Dan Q temporarily disabled GC7Q9E6 Oxford’s Wild Wolf One

11 September 2018 13:18 0

This checkin to GC7Q9E6 Oxford's Wild Wolf One reflects a geocaching.com log entry. See more of Dan's cache logs.

Checked in on it while passing by and this cache has disappeared. :-(

Geohashing expedition 2018-08-23 50 -1

23 August 2018 11:33 4

This checkin to geohash 2018-08-23 50 -1 reflects a geohashing expedition. See more of Dan's hash logs.

Location

Hyden Wood, near Chidden. The woods look to be criss-crossed with footpaths, so this might be pretty achievable.

Participants

Dan Q

Plans

I’d originally planned on heading to 2018-08-23 51 -1 because I anticipated that it’d be on or near my route travelling South along almost the entire length of the 51 -1 graticule, but I didn’t bargain on such a Northerly hashpoint so I’ve changed plans and am now aiming to get to this one some time in the morning (I’m hoping to be in Winchester by lunch).

Expedition

The full story’s in vlog format, but here’s the summary:

Wasn’t originally planning to come to this graticule but instead was going to go to the 51 -1 graticule where I live ([2018-08-23 51 -1 see here]): I was going to be driving almost the entire length of 51 -1 on a journey from Oxford to Winchester anyway, so I figured it’d be easy to divert to any hashpoint. But when the Dow numbers came out, it turned out that the hashpoints in this quadrant of the Earth are all in the North-East corner, and so my journey would be in the opposite direction. Oh no! So instead I decided to “overshoot” and go for this graticule instead, and thus (if successful) expand my Minesweeper Achievement level.
Hashpoint deep in woodland in the beautiful South Downs National Park. Parked at The Sustainability Centre (and later made a donation via their website in thanks for the use of their car park despite not using their other facilities) and walked initially through woodland they manage and use for natural burials: this was really cool – I’ve always been a fan of body disposal in a low-environmental-impact, no-permanent-markers kind-of way, so I’m going to look more into what they offer. I was really interested to see that many families had left “named” bird nesting boxes in memory of their loved ones, which is awesome too.
Found geocache GC2X5BJ just outside the burial area and close to a point that gave me a great view across a valley towards the woods in which I believed I’d find the hashpoint.
Had to go some way off track to get to the hashpoint, but discovered a network of old, overgrown, long-abandoned (and not on any map I can find) trails in-between the thicket. In fact, the hashpoint eventually turned out to be on the edge of such a track, which I was able to follow to help me find my way back to a road.
Found a sign pointing to “Droxford”. Oxford is so-named because its location coincides with the most-downstream point on the Thames at which it’s possible to ford the river while driving cattle (i.e. “ox ford”) – incidentally, I’m told, the ford was at the point that Folly Bridge now stands. But what’s the etymology of Droxford, I wonder. What the hell is a drox???
On the way back, diverted by geocache GC5P5KN and found it: this was a great cache with the best-made variant of the particular kind of container it used that I’ve ever seen.

Update: A little research later, it seems that the “ox” in each of Oxford and Droxford have completely different etymological roots! Droxford is derived from an ancient name for the area from some time prior to the Middle Ages: Drocenesforda. “Drocen” means “dry”: the name means “dry ford”. The River Meon, which flows through the area, flows shallow over a chalky bed and is easily forded in many places, as these motorcyclists show. The things you learn!

Tracklog

Download full tracklog (includes boring bit where I drive down the A34, too…)

Video

My vlog of the expedition, for if you like to watch a sweaty man complain about there being too many trees in the woods

Photos

Dan in the woods — Heading into the forest.

Dan near the forest. — Heading into the forest… and trying to smile about it despite the imminent drizzle.

South Downs Natural Burial Site. — Well, that’s one way to dispose of a body.

View across the valley. — View across the valley to the woods on the other side.

Barbed wire fence. — No shortcuts here, though: going to have to go around!

Path to the woods with the hashpoint. — This path looks promising, though, and might get me somewhere near the hashpoint.

GPSr showing 0m distance to target. — Ground zero!

Dan with silly grin. — Traditional geohashpoint “silly grin”. Complete with dampness and leaves and debris stuck all over me.

Panorama of the hashpoint. It sort-of coincided with a long-abandoned (and not on the map!) trail.

Geocache in a fencepost. — Awesome geocache hiding place.

Geocache removed from a fencepost. — Lift off the top of the entire post and the container is inside. Genius.

Full map of journey to hashpoint. — My journey to the hashpoint began with about an hour and a half’s driving, but most of it I was going to do anyway.

