Caching crazy

AR11: Fields around Kimblewick - Monday 9 February 2015

 Pip was distinctly unimpressed about going walking this morning! It's probably because he was happily napping in a warm car before I decided to put him in the carrier out in the cold! I do need to reassure you that his mood did improve and he chatted to me most of the way round, though I have no photos of him awake today.

The walk started at The Swan pub in Great Kimble and then crossed through two very muddy fields. It was very slippy and very hard work, especially as my boots gradually collected more and more mud - I must have been carrying a lot of extra weight!

After the mud there was a lovely stretch down the entrance road to a farm - I tried to take some photos of the buds on the trees but couldn't get the camera to focus properly. After this road there was yet more fields and mud - definitely a theme this month!

Can you spot it?

Today was a very successful caching day with 4 caches found:
- AR15 Pochard - Grove Lane: a nice quick find in a multi-trunked tree near the railway (that I was unable to pass on a previous walk). Part of the tree had been felled but the cache was still tucked away in it's hiding place.
- AR16 Pochard - New Farm: this cache was the reward for traipsing across the huge muddy field!
- AR18 Pochard - Stile-ish: I love finding caches after the previous cacher logged a DNF (did not find), there's something very satisfying. Though I do need to admit that this find was more luck than skill...
- AR19 Pochard - Kimblewick Farm: This was the furthest cache of today and was under a stile. There was a surprise bonus as it contained a bright orange rabbit travel bug - these are items which travel between caches with an aim or journey.
On the way past I also revisited AR17 Pochard - Kimblewick Road to pick up the bonus code. Each cache contains a letter and number which are then used to work out the co-ordinates of the Bonus Cache. I just need one more letter/number now and have 7 possible caches in which to find it!

Enjoying the walk!

Walk 11
Date: Monday 9 February 2015
From: Grove Lane
To: Middle of a field near Kimblewick Farm
Distance: 2.6 miles
Total Ascent: 164ft
Route Description: Fields
Duration: 1 hour 15 minutes
Ave Speed: 2mph
Weather: Cold and sunny
Region: Buckinghamshire
Walking With: Pip
Path: Aylesbury Ring
Map: https://mapsengine.google.com/map/edit?mid=zbgVN-iW56BQ.kaNBoT9lLlXY

Mud!

AR Walk 10: Aylesbury Canel near Puttenham - Sunday 8 February 2015

 This was a beautiful Sunday afternoon stroll to collect a few caches whilst walking along the canal... Or that was the aim! In reality the path was so slippy and slidey that the pushchair nearly slid into the water several times so we had to abort and go home for hot chocolate and a film!

The colours were amazing and the canal was still frozen over so we watched a bemused duck walking along trying to find some water.

We managed to pick up one cache, AR01 Mandarin - Canalside Multi, which required collecting clues from near the bridge to work out the final location of the cache. I had hoped to make it further along to collect AR02, AR03 and AR04 but it was not to be.

Walking on the water

Walk 10
Date: Sunday 8 February 2015
From: Puttenham Bridge on the Aylesbury Arm of the Grand Union Canal
To: not very far!
Distance: 0.78 miles
Total Ascent: 39ft
Route Description: Footpath next to canal
Duration: 40 minutes
Ave Speed: 1.2mph
Weather: Cold and sunny
Region: Buckinghamshire
Walking With: Steve, Ginger Nut and Pip
Path: Aylesbury Ring
Map: https://mapsengine.google.com/map/edit?mid=zbgVN-iW56BQ.kaNBoT9lLlXY

Frozen

AR Walk 9: Great Kimble - Monday 2 February 2015

So, after two months of no walks Pip and I finally made it out to attempt the next section of the Aylesbury Ring. Well it wasn't the next section as that wasn't particularly pushchair friendly so we went for another section. Unfortunately a mile of the walk was alongside the busy Risborough/Aylesbury Road - I'm pleased to have got this part of the walk out of the way!

It was nice to finally get on with finding some caches too... We had a list of 4 possibles to look for. The first one we got to was a Church Micro in Little Kimble church - the instructions said to go to the furthest corner but I couldn't see a way of easily getting the pushchair across the graveyard so decided not to continue. The second cache was AR13 Pochard - Great Kimble: I had a good idea of the location from my drive-by a couple of weeks ago but was stumped as to which road sign to look on. The one on my side of the road was for 'Little Kimble', whereas 'Great Kimble' was across a busy road. But the CO had been kind and did not expect us to recross the road and the cache (pictured) was quickly found.

 Once I made it off the road there was a long field section. As the temperature was subzero (car thermometer registered -2oC) the mud was frozen solid making it pretty easy for the pushchair. Kissing gates and stairs were what foiled us though!

 Although we were unable to make it any further, I was pleased to pick up another cache this side of the railway. AR14 Porchard - Off the Rails was another easy find though I had to be careful as there was a lady walking her dog near by (known as Doggles in the caching world!).

 On the return leg (one of the disadvantages of doing this walk alone) I stopped off in Great Kimble church to gather information for another Church Micro. While I was wandering around the church I noticed some beautiful snowdrops poking up... Such a delicate flower!
Most of the information was gathered, though I will have to look for some on-line as the rain obscured some vital details. I'll return to pick up the final cache another day.

Walk 9
Date: Monday 2 February 2015
From: Little Kimble All Saints Church
To: Railway line
Distance: 2 miles
Total Ascent: 72ft
Route Description: Footpath next to road, fields
Duration: 1 hour
Ave Speed: 1.8mph
Weather: Cold and sunny (-2oC)
Region: Buckinghamshire
Walking With: Pip
Path: Aylesbury Ring
Map: https://mapsengine.google.com/map/edit?mid=zbgVN-iW56BQ.kaNBoT9lLlXY