Tag: GOTW

/ Andrew Baldwin

Where Bats Dare — Geocache of the Week

Mystery
GC1N065
by toczygroszek
Difficulty:
1.5
Terrain:
4
Location:
Dublin, Ireland
N 53° 21.762′ W 006° 04.286

Tucked into the cliffs on the Irish eastern coast lies a cave, and within it, this Geocache of the Week. With a title like, Where Bats Dare, where else would this geocache be located?

Perhaps another title for this cache could be Where Batty Geocachers Dare, because this T4 Mystery Cache requires ample preparation, research, and equipment to access safely. Geocachers who attempt this cache should pay strict attention to the ebb and flow tides. At high tide the cave fills with water. Giving you only a two hour window to get in and get out before the treacherous tide rushes back in.

The entrance is located at sea level on the side of a cliff. You will lose GPS signal immediately upon entering the cave and will have to use your best geosenses to poke around the dark and wet rocks. At the end of the abyss lies the treasure, a small tupperware container.

 

What to bring:

  • Flashlight or headlamp
  • Waterproof boots (Be prepared to get wet!)
  • Warm clothes
  • Friend/fellow geocacher (do not do this cache alone)

The cave is also home to sensitive fauna and flora which may excite you or frighten you! But like most areas with a sensitive ecosystem, the cache owner reminds us to not disturb the environment inside.

What geocachers had to say:

This cache caught our attention when we were planning the trip to Ireland! Equipped with the tides table, we decided the afternoon would be the best opportunity!

Entered the site at the western beach, since we were traveling counter-clockwise. We had fun climbing over large rocks and little pools, until we arrived at the cave Exchanged our walking-shoes for Crocs, and went straight through the puddle towards the cave.

Thanks to the detailed description, we found the box and logged the find. The water would still recede a bit more while we were on our way, it was fun to watch it! Thanks for this great cache, which deserves a favorite point.

–Neo777

Well this was some adventure! And, of course, somewhere I would never have seen if not for geocaching and toczygroszek. So first off, a big thanks to the CO for the hide and the waypoints. I parked on Ceanchor Road and followed the track to path 1. From there it was straightforward.

I was at sea level over an hour before low tide so I was in no great hurry. I sat at the cave entrance and removed my walking boots, preferring bare feet for the water pool and the business in the cave. I found no obvious signs of life in the main cave or the side passage other than a couple of pigeons near the entrance.

–KowaiBaz

A word from the Cache Owner toczygroszek:

“In my opinion Howth Summit is the most beautiful area in Dublin, so I decided place there something special. While looking for a spot to hide a geocache, I found few interesting caves. Most of the caves are only accessible on the low tide. One of them was perfect for geocache.

As the cache type is mystery, I supposed that it would only be found by locals. But after a few logs I realized that many tourists were visiting the cache. And I find that amazing, because you have to prepare before — you have to check a tide time, use torch (flashlight) and have good boots. Now, it’s probably the most popular cave in Dublin 🙂 I’m really happy that people enjoy the cave and can discover wild part of Dublin.

Continue to explore some of the most amazing geocaches around the world.
Check out all of the Geocaches of the Week on the Geocaching blog. If you would like to nominate a Geocache of the Week, fill out this form.

Here it is! van "Kluis tot Kookhuis"
/ Janelle /

van “Kluis tot Kookhuis” — Geocache of the Week

Traditional
GC2JV5X
by Rebel & the Bandits
Difficulty:
3
Terrain:
1
Location:
Limburg, Netherlands
N 50° 51.091 E 005° 41.410
An idyllic town square in Maastricht
An idyllic town square in Maastricht

The town of Maastricht in the Netherlands has an impressive number of 1677 national heritage sites, which is the second highest number of a Dutch town, after Amsterdam. It’s become known as the birthplace of the European Union, European citizenship, and the single European currency, the euro.

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/ Ellis

Death in Venice — Geocache of the Week

Multi-Cache
GC7BA4
by daoloth
Difficulty:
3
Terrain:
3
Location:
Italy
N 45° 26.069′ E 012° 20.332′

A realist, in Venice, would become a romantic by mere faithfulness to what he saw before him. -Arthur Symons

What you see on this Multi-Cache journey in Venice will surely turn you into a romantic. For anyone visiting Venice (Venezia) you will want a tour guide to navigate you through the tight twists and turns of this unique city with a transport system of interconnected canals.

Death in Venice will take you on a 7-part Multi-Cache tour of the city, weaving you through back streets and historical sites, transporting you to a time over a thousand years ago. This is a death themed Multi-Cache that will take you to spots plagued by stories of death and misfortune. How intriguing!

Hidden in 2002, this older Multi-Cache took almost a whole day for the cache owner to create. Some geocachers have taken several days days to complete the entire adventure. Make sure to take note when certain locations are accessible.

Part 1: The Bells, the Bells — A good spot to view the entire trip ahead of you and gather your first set of clues.

Part 2: A reminder of nastiness amidst beauty — A beautiful and often missed campo with a spooky memorial.

Part 3: Hunchback — This ugly statue was a welcome sight in Venice’s colourful past. Miscreants would be flogged across a nearby bridge and run a gauntlet of angry citizens. They would be spared if they could make it to this figure.

Part 4: Dragon-Slayer — A tough campo to find, but if you can spot a dangerous looking bell tower you are nearly there! There is a mosaic of a famous dragon slayer nearby.

Part 5: Wages of Sin — There is a wall here with 3 intriguing statues.The story goes that these were merchants who tried to cheat an old lady and were consequently turned to stone.

Part 6: A sorry tale — This is a real gothic horror story. The tale is that a mad turk ripped out his mother’s heart and ran to this spot with the dripping organ in one hand and the knife in the other. The heart spoke to him (did I mention that he was mad?) and in his fright he tripped up the steps, fell into the canal and drowned. Apparently the area is still haunted by his restless spirit.

