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Geocaching

Kit and Fiona came down to Aberystwyth to visit the other week for the first time in ages, and – as Paul already wrote – they made the mistake of introducing everybody down here to the phenomenon known as geocaching.

Dan and Paul watch as Kit resets his GPS receiver and Fiona packs up a geocache

For those who’ve not heard about it before, geocaching is often described as “a global game of hide & seek played using GPS technology”. Personally, I prefer Kit’s explanation, which is “using military satellites to find lost Tupperware”. Put simply, participants hide caches (often plastic stay-fresh containers) in interesting places around the globe, and publish the GPS co-ordinates online on websites like Geocaching.com, then other participants try to find them.

Ruth helps Paul up a particularly steep slope

I suppose one could also describe the activity in the context of the pastimes it is most similar to. It could be described as being a little like rambling (although some caches are in urban locations and many are reachable by car), orienteering (but generally with less need to be able to triangulate points and read a map and more ability to use a GPS effectively and understand its limitations), hide & seek (finding things that have been hidden rather than people, of course), and one of any number of hobbies ending with “-spotting” (each geocache has a unique number, and many participants are trying to visit as many as possible, or to visit particular subsets of them).

A small geocache wrapped in grey tape to help camoflage it, the roll of tape, and a TomTom navigation system (being used as a backup GPS receiver).

I suppose another way of describing it might be in the context of the hot cold game, which you probably played as a kid: where while looking for something hidden, the hider calls out “warmer, warmer, colder, warmer again, hot!” as an indication to the seeker as to whether or not they’re on the right track. This analogy is particularly apt when one gets within a few metres of the cache, at which point GPS devices become almost useless at telling you which direction to go in (and of uncertain value at telling you how far away you are – when in a wooded area or surrounded by tall buildings, GPS can be thrown off by tens or even hundreds of metres).

Ruth watches as Kit gets a reading for the cache that Fiona and Paul are preparing to plant

Since Kit and Fiona’s visit, a number of us have jumped right in to geocaching. Paul, Ruth, Jimmy, Claire and I are all now represented on the site: as pacifist_049 (Paul), fleeblewidget (Ruth), JimEsk (Jimmy & Claire), and avapoet (me).

Kit and Ruth prepare to hide one of Paul's first caches

I can’t speak for all of these people, but there’s something about geocaching that’s really grabbed my interest. Since their visit, I’ve been out and found a number of the caches in and around Aberystwyth, and I’ve even hidden the first of my own. At the very least, I’ve been glad of the excuse to make better use of my bike, but more than that: I’ve been pleased to get around and see parts of the town and countryside that I don’t normally visit or look that closely at. Yes, even when I’ve ended up stuck up on a hill in the dark (that’ll teach me to go ‘caching after work in the short days of winter!).

Perhaps strangest, though, is my (so-far limited) experience of the local geocaching community. After you’ve visited a few sites around here you begin to notice patterns in the names of the people who’ve been there before you, and you start seeing the same aliases appearing again and again. And in a town the size of Aberystwyth, it’s invariably only a matter of time before you make contact with, well, everybody.

Paul, Kit, Fiona and I wandering back from a cache (sorry about the wonkiness of the picture: this one was taken by Ruth, and she's all wobbly and stuff).

At the weekend I was in Morrisons, buying plastic tubs and other supplies with which to make caches – I suppose that in itself might have made me stand out: who goes to Morrisons to buy a stack of small Tupperware boxes and notepads small enough to fit inside them? – when a man come over to me. He looked at me, as if trying to work out where he knew me from, and then looked down at my hands and saw what I was carrying. “Avapoet?” he asked. “Treedoctor2000?” I replied. So there we have it, I’m officially part of the local geocaching community, and I didn’t even mean to.

So there we have it, a glowing review for a fun new activity that if you haven’t tried, you ought to. If you own a GPS or even a modern mobile phone or even just a portable SatNav system, you’ve probably got all you need to get started, and with almost a million caches around the globe, there are sure to be a few near you. So if you were waiting for my approval before you went and did so, here it is.

Now get away from the computer and go do something outdoors!

Further Reading

More photos courtesy of my camera and Kit’s camera. I’ve been careful to use only photos that don’t give away huge clues about where caches are in this blog post, but there may be spoilers in the other photos: you have been warned!
Paul wrote a brief blog post about geocaching, too.
The caches I’ve found and the ones I’ve hidden (more of the latter coming soon).

Dan Q found GL3C41ZC Alphabet Series – C

This checkin to GL3C41ZC Alphabet Series - C reflects a geocaching.com log entry. See more of Dan's cache logs.

Changed my mind about waiting until the morning and set out just after midnight, as one can get away with when looking for urban caches. FTF! Found it without even pulling out my GPS, but did have to look inconspicuous for the passing muggles (although they looked too drunk to be paying attention anyway). Took the compass (thanks!), left a candle. TFTC!

