Surely I am in a village in Kent

4th March 2017

8 Stations 10 Caches

42 Stations 43 Caches to date

Three trips on the district line is was time to change colour.  So blue for the Victoria line was chosen and out to its furthest station north Walthamstow Central.  Now I have never been to Walthamstow and I knew nothing about it.  I arrived to find the usual supermarkets, bus stations and crowds of people and nothing really interesting to look at.   However, this is why I love Geocaching, hunting for these tiny boxes, always takes you to interesting places some of them not listed in any guide books.  So I found myself in a lovely pedestrian side street complete with small independent eateries and antique shops.     A small walk later and I felt like I was back in Kent with a church, village green, cottages and even a Tudor beamed house.   A plaque on the green reminded me that of course this was once a rural village on the edge of Epping Forrest

I was enjoying my walk around Walthamstow, but with 270 Stations to visit I had to keep to the plan.  Next up Blackhorse Road not much to mention here except for my search for a geocache.  I had found a likely hiding spot for a small box and quickly laid my hand on one.  But to my surprise I did not find what I was expecting, but what I can best subscribe as a small mobile “Jamaican Woodbine” making kit (I guess someone was in need of a quick hiding spot).   Replacing where I found it, I soon found the correct box.

Next up a walk between Tottenham Hale and Seven Sisters, the long way via the River Lea.   A search for a cache and a pleasant rest at Ferry Lane lock, and I resumed my walk along the river.

A couple of stops and I am at Highbury & Islington and hunting caches along the New River Walk.   Like the Archbishops Lane on my last trip, this is a small strip of nature with the large houses of Canonbury Park on one side and the council flats on the other.   Unlike the Lane this is a modern man made park which follows the line of an old aqueduct which brought water from the River Lea (where I had already been today) into the city.   Built in 1613 nothing is left to see but you can read all about it here.

I carried on to the Angel to see the Market Traders taking down their stalls, so they were too busy to notice me looking suspicious trying to find a cache hidden behind a electrical cupboard.   One more station I am at Old Street and outside Wesley’s Chapel.  John Wesley was the founder of the Methodist movement a statue of him exists outside the chapel and there is a Museum of Methodism in the crypt, unfortunately it was already closed.  So a walk to Liverpool Street for the last station of the day and home.

When I was there, I never manged to get a snap without a bus or Taxi in the way, my thanks for the photo to By Jwslubbock – Own work, CC BY-SA 4.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=54929701

The Archbishops Lane

25th February 2017

8 Stations 13 Caches

34 Stations 33 Caches to date

Keeping to the district line is was time to head out to the other end of the line and work my way in.  Arriving at Wimbledon there was a few geocaches to pick up in the town centre, walking around a few streets, I was struck by how many bars and restaurants there were, interspaced with Estate Agents and  Accountants offices but no shops.  I think Wombles must always be hungry and thirsty and do all their shopping on-line.

Next up Wimbledon Park, a lovely public park with people walking their dogs, football teams training and of course because of where I was,  adults and children being coached in tennis.

While working out my route.  I saw a line of five geocaches in a straight line going  between two very ordinary suburban roads.   So on the bus to investigate.  Putney Park Lane is a remnant of medieval times.  This is a tree lined unmade lane which lead to The Archbishop of Canterbury’s former hunting lodge.  I assume he dose not have the time nowadays, and it is lost to the mists of time.  However, the lane remains untouched with a gatehouse a each end and a chapel half way down.  A pleasant strip of nature in the sprawling suburbs of south London.

Back to Putney to keep to the District line,  I afraid most of the rest of the trip was rather uninteresting and miserable and it was now raining quite hard.   I was racing against time as I wanted to get to Fulham Broadway and walk past the Chelsea Ground before the final whistle.  This I failed to do, so I skipped a couple of stations to Earls Court when I came across this.

I am not a Doctor Who fan.  But I had to track this down to get a clue for my next geocache.  This obtained and the co-ordinates calculated as where the cache was, it was time to dry off, have a beer and see how many goals Gillingham FC has lost by this week.   All this done, the last geocache was found and a walk to the last station of the day, Gloucester Road.

Corrupted Disc

18th February 2017

12 Stations 10 Caches

26 Stations 20 Caches to date

The plan, to start at Bromley by Bow and this time go east, off at the next and walk to the next and back on the line and so on.  First exit Bow Road finish at Embankment.

With no snow this time and a bit of sunshine, the camera came with me.  Some nice shots were taken especially at the canal at Mile End  with a couple of barges sailing past.  Disaster strikes when I get home, the disc somehow got corrupted and all I had was files with Chinese characters.   I was left with just one photo for the day which was taken with my phone.   The picture above is of a statue of a horse found in a square near Aldgate East.

As you enter the centre of London stations come thick and fast and geocaches are not so many, especially if like me you found quite a few of them already.  I had hope to find as many caches as stations this time.   Unfortunately, GPS signals and tall buildings do not get on and I was left admitting defeat on quite a few today.   Consoled myself with a pint at embankment before setting off back home only to discover The Princess of Wales does not sell nuts.

The Tube Cache Quest

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Snow was not forecasted

11th February 2017

14 Stations   10 Caches

So  a plan was made, get the “High Speed 1” from Rochester to Stratford, a quick change at West Ham and start the adventure at Bromley by Bow.   Bromley by Bow was chosen as I first had to check out a place where I could park in future and was quick to get too from Rochester.   Weather was checked, too cold for my liking, but no rain or snow I should be OK if I wrap up warm.

Scarf, hat and gloves on I started the short walk to the station.  What is this white stuff!, does not matter, no snow forecast for the day in London.   Arrived in Stratford and it is still snowing.   But my first of 270 stations as I entered Stratford Underground.

With free parking near Bromley by Bow at the weekend confirmed. I walked to search for my first Geocache near 3 Mills Studios.   The old dock buildings and custom house here are wonderful.   However, the snow was quite heavy now and the camera did not venture out.  After a walk around Abbey Creek to West Ham for station no. 3

So the plan was to go all the way out to Upminster either going out and back in or walking to the next station picking up geocaches as I go.  See how far I could get before I had to meet my wife at Shepherds Bush.  Barking was the answer for station 12.

The longest walk of the day was between Elm Park and Dagenham East with my intention of walking across Bretons Outdoor Centre and The Chase Nature Reserve.  A big sigh was had when I looked down at the map to see that The Beam River cuts thought the reserve with the nearest crossing showing a mile to the south.  I decided to press on and see if there was a place I could see how good my long jumping skills were.   Someone up there was smiling on me as I approached the river a new bridge built at the end of 2015 appeared  which was not on my map.

So a well earned pint in Shepherd Bush and back home via Kings Cross St Pancras made it 14.

A blog from the The Tube Cache Quest