Caution: The Geocache of the Week may be haunted.

Something Sinister … (Staffordshire) (GCNA9Z) is as intriguing as it is scary. Legend has it that a spell was cast on an old oak tree near the cache.

According to locals in the West Midlands, UK,  a hungry, homeless woman approached Charles, the Earl of Shrewsbury, as he was returning to his castle one winter’s night in 1821. She asked for some money and the Earl angrily rejected her request. She then cursed him and told him that for every branch on the old oak tree that falls, a member of his family will die. The Earl dismissed the curse and carried on his way.

That evening a violent storm broke out and a branch fell from the tree. Later the same night a member of the family became ill and mysteriously died. The Earl ordered his servants to chain up the tree so that no more branches would fall. The tree remains chained up to this day.

The difficulty 2, terrain 2.5 traditional cache was placed near the tree by MarcB in 2005 and adopted by The Bolas Heathens and Dibbler. The cache and the tree have attracted nearly 400 curious geocachers over the last 7 years.

It was the number of Favorite Points that brought the cache to Spanner15‘s attention. After a visit to the spooky location, she awarded it a favorite point and decided to nominate it for the Geocache of the Week.

She writes, “Walking through the woods was pretty creepy. As we got closer, you could hear screams, from the tree maybe? When we arrived it was very thrilling and a sight to see. A HUGE tree, draped in chains. Sadly, we left our camera in the car, so we only had a rubbish photo from our phone. However, the memory has remained in my head ever since. The cache was pretty cool – my first ammo can!!! Definitely a favourite point!”

Continue to explore some of the most engaging geocaches around the globe. Check out all the Geocaches of the Week on the Latitude 47 blog or view the Bookmark List on Geocaching.com.

If you would like to nominate a Geocache of the Week, send an email with your name, comments, the name of the geocache, and the GC code to pr@groundspeak.com

Geocachers will need to travel by boat and on horseback to get to the Geocache of the Week.

Taal Volcano (GC1GJ6N) is part of a chain of volcanoes located on the western side of the island of Luzon in the Philippines.

The difficulty 5, terrain 5  EarthCache was placed by Team1337 in late September of 2008. Since then, it has attracted a number of geocachers to journey out to the volcanic island to claim a smiley.

Taal Volcano presents one of the most charming and picturesque views and is one of the most active volcanoes in the Philippines, with its last eruption occurring in 1977.

Geocachers who make the trip to this volcano often dive into Crater Lake – a lake inside the volcano’s crater that holds sulfuric content – to celebrate their trip.

A geocacher who embarked on this journey writes, “Unbelievable, amazing, what a trip and very beautiful view!  It was a real adventure to reach the rim of the crater. I used a boat and I walked to the rim of the crater. The questions were a real challenge, but I did it! Thanks a lot for this EarthCache.”

The 112 images on the cache page have done a fantastic job revealing the volcano’s beauty and capturing geocachers’ experiences.

Continue to explore some of the most engaging geocaches around the globe. Check out all the Geocaches of the Week on the Latitude 47 blog or view the Bookmark List on Geocaching.com

If you would like to nominate a Geocache of the Week, send an email with your name, comments, the name of the geocache, and the GC code to pr@groundspeak.com.

The Geocache of the Week takes us to a natural landmark near Edisto Beach, South Carolina.

Meet Beach Babe (GCV53Z), a difficulty two, terrain two traditional cache with a unique look and story.

You see, Beach Babe is a tree, dressed in clothes. There aren’t very many trees, if any, around the world that are as dressed up as this babe. In fact, her outfits change quite frequently and it’s somewhat of a mystery who started and continues to dress her up.

One thing is certain, fireman357, the creator of the cache near Beach Babe saw an opportunity for geocachers to find something “interesting, cool, and fun” when embarking on a search for his cache.

He explains, “I wanted a destination to take my fellow cachers somewhere they could have an experience and create a memory.  That, to me, is the best aspect of caching.”

This stylish tree is easily noticeable when one is leaving Edisto Island, a large tourist destination. When geocachers aren’t around to distract her, she can be found enjoying the marsh views.

Since the cache was placed in 2006, almost 300 geocachers have logged their visits, posted 77  images, and awarded it 21 Favorite Points.

One cacher writes, “Out for a birthday of geocaching when we found this great cache! I love her! This was by far our favorite cache of the day. Not sure how we missed her the first time we drove by but after that we made sure we watched for this beauty.”

Geocachers are urged to pack bug spray when visiting this cache between the months of October through February.

Continue to explore some of the most engaging geocaches around the globe. Check out all the Geocaches of the Week on the Latitude 47 blog or view the Bookmark List on Geocaching.com

If you would like to nominate a Geocache of the Week, send an email with your name, comments, the name of the geocache, and the GC code to pr@groundspeak.com.

Stone Appendix (GCR8N3) takes geocachers on an adventure inside a deep, dark, rocky cave in the outskirts of Turku, Finland. The difficulty 3.5, terrain 4 cache tests geocachers’ bravery and challenges them physically.

Tuskaretket ry placed this regular-sized traditional cache in November of 2005, inviting fellow geocachers to leave their suits at home and check out the cache that’s guaranteed to get them dirty.

Over 335 geocachers have dared to step into the cave and crawl in the dust to log this cache. Many of them managed to take fantastic photos inside the dark, hollow cave.

Tuskaretket ry explains on the cache page that, “to find the cache you have to forget the claustrophobia and dare to step deep into darkness.” While a flashlight is required, the cache page recommends bringing “a helmet and a partner” on this journey.

Stone Appendix has earned 77 Favorite Points so far. One cacher who dared to crawl in to get to this cache writes, “The idea of exploring the essence of a deeper cave had been running in my mind for a long time. I decided to step into the dark and the unknown, while in the company of a friend. Claustrophobia struck mid-stream. Fortunately, the fear was in vain. It was not at all difficult and overwhelming in the cave. It was surprisingly spacious. Have fun!”

If you plan on attending the Geocaching in Turku Mega-Event the weekend of August 3 and are up for the challenge, be sure to check out this Geocache of the Week!

Continue to explore some of the most engaging geocaches around the globe. Check out all the Geocaches of the Week on the Latitude 47 blog or view the Bookmark List on Geocaching.com.

If you’d like to nominate a Geocache of the Week, send an email with your name, comments, the name of the geocache, and the GC code to pr@groundspeak.com.