insideKENT Magazine Issue 36 - March 2015 | Page 85

DAYSOUT

Geocacing Micro Cache GC4RJ61

Geocaching Hiding Place

For a great way to start off your geocaching, Holly's Hideaway
(GC5HTXR) is a gorgeous fairies' house hidden in the woods
of New Ash Green, set by 7 year old Holly Woolcombe.

GEOCACHING

Geocaching Cache GC5KJN1

BY LISAMARIE LAMB

If you are looking for a new hobby that will not only get your brain working, but will get
you out into the fresh air as well, then geocaching could be exactly what you need. It’s an
exciting, thrilling, sometimes exasperating, always entertaining way to explore not only new
places, but your own doorstep too.

Geocaching is a worldwide treasure
hunt that uses GPS technology
(through a mobile phone app or by
using a specialist GPS device) to
allow people to locate ‘caches’ that
have been hidden by others. These
caches can be hidden in trees (or
up trees), on fences, behind
lampposts, under piles of leaves,
on gravestones and under rocks in
woodland, parkland, cities, or towns.
They can be on a circular looping
walk, so you can hop from one to
the next following the trail as you
go or they can be in the middle of
nowhere – the only one of its kind
in the area. They can be various
sizes too, from the nano caches
(perhaps no bigger than a 5p coin)
and micro caches (something like a
plastic film canister), to much larger
boxes (a Tupperware container is
ideal). Some will contain little trinkets
and toys known as geoswag; these
can be swapped, so it’s always a
good idea to bring a stash with you
when caching (keyrings are a great
example), and all should contain a
logbook. Once you find the cache,
you should date and sign the
logbook with your geocaching
name, and then replace it exactly

where you found it for the next
geocacher to come along. Logging
can also be done online, but you
should always complete the physical
log where possible.

know who loves to get out
there and discover these
caches, the online forums
and local meets will point
you in the direction of
likeminded people who
would love to join you for a
day’s hunting. Thanks to
many caches being in urban
areas, even those who might
have mobility issues can join
in – it really is for everyone.

An extra piece of fun that is
sometimes added to caches is the
trackable or Travel Bug. These little
items all contain a code which, when
entered into the geocaching.com
website, will tell you where the bug,
coin, or toy has come from, and
where it wants to end up. Your
mission is to get it there – or at least
on its way. You can ‘discover’ (spot
it in the cache and leave it there);
‘retrieve’ (take it from the cache to
move on); ‘dip’ (log it in a cache,
then take it straight out again); or
‘drop’ (put it into a new cache) a
trackable, as long as each
movement is logged online so that
its progress can be tracked.

It’s educational too – many
caches are located near to
sites of historical interest, or
Geocaching Travel Bug
have a story behind them