. worst case scenario they ignore your suggestion....you don't loose anything.

1.2k · May 25, 2005

Stonehenge has a virtual that is relatively easy. There are also a couple of others nearby, depending on the length of time of your visit.

Cursus Cache

Woodhenge

Stonehenge Virtual

In Bath you will inevitably be near This cache

You should have a great time - here most of the historic cities have bus tours with guides and when we visit a town with one we always have a go. There's so much going on that you can pick up with a decent guide. If your guides end up lacking, get on a Guide Friday tour if they are available.

May 25, 2005

Excellent suggestion, nobby.nobs. I have the email of the guide for our tour, so I may email her. Thank you.

Thanks for the cache suggestions Kitty Hawk. :-)

May 25, 2005

I have no usefull advice reguarding caches as I dont cache in any of those areas.

My usefull advice is to try and visit Avebury, even if it means giving Stonehenge a miss, Stonehenge is just a whistlestop, take a few pictures and youve done it, Im sure they will make great additions to the photo album, but in comparison its a very shallow experience, Avebury is an entire day out, there is 10x more history and context there than at Stonehenge.

May 25, 2005

Thank you, Phoenix. I do not know if Avebury will be an option for me on this visit, but I will check it out with the tour guide to see if possible. If not, I will be able to research it and put that on my agenda for the next visit. Hopefully I will be able to return before too long using my frequent flyer miles air tickets, rent a cottage or something, and spend 2-4 weeks getting a REAL taste of the UK. :-)

May 25, 2005

Fourth day - Oxford and Stratford

I recently completed 8 caches in 2 hours all walking in Oxford and would be fairly sure your group would pass by some so it would be worth carrying some printouts (unless you are paperless) and your GPS with the waypoints.

I did University Challenges 1,2,3,7,8,10 and 11 as well as Chester's Oxford Park Quest -17. I started off at University Challenge 8 by 2202 (GCJ174) and pretty much went to the closest from there. I'm not sure if it was the best route to take or if I could of got more but if you do get a chance to walk around you are sure to be close to some caches.

The same goes for when you are London as if you get a chance to walk around you should be close to some caches.

Enjoy your trip.

May 26, 2005

Thanks G Force. *big smile*

2.2k · May 26, 2005

me again....avebury plenty of history including the fact that most of the stones were moved in the victorian age by a historian bloke who thought they'd look better in the new configuration!!! :unsure:

good luck with the tour guide.

May 28, 2005

Thanks for all of your suggestions. If you have any more, please post them this weekend. Come Tuesday (May 31), I'll be dowloading waypoints and printing info sheets to take with me - fingers will be crossed for some luck.

I emailed the tour director, but have not hear back as of this post.

Have a great weekend!

ang_ang

May 28, 2005

Yes, thanks G Force. I'll be heading though Oxford on a CS Lewis/Tolkien walking tour in late June and wondered if the caches I'd seen on the maps were as attainable as they appeared. I'd like to find a few along the way.

ang_ang, my search for caches in Stratford-on-Avon has come up empty lately. There are some in the area, but more than an hour's walk away. I think their used to be a few, perhaps now archived. Guess there aren't many cachers that reside in the Bard's tourist town.

3.8k · June 13, 2005

Quote taken from ang_ang's profile

We are back, and I am exhausted and broke!!!! I have jet lag and cannot sleep, so here I am on the computer (without paying a pound per 20 or 30 minutes). I enjoyed the whole trip, but I LOVED Scotland. If the cost of living was not so high and family was not here, I could live in Scotland or the northern most portion of England. The people in the UK, especially in Scotland, are just "lovely."
As far as geocaching goes, London was a bust. Not having read the directions to my GPS (or having taken them with me), and not having been that far from my home area caching before, it took me 3 or 4 days to figure out how to make the GPS understand that I was at a new location and needed different satellites. In addition, while in London, most of the time I was surrounded by tall buildings that blocked the signals, but we had almost no free time. We went from 6:30 a.m. until 11:30 p.m. each day there, but it was lots of fun.

I fared a bit better in England when out of London, but it was hard to guess in advance where I would be and what caches I could find there, so I know I passed tons of caches I could have found if I had known how to research well enough and had been prepared. Still, I was able to get 3 or 4 virtuals (I have to upload photos before I can claim some of these). However, once in Scotland, I was actually able to have some free time and get a good signal on the GPS. Thanks to Haggis Hunter, I was prepared for several, and could have found more if I had had more free time and more energy. I enjoyed hunting and finding in Scotland, but our dear neighbors across the pond do not have the same rating scale for terrain as most people here use. I can tell you that I was certainly out of breath after a couple of the hikes I had to take to obtain the cache find! Maybe some of the pictures I will post will give a visual to that comment.

The Coup d'état may be that my daughter decided geocaching was not something to roll her eyes at, but something that is fun. She is counting the three she found with me in Edinburgh and starting her own profile.