Dan Q posted a note for GC23N8B Alphabet Series – C

This checkin to GC23N8B Alphabet Series - C reflects a geocaching.com log entry. See more of Dan's cache logs.

I’ll go hunt for this tomorrow, probably (I’m very familiar with the area in question: it’s right next to where I work), but based on the map this cache is by the River Rheidol, not the Ystwyth, which (confusingly) is actually a little further South. Just thought you ought to know!

Dan Q found GL3C1F9C Rainbow Series Violet #2

This checkin to GL3C1F9C Rainbow Series Violet #2 reflects a geocaching.com log entry. See more of Dan's cache logs.

TFTH. Finding this cache was easier than hiding it again afterwards – I got a splinter! Left something almost-violet, took nothing.

[This entry was edited by avapoet on Saturday, February 27, 2010 at 9:53:52 AM.]

Dan Q found GL3C1T19 Pen y Bwlch

This checkin to GL3C1T19 Pen y Bwlch reflects a geocaching.com log entry. See more of Dan's cache logs.

I remember that when I was first a student at Aberystwyth I’d often come up here for a walk, and I never got out of breath then! ,Of course, we’re a decade later on, now, and – in my defence – I jogged most of the way up the steep, slippery slope from Trefechan beach to the plateau in a folly attempt to reach the cache before the sun set. More fool me! By the time my GPS said I was within even 200 metres it was near pitch-black, the little dwindling light in the sky dimmer by far than the streetlights of the town far below.

Found the cache without too much difficulty, but had quite a lot of difficulty extracting it: here’s a tip: if, like me, you have big hands, bring along a friend with smaller fingers. That’s all I’m saying (I had to manufacture some artificial “tiny fingers” out of sticks; yes, in the dark).

Anyway, in short – TFTC, it’s been years since I’ve been up here and I’m thankful for the excuse to have returmed. Now all I have to do is find my way down again without going over a cliff!!! (if you never see my log another cache, at least you have my last known coordinates)

UPDATE: made it down safely, now enjoying a (well-earned) pint of beer!

Dan Q found GL3C06F1 Cwm Rheidol – Dau Bont

This checkin to GL3C06F1 Cwm Rheidol - Dau Bont reflects a geocaching.com log entry. See more of Dan's cache logs.

Feet got a little wet: if I’d have read the hint first I’d have known better! Note: no pencil in cache, make sure you bring your own! TFTC.

Dan Q found GL3BZXB1 Cwm Rheidol – Bridge Crossing

This checkin to GL3BZXB1 Cwm Rheidol - Bridge Crossing reflects a geocaching.com log entry. See more of Dan's cache logs.

I helped pacifist_049 to place this wonderfully well-hidden little box. Marked as found because, hey, I’ll only end up accidentally hunting for it again otherwise! (wanted to let somebody else get FTF beforehand, though – good work, fb_n_tw!)

Dan Q found GL3BZXBY Cwm Rheidol – Good to Talk

This checkin to GL3BZXBY Cwm Rheidol - Good to Talk reflects a geocaching.com log entry. See more of Dan's cache logs.

I helped pacifist_049 to place this incredibly tiny and well-concealed nano cache. Marked as found because, hey, I’ll only end up accidentally hunting for it again otherwise! (wanted to let somebody else get FTF beforehand, though – good work, fb_n_tw!)

Dan Q found GL3BZYF3 Bonus Cache (Cwm Rheidol Expedition)

This checkin to GL3BZYF3 Bonus Cache (Cwm Rheidol Expedition) reflects a geocaching.com log entry. See more of Dan's cache logs.

Excellent cache, great hiding place. took the travel bug to move him along. Will swing by to drop something off next time I’m nearby. Good luck to treedoctor2000 and fb_n_tw, who must soon be on their way here!

EDIT: dropped off a fire engine!

Dan Q found GL3BZXAJ Cwm Rheidol – Filter Beds

This checkin to GL3BZXAJ Cwm Rheidol - Filter Beds reflects a geocaching.com log entry. See more of Dan's cache logs.

I helped pacifist_049 to place this well-concealed little box. Marked as found because, hey, I’ll only end up accidentally hunting for it again otherwise! (wanted to let somebody else get FTF beforehand, though – good work, treedoctor2000!)

Dan Q found GL3BZX8Q Cwm Rheidol – Pb/Zn

This checkin to GL3BZX8Q Cwm Rheidol - Pb/Zn reflects a geocaching.com log entry. See more of Dan's cache logs.

I helped pacifist_049 to place this cache in it’s lovely, beautiful area (and what a hiding place!). Marked as found because, hey, I’ll only end up accidentally hunting for it again otherwise! (wanted to let somebody else get FTF beforehand, though – good work, fb_n_tw!)