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I think a trail like this proves that for many it is just about the numbers. Of the 18 finders since 4th april almost all have well over a thousand finds.
And Brentorboxer says in the cache description – ‘This walk is designed for families and people who are not used to walking on Dartmoor, not the seasoned innermoor hiker’.
How many of the finders so far fall into the first category?
Give me a long moorland trail any day, even if you only pick up a cache every mile or so.The problem with trackables is that it is a matter of trust as to whether it is logged or just kept because it has a nice toy or other object attached to it.
Today we found a cache that was meant to have four TB’s in it but only two were there. And on sunday I placed a TB in Nakers Hill- a remote Dartmoor cache and when logging it saw that Somewhere on Dartmoor 1 was meant to be in the cache but i can’t remember seeing it in the cache. I might be wrong and it might be in there but i think its the sort of thing we would have noticed.Looks a good easy trail but i wouldn’t call it an open moorland walk, but we all have different ideas of what makes a good trail or walk. Sorry if i have been thinking more of longer trails but thats how i see trails, but its really about getting out there and caching/walking, whether you walk 3 miles or 15 miles we all enjoy it.
I follow a rule that i heard of years ago that says if a bird takes off nearby don’t walk towards where it took off from but away from it or towards where the bird flew to. The idea being that when a nesting bird senses a predator it will take off to lure it away from the nest.
As for the letterbox code i can remember years ago in the days i used to do a little bit of letterboxing boxers were asked to keep away from certain areas in the nesting season, so the same should apply to cachers. And its in the guidelines not to place caches that will disturb wildlife.When working out the ‘Explore the Dartmoor Archives’ i did notice that the old archived cache had a DNF then the next person to log it logged it as a virtual find because they found the right spot and the cache was ‘indeed missing’. The cache was then archived, then some four years later turned up again.
I think them Dartmoor Pixies are moving caches to fool us.
But it just goes to show that even with gps’s sometimes even the cache owners can’t locate their own caches, then either the cache is archived or replaced when the original is only a few metres away.I agree that abandoned letterboxes should be removed from the moor, i said this in my log for the now archived HayTor views – Saddle Tor cache ( GC11KJB) back in april 2011.
The area was littered with uncared for letterboxes and also said I hoped geocaches didn’t end up like this which is why i feel that whenever possible archived caches should also be removed.I have just worked out a caching walk doing the Dartmoor North – South (based on Eric Hemery’s walking Dartmoor’s Ancient Tracks).
I made it 35 caches over the 27 miles without deviating too much from the route. 21 of the caches would be on the north moor and 14 on the south. For me all 21 on the north moor would be finds but only 3 on the south moor as i have the other 11.
Not everyone’s cup of tea i know but it is a good two day walk, i have done it twice before (before caching), the first time we stopped at Bellever YH, the second time at the Forest Inn.I did check the log and it had not been signed since being archived and i did check on open caching to see if there was a cache there and there wasn’t, but i see what you mean about stealing it.
But does this apply to letterboxes as well? I see you have admitted to removing them, after all they were put out by someone.
Good idea about an archived cache section, but who does own an archived cache if the owner has abandoned it?I feel that swaps in caches are a waste of time. I changed one of my caches to a smaller container recently and when i emptied it out it had a balloon in it (not blown up) and little cracker toys. And amazingly the most recent finder said they left something in the cache, which i can only assume must be something very small as the cache is now a magnetic keyholder.
I think that cache containers that are left in place after being archived should be removed by passing cachers rather than left where they are. If the cache is still in place after a few months or so then obviously the cache owner is not going to remove it.
I did this a few months ago to a cache that had been archived for months but was still in place, so i took it and reused it.
I see this as ok if the cache has been abandoned for some time.A good reason to log a DNF is that you sometimes get an email from the cache owner with an extra hint or an apology if they have just discovered it is missing.
Count me in!
I think the one’s I have found of the series have been fairly easy finds so ten minutes a cache a bit high especially with more than one person looking.
Anyway muddypuddles would have an advantage (if a good memory).
On the topic of shorter trails i did the Bushtucker Trail/Its a jungle series today, not quite on Dartmoor but still worth a mention, a great series.
Just a thought what is the definition of a power trail?When we found the Beardown Man cache i am pretty certain that the second cache we found was labelled and had your name on it Dave, which is why we were certain we had the right one.
I realise Dartymoor was thinking more of shorter trails, my point was more aimed at muddypuddles saying there are no tracks on the moor. But i’m sure there are cachers who could complete the Perambulation in one go.
Tracks are not really needed to create trails, there are loads of ancient routes on Dartmoor with no visible tracks on the ground.
And is not the Dartmoor Forest series based on the Perambulation, yes too long for a day walk but people do it over two/three days, perhaps it could be promoted as a long power trail to attract visitors, good for Dartmoor caches and Dartmoor tourism.By my calculations the cache in question is about 75 feet from an active cache, which poses another question, when a cache is archived (and left in place) and another one is placed close by are people finding the right one?
