Tram

I had been promising myself a trip to Croydon to use the tram network for the first time. I had got close over the past couple of weeks but couldn’t make it past Beckenham. So I thought that today must be the day but I had some unfinished business to deal with first.

I had another early start and as the birds started to clear their throats, I was walking down to the I Can See For Miles mult that had been MIA last time. With that in the bag and a last look over the Crystal Palace, I headed off just down the road to pick up another MIA from last time - Durham Hill.

Last time I was in Beckenham, I got stuck into the BPP (Beckenham Place Park) series of trads but didn’t have time for the last five. These were no problem this morning and I completed the set in the park by collecting the 2.5/2.5 BPP AdLab series mystery.😀

I wanted to clear Beckenham of caches so soon found the ST New Beckenham trad and then parked up for the Yew There! trad. I realised that there was another AdLab series here that I had missed. So I worked my way around the Beckenham Bimble circuit picking up some more trads including the exotic Asian Roundabout before collecting the clever AdLab bonus.

I set off for the Tram network. I was planning to park up near TRAM ST Elmers End where I had DNFed last time and then walk up the road to experience the Croydon Tram network. I quickly found the ST and headed up to Birkbeck Station. I found the TRAM ST here too and walked onto the platform.

I had to work out what to do and my plan was to get off at every Tram stop, look for the cache and get back on again. Simples!😀 I alighted at Woodside, found the trad and the walked down the road for the CM Woodside multi which I didn’t find.🤔 I returned back to the station but could see another trad a few hundred yards down so went for Sludge Bucket 7 - Fire. I took a bit of a detour to look for the RST Addiscombe Railway Park trad and rejoined the Tram network at Addiscombe.

From here, I carried out my plan picking up TRAM STs until I got into Croydon East. I had brunch here in a Cafe Nero and then spent almost all my time collecting STs, TRAM STs and CM trads and multis around town. I did take time out for the DRIP DROP EC near East Croydon Station which was based on stalagmites and stalactites though. I did also pick up a couple of the Croydon Gems and International Womens Day AdLab series.

Now I had texted the CO of the CM Woodside multi regarding what I thought was an error and he kindly sent me the coords. I was whacked so I had some coffee and cake and set off back to Woodside. I had no problems this time so it was back to the Trams and off to Birkbeck and the motor.

I reckoned that I had had a result today. I saw that I could get right up to Wimbledon on the network and be nicely placed to visit a lot of the districts between here and the River Thames. The Crystal Palace is only a mile or so up the road from Birkbeck which is rich in caches. I can also fill in a lot of squares for the OS 161 Explorer Challenge mystery.😀

1 Earthcache 2 Mystery 6 Multi 8 AdLab 21 Traditional

#15533

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