Dan Q

Kind: Checkins

Dan Q couldn’t find GC8XMQN Coming to an end

This checkin to GC8XMQN Coming to an end reflects a geocaching.com log entry. See more of Dan's cache logs.

Found the GZ without difficulty and a plethora of great hiding spots, but no luck for me nor the geopup here this morning. The hound enjoyed a quick paddle in the stream at this lovely spot, though, so it’s not a complete failure!

A French Bulldog in a blue jacket stands on a muddy riverbank amongst fallen trees and leaf litter. There are many canine footprints in the mud.

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Geohashing expedition 2022-10-24 51 -1

This checkin to geohash 2022-10-24 51 -1 reflects a geohashing expedition. See more of Dan's hash logs.

Location

Wharf Stream Way, Eynsham. I’ve visited this circular footpath many times to walk the dog or to take the children to swim in the river.

Participants

Plans

I hope to cycle/walk to the GZ about lunchtime? I’ve an opportunity to pass nearby the GZ between other errands this morning!

Expedition

I was excited to see this spot pop up on my radar, because it’s a lovely meadow that I’ve ocassionally walked my dog in, within comfortable cycling distance of my house. As it happened, I had an even easier route here because a drive this morning to drop the kids off at a half-term activity took me “close enough” to be worth stopping and walking from there.

I parked at The Talbot Inn, just West of the Swinford Toll Bridge (a bizzare old bridge that, for weird historical reasons, continues to use human operators to charge 5 pence per car to cross, which surely cannot be cost-effective!). From here, there’s a footpath along the back of the Seimens buildings in the nearby light industrial estate which eventually comes out into the Wharf Stream Way circular walk. It was pretty damp out here today and I quickly regretted my choice of light trousers which would have been fine to drive the kids to their camp and back but wasn’t really a good choice for stomping across the long grass of a damp meadow. Some way across I disturbed some grazing deer, but ultimatey it was following a deer-trodden trail that eventually provided the best route to the GZ.

I reached the GZ at 09:19, took a selfie, and then turned around to go and get to work. I also shot a video covering the whole expedition which is presented, unedited, below.

Tracklog

My GPSr kept a tracklog; note that this was an “on the way” stopoff so the start and end point isn’t the same!

Map showing a journey from Witney to Stanton Harcourt via Wharf Stream Way meadow, East of Eynsham.

Photos

Dan makes a silly grin while holding a GPS receiver in a damp grassy autumn meadow, on a grey and drizzly day.

Video

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Dan Q found GC88Z3D SANT PAU DEL CAMP

This checkin to GC88Z3D SANT PAU DEL CAMP reflects a geocaching.com log entry. See more of Dan's cache logs.

Found with fleeblewidget during a meander around the city. She saw it ahead and remarked on the beautiful building before I’d even told her that was where we were heading. Greetings from Oxford, UK. Gracias por el caché.

Dan and Ruth in front of a monastary gates, smiling and waving.

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Dan Q performed maintenance for GC88ZY9 The Devil’s Quoits

This checkin to GC88ZY9 The Devil's Quoits reflects a geocaching.com log entry. See more of Dan's cache logs.

A fringe benefit to being CO to a virtual is that it doesn’t require much maintenance, save for ensuring that all logs are accompanied by a valid solution message and no spoilers are posted. But it’s still worth visiting them from time to time to ensure they’re still accessible and solvable! These stones have been here for thousands of years – minus a relatively short period from around the 15th to the 20th centuries! – so I couldn’t imagine they’d gone anywhere, and indeed they haven’t. Counted them to make sure, and the geopup checked that the outlier stone was in its proper place. Maintenance performed!

A French Bulldog runs towards the camera, her tongue hanging out, in a grassy field. Standing stones can be seen in the background, under a blue sky.

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Dan Q found GCA002Z Busted out!

This checkin to GCA002Z Busted out! reflects a geocaching.com log entry. See more of Dan's cache logs.

Could have been expected to get the FTF for this one, given that it’s (a) literally 20 seconds walk from my front door and (b) the CO had indicated that one would be hidden around here, but unfortunately I contracted covid last weekend and any walk longer tab my garden was quickly leaving me exhausted. This evening I felt a little better and so the geohound and I (pictured) braved a couple of minutes in the rain to come and sign the logbook.

Note to future cachers planning to park and grab: the “layby” indicated is a working bus stop, albeit with an infrequent (every 2 hours, weekday daytimes) schedule, so remember to be a polite cacher and try not to park in it at times that it’ll be needed by the minibus!

I might need to find a new home for my replacement to GC90RH3, whose bridge hiding place is only 100m or so (less than the requisite 0.1 miles!) from this new cache! Ah well, that’ll teach me to be a slow CO!

TFTC, and for getting me out of the house for a walk for the first time since I got sick almost a week ago.

Dan with the dog, in the garden.

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Dan Q found GC33BBW WWW#6 – www.geochecker.com

This checkin to GC33BBW WWW#6 – www.geochecker.com reflects a geocaching.com log entry. See more of Dan's cache logs.

After I found the right hiding place, this one was pretty easy, though I was initially hesitant to put my hand into it after I mistook the cache’s unusual container for (a very large version of) something else that could be laid in a place like this. TFTC.

Dan Q found GC33BAJ WWW#4 – earthcache.org

This checkin to GC33BAJ WWW#4 – earthcache.org reflects a geocaching.com log entry. See more of Dan's cache logs.

Geopup and I found quite easily while out on a walk. The excitable doggo isn’t so keen on stopping and searching for caches when there are so many new and exciting smells just over her visual horizon, so today’s expedition might only give me a couple of minutes to hunt for each: we’ll have to see if that’s enough to log any further finds this morning.

Dan Q performed maintenance for GC9Z37K Friar’s Farm – Far-Flung Fence

This checkin to GC9Z37K Friar's Farm - Far-Flung Fence reflects a geocaching.com log entry. See more of Dan's cache logs.

Found left out in clear with lid open but otherwise not vandalised. Closed and re-hid deeper into hiding place. Will add a geocaching information card on my next visit to better explain its presence to any muggles passing by.