I am pleased that you enjoyed your holiday, and espescially pleased that you enjoyed Scotland, and managed to bag your 100th cache at one of mine.

I am however rather dissapointed with my southerly neighbours across the border. Many times I have seen people asking for help on these forums, and every time they have been helped. It saddens me to see that people find it more important to question your choice on holiday than actually give advice on what caches were good to go for.

Putting aside your GPS problems I am sure that you would have had a lot more luck if the help had been there.

England you certainly are a proud nation??

Now I run and duck for cover!!

1.7k · June 13, 2005

England you certainly are a proud nation??

I wouldn't tar everyone with the same brush. I know if anyone visiting North West England needed advice, there would be plenty of helpful volunteers.

We've always had helpful advice from local cachers whenever caching in unfamiliar territory. This includes both England and Scotland, as well as California and Isle of Man.

2.2k · June 14, 2005

again unfortunately she wasn't coming down to the new forest so couldn't give her any specific help....but what exactly are you doing other than raking the argument up again? that makes you better than everyone else who replied because....... <_<

maybe we need to nominate area guides who could be available to meet people from out of the area and escort them to good caches....

June 15, 2005

Hello to all-

Looks like an appropriate thread to jump into. And like ang ang, please forgive my inexperience in advance. My wife and I will be doing a bicycle tour in Scotland through the Great Glen the week of 20 August. We too would be interested in some ideas for caches to visit. The tour starts in Inverness and ends in Perth. We may also take a day trip to Malliag.

Also, what sort of mapping software is available for the UK? I run an app called TOPO! that reads digitized topographical maps of various regions of the States. Is anything similar available for that side of the pond?

Thanking you all in advance-

bike&ski from NJ in USA

June 15, 2005

Sounds like an interesting bike tour, in some very impressive scenery (though be warned that there are some hillls...)

There's a few good caches around the Inverness area, but they are fairly spread out. There's some not too far away on the Black Isle.

Heading down Loch Ness, there's a some decent caches on both sides, particularly the 'Ness' series (Woodiness, PleasantNess etc) though if you want to do the whole lot it will involve going all of the way round Loch Ness, which is a fair distance on a bike!

But you could head down one side and get quite a few. There's several caches very close to the Great Glen Way / Great Glen Cycle Route, I might have another cache in the area by then.

Past Loch Ness, there's a complete lack of caches till you get to Fort William, where's there's a few interesting caches around (including Ben Nevis if you want a hike!).

I'm not sure what sort of route you would take from Fort William to Pertth, but there's a few caches along the way, in some nice scenery (and plenty hills).

In Perth and the surrounding area, there's loads of caches. I've not done many of them yet, but I've heard there's some very good caches among them, including the multicaches in Perth itself.

Mapping software:

The standard 'topo' maps in the UK are from the Ordnance Survey (50K or 25K).

You can get digital OS maps from Memory-Map, Anquet, Tracklogs and Fugawi. It's debatable which software is best, check the cost for the area you need maps of.

Hope you enjoy your visit.

Edited June 15, 2005 by Remote Part

3.8k · June 15, 2005

We may also take a day trip to Malliag.

If you go to Mallaig, I believe you will pass Neptunes Staircase. Also on the same search page is Waterfall and Ruin, a must if you have the time, if you do that, you will definitely go past WHW Day 8 (The End Is Nigh). A bit further away there is Highland Cache and The Red Fox both of which are easy to get too by bike.

ends in Perth.

Perth has an abundance of caches, all of which are worth doing, and most can be done on bike, here is a search of Perth caches.

June 16, 2005

Thanks to Haggis Hunter and Remote Part for the tips and pointers. I have enough info to start my own research for now, but everyone please feel free to add. I may come back to ask for more on the caches near the Great Glen Cycle route.

We are looking forward to visiting Scotland. But I'm sorry, I don't think I'll be eating any Haggis, "Great chieftain o' the pudding-race!" or not.

1.4k · June 16, 2005

through the Great Glen the week of 20 August.

Probably the most important piece of advice we can give you is to prepare yourselves for the midges.

Mid August is the worst possible time of year for visiting the Highlands due to those pests so it's wise to take some precautions. Fortunately they don't carry any diseases, unlike the ticks which are another, lesser, pest but they do swarm in profusion and they bite mercilessly.

A midge net is a good investment!

Cheers, The Forester

3.8k · June 16, 2005

A midge net is a good investment!

I don't know if you have heard of Avon, if you have 'Avon skin so soft' works. You only need to worry about them when you are stationary, whilst you are cycling they will leave you alone, but stop for a second and they are merciless.

Watch out for the Giant ones they are killers :lol:

But I'm sorry, I don't think I'll be eating any Haggis, "Great chieftain o' the pudding-race!" or not.

You're coming all this way, you should try it at least once, you know what they say, 'When In Rome'??

I hope you enjoy your holiday.

England & Scotland June 2 - 12 Tourist Spots.

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