I have a feeling that May is going to be an expensive month. May be I’m just a wimp but I thought it a reasonable idea to get the night heater in the van fixed, oh dear it could be a big job and the strip out and wait for parts might conflict with  the MoT already booked. The car too is flashing up that it is time for a service.

4th May

A few birthday caches to the west so that is the call for today.

The trip includes a nice spell at Castle Combe and a variety of cache types and sizes. one can’t help but analyse how size decreases over time. Have your ammo cans shriveled to nipples (nano’s)?

I thought tits always came in pairs but this little knocker seems happy on his own.

5th May

Once again heading west with mostly birtday caches dictating the area. Started the day with a reasonable length country walk and then moved on to Cippenham for some in the town. A few more country caches then finished the day at Frenchay.
I’d only put one church micro on my list here but soon realised I could get several caches from one parking place. Particularly liked the multi cache associated with the old hospital.

7th May

Working tonight so just out for one calendar filler today. A nice walk through some localish  woods.
Found a spare for Trophy I’m sure many of you have been curious and looked at the photo even if you’ve not solved the puzzle. Or perhaps a new cache is due.

8th May

A batch of night shifts so just time to pick up a birthday cache at Benson and the drop off a coin at Tie A Yellow Ribbon the coin reall wants to visit T5 tree climbs. A bit beyond me so hope some one move it on soon.

9th May

A birthday cache in Abingdom nice little hide but I’m beginning to feel the strain of caching between 12 hour shifts.

10th May

A wet morning also felt too tired to seek the birthday cache at Dorchester.
So ust settled for the event in the evening THE CUNNING CACHERS MAY 2016 MEET.

11th May

I think this was my Friday the 13th. It certainly felt like it.
I hate it when I have to leave a vehicle for repair and then find a way to retrieve it. Had hope it would be ready sooner as it was booked in elsewhere for an MoT today.

So the Friday the 13th element… it had rained incessantly overnight had it been nicer and if I was more sure of my leg holding out an 8-10 mile bike ride might have been appropriate.

The radio reports The M4 motorway closure and expected local chaos. A door to door taxi is out then. Set out for the bus stop which is almost a mile away, still raining so full wet kit. Hadn’t a clue on arrival times and missed the first one by 100yds. A have hour wait plus some lateness for the next one. Just a short way along the A4 we hit the congestion and totally didn’t move once we were in Theale, that beenham to Theale trip had taken an hour.

Abandoned the bus and took to the train. I was leaving Theale station at the time I should have been arriving at the adjacent garage.

The train journey wasn’t too bad and luckily the reading busses ran smoothly. You can tell I don’t use busses often as I put coins in the ticket printer and jammed it. It might have been in the period my free pass operated too but I didn’t even think of that.

Van collected and luckily the roads flowed good with the exception of Theale swing bridge. One expensive repair at almost the original cost of the unit 10 years ago.

The van sailed through another MoT. Stayed local whist it was in for MoT and service just walking down for a maintenance visit on Twisted it is quite a big log book in this one and it brought back memories of early caching as folk ave written longer logs here.

12th May

Off to the Swindon area, birthday caches and then anything I’d marked up as interesting.

13th May

When I originally researched birthday caches for today I’d planned the Gloucester area. I sometimes do strange things and when it come to plotting the day changed it to near Basingstoke.

Whichever I went to was going to be a test on how the leg coped with distance.

Blessed with a good day when I didn’t need either jacket or fleece.

Met up with Clan Wallace a couple of times on the trail. At times I wondered if their choice of bike were better than mine of walking.

Added a little extra distance perhaps a mile by going off the loop to seek an ammo can. the leg held out quite well just needing a sit for a while before taking the last half mile.

Finished off the day with a couple of clever caches.

15th May

Working tonight but could’t help but go for a few today. Nice trip down to Litchfield.

22 May

Perhaps I should have heeded the body clock that first wakend me at 3am. I actually got up a couple of hours later but still hit my first cache at 7.30am.
That was a rural one and went ok. Now on to Winchester for things to depreciate not finding the first one and objecting to paying an entrance fee to the second.
Found a couple more in the city then one again headed for the counry whis is more my ideal.

A few old caches then on to the virtual at Farley Mount. About time I sought that one as it is near to one of my own caches.

Headed on to Easleigh and decided 9.15pm was late enough for caching. It’s an hour’s drive home and I’m still to get dinner.

27th May

Out for the first sleep out in the van this year. Not going to be too far from home but sleeping over saves a lot of miles and rush. Major target is to hit Cirencester church tomorrow as it is the first open day of the year.
A few chores yesterday and a dodgy download meant I didn’t start out as early as I would have liked morning missed I set out around midday.

First step was to avoid the A34 tailbacks from an earlier accident. Satisfaction when the first cache was a find. On to some I had visited before or missed from a series, 2 out of 3 found.

The day passed very quickly but some nice villages visited before settling not too far from Cheltenham for the night.

 

I’ve been toying with attending Britain’s Tenth Most Remote Event (St Martins IoS) since it was first announced. Unsure if my health is up to it but think I’ve set the ball in motion to commit wallet suicide. I’m sure the main islands will be fun even if I can’t make the remote.
Quite an adventure of cars, boats and planes.
Then on to I claim Lundy for the People of Freedonia! which is already booked. Oh my 2 attendees for one and 6 for the other looks like quiet times.

28th May

Having only completed half of yesterday’s intended list today became a do as many off yesterday’s list as possible before heading for today’s and indeed this trips main target the OS survey bolt on Cirencester Church. The first open day of the church this year and unless you can get privately arranged access the only times you can get to the bolt.
My it was quite a climb up there and quite a squeeze when there was two way traffic. We need to get intimate the Canadian sounding lady said think my luck must be changing.

Another climb but the van doing most of the work was to Chosen hill. A rather nice church up there as well as the topograph.

29th May

Payed another visit to Nightingale woods to seek some I’d missed a couple of weeks ago. Another large one amongst them towards the American challenge.

A climb up the Giants Grave then a bunch of other ones from my desired list including another large one.

30th May

Started the day with the nice Andover Trail Wherigo.