Walking part of the journey to the hashpoint. — Annotated map showing the walking portion of the route.

Dan Q found GC5P5KN SDGT South Downs Way Mile 20

23 August 2018 10:24 0

This checkin to GC5P5KN SDGT South Downs Way Mile 20 reflects a geocaching.com log entry. See more of Dan's cache logs.

It’s been a long time since I’ve seen a geocache hidden this way: FP for that alone! A lovely spot to drop in on in my way back from a successful hike to the (not too far away) 2018-08-23 50 -1 geohashing hashpoint this morning.

( finding this geocache featured in my geohashing expedition described at http://wiki.xkcd.com/geohashing/2018-08-23_50_-1 and in my vlog of the expedition, found at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k3pvFOkaHnc [minor spoilers in the video])

Dan Q found GC2X5BJ Small Down Boogie 3

23 August 2018 10:22 0

This checkin to GC2X5BJ Small Down Boogie 3 reflects a geocaching.com log entry. See more of Dan's cache logs.

An easy find while taking a shortcut through the woods on my way to the 2018-08-23 50 -1 geohashing hashpoint (an expedition that was eventually successful, though not without its challenges)! Container was exposed so I placed nearby stick on top of it to better conceal it. TFTC!

( finding this geocache featured in my geohashing expedition described at http://wiki.xkcd.com/geohashing/2018-08-23_50_-1 and in my vlog of the expedition, found at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k3pvFOkaHnc [minor spoilers in the video])

Dan Q found GCTNZ6 V’s own @ M4 – J13

23 August 2018 10:18 0

This checkin to GCTNZ6 V’s own @ M4 - J13 reflects a geocaching.com log entry. See more of Dan's cache logs.

Better than your usual services cache-and-dash, I really appreciated that this cache took me away from the service station and along up a delightful little bridleway, this morning, not to mention the decent-sized container!

I’m on my way down the A34 from Oxford in an expedition to the 2018-08-23 50 – 1 geohashpoint, before doubling back to my actual destination of Winchester. With this cache, you not only gave me a welcome break, but also an excuse to stop and eat breakfast. TFTC!

Geohashing expedition 2018-08-22 52 -1

22 August 2018 21:18 0

This checkin to geohash 2018-08-22 52 -1 reflects a geohashing expedition. See more of Dan's hash logs.

Location

Field with public footpath, East Adderbury.

Participants

Dan Q

Plans

I’m keen to get to level 2 of the Minesweeper Geohash achievement, and this far-South-of-graticule hashpoint represents an opportunity to achieve that. I’ll be at work during the day, but – energy levels permitting after what’ll have been a long day! – I’ll find a way to get up here and see if I can get to the hashpoint, aiming to arrive probably around 18:30.

Expedition

It had been a long day at work, but it looked to be a beautiful evening and I promised myself a pub dinner if I made it to the hashpoint, so I set out by car and by foot to East Adderbury, the village nearest to the hashpoint. The village itself is stunning: lots of old stone buildings, a very traditional bridge, and beautiful green spaces. I spotted not one but two candidate pubs (The Red Lion and The Coach & Horses) as I passed through the village, which was a reassuring start, and then pressed on down a lane which quickly became a narrow trail, waving to some cows along the way (why do I always seem to meet cattle on my hashing adventures?).

The trail was full of blackberries so I wasn’t short of a snack, but it soon became clear that it wouldn’t get me any closer than 35m to the hashpoint. I returned to the entrance to the cows’ field and, hopping a stile, crossed it. The cows looked puzzled as I paced around, getting to ground zero, but didn’t object. After shooting the traditional silly grin, I turned tail and headed back into the village and to the Coach & Horses, which proved to be the very essence of a British village pub: a husband and wife couple running it, dogs everywhere, a jar of pickled onions behind the bar, and more beers than you can shake a stick at.

I did enjoy a rather unusual conversation at the bar, though –

 Me: Can I get a ham, egg, and chips please. And a pint of bitter shandy.
 Barman: One egg or two?
 Me: Oh! Two, please.
 Barman: (Pause) We haven't got any eggs.
 Me: Uhh. Okay; no eggs then.
 Barman's wife: We've got one egg.
 Barman: We've got one egg.
 Me: I'll have one egg, then.
 
 (I go and sit outside; after a while, my meal arrives. There are two eggs.)
 
 Barman's wife: I found another egg.
 Me: ...

A fuller description of the entire adventure can found in the vlog I made along the way.

Tracklog

Download full GPX tracklog

Video

I filmed my adventure in a vloggy format, complete with doubling-back, talking to cows, and anecdotes about pub food. Watch it on YouTube.