Part 7: Don’t Look Now — The final resting place for the cache, wink wink.

This one was awesome! Loved the places it took us and the stories we discovered at the waypoints. Favourite! 

Siemke95x

Found this beautiful cache over the course of two days while exploring Venice. Thanks for showing us sights beyond the well trodden path, especially San Michele! TFTC! 

Velarion

Skybluesbazza and I were spending a few days in Venice. Yesterday we explored the back streets, picking up the clues for this Multi – thanks for a very well set up Multi, that took us to places that we would have otherwise missed, and gave us some information about the different points. Today we got an all day boat ticket and visited Murano. This was just a short stop off on the way back to the main island! We soon found our way to the final coordinates and we were very relieved to find the cache! 

Guiding Nutter

We have been staying in Venice for three days, so there was enough time to visit all the interesting places you showed to us. It is so amazing – and enjoyable for us – that there are less tourists as soon as you leave the main streets. Thank you so much for hiding this cache. It was a great pleasure to walk through Venice and to visit the various stages. Of course, it is one of our favorite caches. 

axogang

Galapagos
/ Andrew Baldwin

BARTOLOME (GALAPAGOS) — Geocache of the Week

EarthCache
GC1KGT8
by boiler
Difficulty:
1
Terrain:
2.5
Location:
Galapagos
S 00° 17.046 W 090° 33.048

The Galapagos Islands are well-known for their expansive population of species. About 80% of the land birds, 97% of the reptiles and land mammals, and more than 30% of the plants are endemic, which means “belonging exclusively or confined to a particular place”.

Seldom in nature can you be approached by a wild animal. Bartolome (Galapagos) GC1KGT8 can bring us up close and personal to nature. The island is also a geologist’s playground—so it makes perfect sense that a truly wonderful EarthCache is here.

The little island, Bartolome, is only 1.2 square kilometers (297 acres). Rocky pillars of basalt called “tuff cones” jut out from the surface of the island. These pillars are remnants of hardened fallout of a volcanic eruption. One of the great rewards of GC1KGT8 is the stunning postcard view of the prominent Pinnacle Rock, the largest tuff cone on the island.

On the path to the beach, just offshore, you will find a large volcanic crater that is encapsulating.

If you brought your snorkeler you are in for a treat! According to the cache page the northern beach is open for swimming and the beaches of Bartolome Island are filled with fluorescent fish, playful sea lions, and even whale sharks!

 

The trail continues to lead you across a sandy isthmus to another beach at the southern end of the island. Swimming here is not welcome, and not as friendly. White tip sharks have been known to enter the waters and the cache owner Boiler warns of hostile ghost crabs in that area.

 

The trail ends with a rock path and a long wooden stairway (~360 steps) brings you through the lunar landscape with almost no visibility up to summit hill and the viewpoint of Pinnacle Rock.

If you are EarthCaching on Bartolome Island here are some notable vocabulary terms to take with you as per the cache page:

1.) Lava tubes: Formed by flowing rivers of lava whose outer layer cools and solidifies quicker than the core (creating a skin). The liquid lava continues to flow through the middle, hollowing out an area creating a tube like structure.

2.) Spatter cones: These cones are either a deep red, gleaming black or intense green. The cones are formed when the pressure of gases below the magma in an active lava flow push upward. The gases escape carrying big pieces of lava into the air. The outside of the lava cools down and turns black, and when it hits the ground, the lava ball bursts open releasing the hot magma inside.

3.) Lava bombs: The outcome of a spatter cone. The outside surface of lava bombs are smooth, but the inside of the lava bomb bursts open with broken fragments, creating A’a lava. The broken lava is very runny. However, once the gases all escape, the lava will start to slow, creating pahoehoe lava.

Here’s what our fellow cachers had to say about their experience:

One of the most beautiful landscapes in the Galapagos so far! What an awesome trip Elm77 and I are having. The climb was a breeze for me and the view spectacular. Our guide knew a lot about the geology of the area so I learned a lot! Answers and picture will be sent as soon as I get home. Thanks for the lesson! –Pomwoof

Last year on my 40th birthday I made myself the present of a Galapagos dive trip.  And by doing so a dream came true. As a group of 16 divers from Switzerland we were able to charter the “Galapagos Aggressor” for our trip.

On the second day of diving after two dives at Punta Carrion we set foot on Bartolomé Island for a land tour.  Of course I had already hoped at home that I would get the opportunity to visit one of the few caches around the Galapagos Archipelago.

I enjoyed the hiking a lot, admired the view from the top and even had the chance to see sea lions, penguins, Darwin’s finches, a lizard and a blue-footed booby – part of the animals on land, part while riding the zodiac. –Haiopaia

Thank you boiler for cooking up this hot EarthCache. Is that name a coincidence? I think not. Check out the beautiful photography from geocachers who have visited Bartolome Island and in the gallery below!

 

K&K LOST Train
/ Janelle

K&K LOST Train — Geocache of the Week

Traditional
GC2J0H0
by K&K
Difficulty:
2
Terrain:
1.5
Location:
Egypt
N 27° 22.616 E 033° 39.778
K&K LOST Train
K&K LOST Train

El Gouna is a completely man-made tourist resort located in eastern Egypt on the Red Sea. There you will find golfing, horseback riding, scuba diving, windsurfing, kitesurfing, waterskiing, parasailing, and snorkeling. There are two main beaches, Zeytuna and Mangroovy, which attract tourists sun-seeking from around the world. El Gouna is known as the “Little Venice of Egypt” due to the canals that allow each house to have its own strip of “beach” even if you may be quite far inland.

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