Last year we were looking for a cache but there was nothing at the given coordinates, we widened our search and found a cache but it was obviously a much older cache. Then nearer to the right coordinates a cache was found and we assumed this was the right cache. But recently the cache owner has said the cache was indeed missing and has put a new cache in place. This means there are three caches very close together, are the other two archived caches or bonus caches?
Perhaps this is a good reason to label caches with its name and gc code.Dartymoor mentions charity letterbox walks but i don’t think you can compare them to caching walks as i think charity caches are not allowed.
Are caching trails really needed on Dartmoor? Surely Dartmoor is one big caching trail already. Why not create your own caching trail by planning a route, for example i have been thinking of walking north to south (cache to cache).
I do venture into the remote moor but would never place caches there as i live in Torbay and would not be able to maintain them.I meant The Midnight Special, a line in it says ‘you’re prison bound’ so i was close.
As for April 2013, the only thing that i could see (with a quick internet search) was the first murder by Jack the Ripper was 125 years ago that month. With one of the suspects being a member of the royal family. Don’t think thats it though.I read this post eight months ago but didn’t know the answer.
I did think it had something to do with Dartmoor Prison but wasn’t sure what.
Anyway this last week its been bugging me and with the help of a BBC website i think i have it. On the 18th june 1812 the Americans declared war on the UK, making it the 200th anniversary. And the American POW’s were sent to Dartmoor Prison.
But what’s the connection to Lonnie Doneghan?Thanks for doing that Dave.
I did try to upload a photo but couldn’t get it to work, then i noticed the layout had changed, so i left it in case you were still playing with it. I notice it says maximum file size is 512 KB, but my photos are a bigger size than that.Glad it’s fixed.
Just goes to show though that if a problem is pointed out it can be fixed.
The same applies to caching practices that cause harm to the countryside or property, unless someone points it out it will give caching a bad name.Eric Hemery’s Walking Dartmoors Ancient Tracks is a great book with 28 routes, with good descriptions and history of the tracks. Great if you want to follow the tracks on the ground with the use of a map. Not all are visible on the ground but you can follow the route. I have done the North – South (Okehampton – Harford Moorgate) twice, its 27 miles and takes in the remote moor. Its a good two day walk and a great challenge.
On the subject of what has happened to this site, why has it become so much harder to write a post. When I type in the box it goes on and on and if I start a new line the sentences don’t stay together. Sorry if its just me being thick but i never had this problem before or maybe others are having the same problems and thats why there are so few contributions.
I have a Dartmoor Mountain Map 1:40, 000 scale from the BMC. It has the ancient trackways marked on it and some tors and hills that aren’t named on the OS map. It also has good information on the back like the geological makeup of the moor.
I,m afraid i might be slightly guilty.
But as a cacher and Dartmoor lover i feel that caching practices that damage the moor should be brought to the attention of fellow Dartmoor cachers. And this site is the perfect way of doing that.
I see this cache has recently been archived by the reviewer because it does not comply with the guidelines. But that still leaves the cache in
place, so perhaps the next person to be in that area could remove it and get a cache container to reuse as well.Should there not be a way of adopting caches that the owner has lost interest in and are not being maintained. For example if the owner has not logged in for six months or more and doesn’t respond to needs maintenance logs.
StationMaster, surely if the guidelines were being followed caches would not be where they shouldn’t and landowners would not be in a position to complain, and as Hobo says when a new cache is placed a box is ticked to say that you understand the rules. And surely it is better that a site like this makes people aware of the guidelines as Dave did in May.
On the cache in mention the owner has not logged in since April, so probably wouldn’t respond to a needs maintenance log. So should the cache be archived and left in place? or should the next responsible cacher to find it remove it and let the reviewer know the situation thus archiving it, my choice would be the latter.
Had a look at the Albert Einstein cache and noticed there have been 57 correct checks on geocheck, so sounds like a true 5 terrain rating seeing as how it has only been found 9 times. Not sure i will be able to solve puzzle to find out, unless i use some initiative.
I would say that there are not any caches on Dartmoor that warrant a 5/5 rating.
I have attempted 4 hard caches this year (not on Dartmoor). Gallows Gate (GC2HVKK) 3/4 rating, Seven quarries (GC3E0R7) 3/4.5 only three finds since being listed on 6th march, Little Everest 4.5 /5 (GC2EQ12) no finds this year. And the Worms turned 1.5/4 (GCPEV9) – one find this year, the first two were a success the last two not. I can’t think of any cache on Dartmoor to match these for terrain rating (unless anyone knows different, i’d love to try any).Signed – now over 121k.
I was going to do this yesterday but never got round to it. But was given a reminder with an unsuccessful attempt at the worms turned/pit of peril (UW7). As i was going up to the worms turned i somehow managed to loose my footing and fell back to ground with a thud, luckily no serious damage was done (apart from to my pride). But on another day? Made me think about how you never know when you might need one of these services.