Photos

A footpath - this looks promising... — A footpath – this looks promising…

Dark clouds overhead. Hope the weather holds!

Pub with WiFi password visible. — Take a look at that WiFi password! (Also, good-looking pickled eggs!)

Dan drinking shandy. — Pint of shandy while I wait for my chips with no, I mean one, I mean two eggs.

Ham, egg, and chips. — A well-earned dinner at last. With eggs. Two of them.

Achievements

Dan Q achieved level 2 of the Minesweeper Geohash achievement

by visiting coordinates in Swindon, United Kingdom and 2 of the surrounding graticules.

Geohashing expedition 2018-08-07 51 -1

7 August 2018 22:15 0

This checkin to geohash 2018-08-07 51 -1 reflects a geohashing expedition. See more of Dan's hash logs.

Location

A field South of Oxford

Participants

Dan Q

Plans

My meeting this afternoon got cancelled and my nearest hashpoint is only 6.5km (4 miles) away from my office. I can get this!

Expedition

After a productive morning’s work, I was genuinely slightly disappointed that a meeting I was scheduled to have this afternoon had to be rescheduled. But on the other hand… that meant that I could get away with extending my lunch break slightly and getting out to the hashpoint! I’d initially worried that it’d be inaccessibly buried on private land when Google Maps and satellite photography showed it to be deep in a block of cornfields, but OpenStreetMap came to the rescue and showed a public footpath somewhere in the very close vicinity of the target coordinates. And so, jumping aboard my bike, I set out!

600m from the coordinates I ran out of road and switched to the footpath, which I was pleased to discover was in reasonably-good condition: many underused local footpaths are not being very well-maintained at the moment and are often overgrown, but I was even able to bring my bike along this one and into the first field, although I had to push it rather than ride and I soon learned the error of my ways when the terrain got even rougher and I reached a narrow bridge – too narrow for my bike – spanning a dyke and entering the second field. Both fields had recently been cleared of corn, and whatever route the official footpath was supposed to take became rapidly unclear, but that’s probably for the best because I’m pretty sure I wasn’t on it by the time I reached the edge of the next field.

The hashpoint seemed to be along the fence somewhere so I followed it along – waving to some nearby cows – until my phone told me that I was under 3m from the spot. Hurrah! I snapped a panorama photo and started heading back, pausing a few times when I realised that I really, really couldn’t find where I’d left my bike. On the cycle home I passed a Gasometer which, because I’m told they’re super-rare in the USA, I thought I’d snap a picture of for those of you who ‘hash on the other side of the pond to oggle at.

Video

I actually remembered to shoot video of this expedition (well, all within a kilometre of the hashpoint and mostly within the last 350 metres!). It’s mostly just me rambling as I ramble, although there’s (brief) explanation of the Surprise Gasometer for those of you who live in countries where you don’t routinely see these interesting structures:

Photos

Dan cycling to a hashpoint. — Setting out by bike to the hashpoint.

Overgrown footpath. — This footpath is less overgrown than I feared it might turn out to be.

First field on the geohash expedition. — The fields had recently been harvested of their corn.

Dan in a field. — The first field I found myself in was – just about – navigable by a (pushed) bicycle.

Dan's bike by a narrow footbridge over a dyke. — But eventually my bike had to be left behind and I carried on alone.

Panorama around hashpoint 2018-08-07 51 -1. — It’s a whole lot of fields (panoramic photograph).

Dan at geohashpoint 2018-08-07 51 -1. — Success! Silly grin engaged as I stand at the hashpoint.

Surprise gasometer — On the way home, I spotted a gasometer and photographed/filmed it for my US friends (they’re even rarer in the US than here)!

Gasometer entry gate — For obvious reaosns, they don’t let idiots like me get up-close with enormous containers full of flammable gas, even when (like this one) they’re actually empty.

Screenshot from Geohashing app showing hashpoint reached — Success! Because I didn’t EXPECT to be hashing today, I didn’t have my GPSr and so didn’t make a tracklog, but my phone managed to get me there.

Geohashing expedition 2018-08-04 51 -1

4 August 2018 11:22 0

This checkin to geohash 2018-08-04 51 -1 reflects a geohashing expedition. See more of Dan's hash logs.

Location

Looks to be deep in the bushes alongside the unnamed road that connects Kidlington Road (to Islip), the sliproad exiting the A34 Southbound, and Bicester Road (in Kidlington).

Participants

Dan Q

Plans

The nearest road is about 10 minutes cycle from my (Dan Q) house, so I plan to zip out there either overnight (perhaps aiming for a Midnight Geohash?) or early in the morning. If you happen to plan to hit this hashpoint too, though, let me know and I can try to synchronise plans (but I ought to be spending the day studying, so I might not be able to!).

