Back to Back with a Bump

19th November 2023

With the mornings taking longer to lighten up, I have been looking for circular walks of about a dozen or so trads within forty minutes from home. I saw a couple down near Bessels Green and decided that they would do me for the next couple of Sunday mornings.

I parked up next to #1 Back to Back down Back Lane and immediately DNFed the cache.🥴 I had better luck at #2 and the time was 0736. I left the lane and started wandering along muddy paths through the woods. I didn't have any problems up to #6 but I just couldn't find this one. It was described as under a brick in a holly bush. Imagine a narrow banked lane with holly bushes each side so you can imagine my problem. I might have stood a chance if I could have found the brick.😀

I carried on through the mud until I reached the "safety" of Back Lane. I couldn't find #10 but it turned out that it was MIA. I continued along the lane up to #11 which was a 3/4 up a steep bank maybe ten feet high. I climbed the bank but couldn't find the cache. I decided to leave it as I was  running out of time. I touched a thick branch to steady myself for the descent but unfortunately the branch was rotten and snapped.🥴 I ended up laying in the road.🤬🤬 Luckily there was no damage done and after "dusting" myself down, I continued up the lane.

I found the remaining two caches and had another look for #1 but no joy. However a couple of days later, the CO contacted me saying that whilst he was dog walking near #1, he had found some geocaching stuff chucked by the side off the road. He had traced it back to me as the stuff contained a TB of mine and a notebook with VANGEROVER on it. Working things back, I realised that I had hung my geobag on the gate whilst searching for #1. Some toe rag had then come along, seen the bag and rifled it, throwing what they didn't want. I'm grateful that they didn't want my spare pairs of spectacles, just the cases.🤔 Perhaps they had a particular need for my pencil case containing spare pens and logsheets.🙄

I will always be grateful to Philatreywood for finding my stuff. Thank you so much, Phil.👏👏👏

9 Traditional

#17759