Our first geo cache experience

Our first geo cache experience #CountryKids

I’ve been meaning to try geo caching for ages and every time I read Fun as a Gran‘s weekly 365 post I kick myself again for still not having tried it. We were meeting up with a monkey’s god mum and her a daughter a few weeks ago and the weather was good. It was time to get outside in the fresh air and enjoy our first geo cache experience.

Our first geo cache experience

God Mummy V lives very close to Stonehenge and they’d tried out part of a geo cache trail with the National Trust some months before so once we’d had lunch and had a quick explore around the Stonehenge visitor centre we were off. We parked close to Woodhenge and God Mummy V loaded up her geo cache app which showed us where we needed to head to.

Our first geo cache experience

The kids were off without a moment’s hesitation – it’s this way!  Although a bit blustery it was a lovely day to be out in the Wiltshire countryside. Exploring, having fun.

Our first geo cache experience

We stopped every so often to check we were still heading in the right direction and then we’d arrived at the destination. Now to search for the treasure!

Our first geo cache experience

Luckily the cache we were looking for was in a large enough container that it wasn’t too difficult for the children to find. What would be inside?

Our first geo cache experience

We found some treasure – Monkey got some bubbles so he was very happy. The cache log was filled in and we left some treasure for the next adventurers. There was also a clue sheet so we could work out the coordinates for the next part of the trail. That’s where our plan all went wrong!

The app that God Mummy V was using wouldn’t let her input the next map coordinates. It wasn’t recognising this cache as a trail with a number of cache’s to be found. As soon as she logged that we had found the first one, it said it was completed.

So now what do we do? This is where advice would be appreciated as we had no idea. Cue two women on their mobiles trying to google how to add coordinates to a compass to get us where we needed to go.  Clearly neither of us would make it these days in the a Girl Guides!

V used the compass on her phone to point us in the general direction and off we headed. Unfortunately neither of us could work where to find an app that would let us put the exact coordinates in as the geo cache app was no help. So we looked blindly and couldn’t find the next stash of treasure. So that would have been the end of the story but luckily they had done the rest of the trail before, so had a vague idea of where we needed to look for the next two cache’s.

Our first geo cache experience

So off we set again. Monkey was loving it and enjoying the adventure. Miss M would have preferred to be doing it properly (as would be really) but we made the best of the situation. It meant a lot of extra searching, a few giggles and a couple of conversations with the local sheep – who were no help!

Our first geo cache experience

But with a little luck we found both of the caches. Sadly one had been left with no treasure which didn’t go down well with Monkey but V put some extras inside so future explorers wouldn’t be disappointed.

We found an upended tree and Monkey was fascinated by the root structure.  It made for a great camp.

Our first geo cache experience

Also great for a bit of music making!

It was time to turn around and head back to the car. We may not have completed the trail correctly, but we’d certainly had fun trying. We’d walked a few miles and the kids had had a good runaround in the fresh air.

Next time we will be better prepared! So advice – what app should be use when going on a geo cache trail?  Should we invest in a proper GPS gadget rather than using the phone? What else should we know?  I love the idea of geo caching. I’m lucky that monkey enjoys being outside and is a good walker, but the idea of finding treasure certainly kept him going and might persuade Daddy P to walk a little more often!

Country Kids from Coombe Mill Family Farm Holidays Cornwall

18 thoughts on “Our first geo cache experience #CountryKids

  1. Once you get addicted, you may want to invest in a proper handheld GPS but for now, just go on the geocaching.com website and use their map to plan your route – what you were doing was a multicache where you have to find the first one to get the coordinates of the next cache. They’re fun but complicated for a beginner so I’d stick to the traditional caches for now. You should still have plenty of choice. We’ve been geoacaching for a year now and we’re hooked ! #CountryKids

  2. That looks like fun-my advice is to go to the NT and use their GPS guides 🙂
    We were just saying this morning how much we’d like to re-visit Stonehenge, it’s over 20 years since my husband and I were last there.

  3. well done on getting out, and thank you for the mention. I have to agree with Cheryl – avoid the multis, even with a proper GPS machine I still cannot work out how to find coordinates I have put in for myself, that one has me defeated.
    Best app for your phone is https://www.geocaching.com/mobile/default.aspx
    but it does tend to flatten your battery quite quick.
    Load the app and find a trail of regular caches and you will be hooked for ever.

  4. I’ve heard a lot about geo caching but this is the first time I’ve read about it. Sounds fun but I understand your frustration. When my little one is older I’ll try with him, you’ve made me want to try it.

  5. It looks like you all had a great time out exploring, the fact that the app didn’t work probably made it more of an adventure for all of you! I’ve been tempted to get out and give geocaching a go with my lot too, there’s a couple around here to find I think. It’s great that Monkey enjoyed it, I’m sure you’re looking forward to more trips out to find as many as you can! Thanks for linking up with Country Kids.

  6. I really want to go geocaching too, there’s a couple of easy ones near us. But my phone battery is useless (and signal round here – no 3G, wifi probably non existent), so I’d have to print off instructions and take a compass.

    Always good to have an excuse for a walk – something to keep N entertained

  7. I’ve an iphone so started off using the Geocaching Intro app. This is good as it’s free but does have limited functionality. I upgraded to the standard Geocaching app shortly afterwards, much better and well worth the upgrade cost. The only problem I find with any app is that it’s reliant on a data connection – this can be really frustrating as geocaches are often found in places without a decent 3G connection. It’s a bit rubbish getting half way to the geocache and then losing the signal!

  8. This looks like so much fun. Hubby and I have been intending on going geocaching for pretty much our whole relationship and have never quite got around to it! x

  9. We tried Geocaching once a couple of summers ago and failed very miserably, so I can’t offer any advice I’m afraid.

  10. I’ve been looking At this for ages but as yet haven’t. This has given me the impetus to just get on and do it!!! You chose a beautiful part of the world to try and I guess not having your next set of coordinates could be seen as a further adventure, although if I was with Dadtired I think he’d be freaking out at that point!! Sounds like lots of fun. Thanks for the tips
    #CountryKids

  11. Sounds like you guys all had a good day, in spite of problems finding the treasure! I think yo can just put co-ordinates into google or maps like an address and it’ll just find it for you – but don’t quote me on it 🙂

  12. We’ve been geocaching a few times, and the boys love it 🙂 Must get out again soon x

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