Expedition

At 2018-08-03 23:02 (BST – local time) I started packing a bag and set out to the hashpoint. Suddenly it didn’t seem like such a good idea as it had in the warm sunlight, earlier: a dark and moonless night isn’t the best time to be cycling along unlit roads. But fully-equipped with lights and supplies, I set out nonetheless. I’d left longer than I needed and had about a quarter of an hour sitting by the side of the road before midnight came and I was able to visit the hashpoint (thereby gaining my Midnight Achievement).

Photos

Dan ready to set out on a nighttime geohashing expedition — GPSr in hand, ready to set out into the dark.

Dan's bike — My vehicle for this adventure.

Advertisement for geohashing — A convenient roadside barrier was the perfect place to put a geohashing poster!

Dan in the dark — I’m getting Blair Witch vibes out here!

Stars — Whoever said you can’t do good long exposures on a mobile phone… was probably right, actually.

Dan at a midnight hashpoint — Success! Midnight, and well within the circle of uncertainty.

Tracklog map for Dan's expedition to hashpoint 2018-08-04 51 -1 — My GPSr conveniently recorded my route to and from the hashpoint

Dan Q posted a note for GC6P6WR Pub Quiz

3 August 2018 13:17 0

This checkin to GC6P6WR Pub Quiz reflects a geocaching.com log entry. See more of Dan's cache logs.

I just received a message from user LesHommesSauvages who’re so close to solving this puzzle. Here’s hoping that the mild hint I gave them about which digit they’d gotten wrong is enough to have their “Found it” message be the next log on this cache!

Dan Q found GLWG7T19 Blind-House Lacock Revisited

24 July 2018 12:57 0

This checkin to GLWG7T19 Blind-House Lacock Revisited reflects a geocaching.com log entry. See more of Dan's cache logs.

In Lacock on an “away day” with colleagues from the Bodleian Libraries to visit the Abbey, I found a spare few minutes to seek this cache. Spent some time puzzling over the first stage because somebody seems to have physically removed one of the studs! Worked out what must have been meant after a while and soon reached the GZ. SL, TFTC.

Dan Q performed maintenance for GC7R0HB The Fairy Elevator

23 July 2018 13:17 0

This checkin to GC7R0HB The Fairy Elevator reflects a geocaching.com log entry. See more of Dan's cache logs.

Came by to check up on this cache following the previous log entry. Everything is fine here; tucked the paracord away a little more-tidily and did a little litter picking, and my preschooler took a pink flower with which to decorate a nearby fairy door.

Carry on ‘caching!

Dan Q posted a note for GC54KVD Oxford Medical History #2: Grey matter

11 July 2018 13:16 0

This checkin to GC54KVD Oxford Medical History #2: Grey matter reflects a geocaching.com log entry. See more of Dan's cache logs.

(With owner’s permission) moved cache container about 30cm closer to the road in order to put it under better cover, as the bush that used to provide for its concealment has been severely cut back. Cache still intact and happy (but thanks to wynner71 for the shout).

Dan Q performed maintenance for GC7Q9FF Oxford’s Wild Wolf Two

5 July 2018 13:16 0

This checkin to GC7Q9FF Oxford's Wild Wolf Two reflects a geocaching.com log entry. See more of Dan's cache logs.

You think when you chain a container to an abandoned concrete block that’s been “just standing there” fire years that it’ll be safe, don’t you? Turns out: not necessarily! Looks like a super-heavy vehicle managed to push this one over, damaging the cache!

I’ve replaced the container but for the time being it’s missing a pencil. Hint isn’t quite accurate any more either but it’s slightly-more visible anyway. Going to see what I can do about all of the above, soon, but for now at least this cache is back in functional health. Happy wolf-hunting!

Dan Q found GLW6DXB2 Moor or Less

28 June 2018 14:39 0

This checkin to GLW6DXB2 Moor or Less reflects a geocaching.com log entry. See more of Dan's cache logs.

Lunch break from a conference in the Barbican Centre gave me an excuse to introduce a colleague to geocaching. Couldn’t have done it without the hint! TFTC.

Dan Q found GLW6FJQ9 A Meating place for Martyrs

28 June 2018 13:22 0

This checkin to GLW6FJQ9 A Meating place for Martyrs reflects a geocaching.com log entry. See more of Dan's cache logs.

An easy find although as I approached the GZ I was concerned that some roadworks that are underway might have prevented me from getting to find the Wills and Bill, but they turned out not to be too near the actual location I was heading for. Answers sent. TFTC!