Top contenders were our first CHIRP cache (J. J. Joy Jar - "Haywood Hornet Chirps" by The Haywood Hornet) which we were also pleased to FTF on, and also a highly original puzzle based on the IKEA assembly instructions (Swedish Flat Pack by -Ako-).

But January's winner for sheer originality of cache design and for being hidden in plain sight is this one by roobarbandcustard

01 JAN: Pole Position

Pole Position

It was a real toughie to decide this month's award, what with so many finds (97) and several very enjoyable series: 

Wylde Walmley Wander
Steam Trains & Narrowboats
Old Hattons
Blithfield Loop (1-7)
Stroll Around Fradley Village
Wheaton Aston Circular (1-6)

So I picked this one from a series we enjoyed with friends which gave us all a bit of a laugh.

02 FEB: Stroll around Fradley Village -Toad of Old Hall

Stroll around Fradley Village -Toad of Old Hall

So many choices this month...it could have been "Arboreal Perplexity" for sheer originality and cunning OR it could have been "Fun in the nature" for an FTF chase in the dark in the woods OR it could have been one from either of the great series we did at Granville or Wheaton Aston. 

But in the end, I have chosen this one as our first night cache and with friends too for a great evening to remember.

03 MAR: Pick Triangle (Curse of the Black Panther)

Pick Triangle (Curse of the Black Panther)

Well April 2011 was our Best Month for cache finds at 136 so this was never going to be an easy choice, what with:

- a caching trip to Birmingham with Phil & Mark; and two brilliant contenders there (Maiden in Distress & Sidetracked - Jewellery Quarter)

- our holiday to Cornwall and some truly FANTASTIC series & standalone caches we did like Baloo's Run, Halamanning Engine House, the Trewellard Trail, Fool's Gold Rush, Porth Nanven Raised Beach, and more)

- the Chebsey Circular on my birthday

- the caching outing with Phil round Shifnal and then Telford

- and John's Staffs & Worcs Canal series (1-8)

After much deliberation, the honour goes to this one on which the whole PAZA team had so much fun in the woods in the dark and on our jollies in Cornwall.

One we will all remember for a long time. Thank you!

04 APR: Whispering Trees Night Cache

Whispering Trees Night Cache

This was another great month for cache series which we enjoyed, in particular:

 - Staffs & Worcs. Canal. by coast to coasters, which took us round familiar old stomping grounds
 - Sadie's walk 1 of 14 again by coast to coasters (John really does know how to find a good circuit), being a 'boys night out' with Phil & Mark
 - Badger Dingle by Lost*and*Found, a lovely Sunday outing spent with Mr & Mrs BaggieWhite

But the standout cache this month was Pole Vault by roobarbandcustard not particularly for its location but for its sheer originality, planning and inventiveness in this and the associated caches that needed collecting to get to the final. 

(I won't mention that flamin' Sudoku that I spent hours on - BEFORE the CO made it easier to solve - DOH!)

05 MAY: Pole Vault

Pole Vault

June's favourite was a real tricky one to choose - what with a series round Coven, a series near Lichfield, some in Sutton Park, and also a few around Ironbridge during the event there.

Probably the most memorable has to be 'Alchemy Quest - Iron' and then for the audience witnessing the 'journey' to the cache rather than the cache itself.

I'd been kippered by baggiewhite into thinking, what I know NOW to be NOT the nearest approach was indeed the nearest approach - a 1-in-2 slippy bank.

I should've realised when Mrs baggiwehite got her camera out....

No sooner had I started on the upward journey than I was making a swift downward journey and almost going A over E.

You might be able to seek out the video on facebook somewhere!

After that little incident I did manage the ascent but the picture on my face when I reached the top to find another path within 40ft of GZ would have been some image too - lucky I was alone as the air was blue - lol!

06 JUN: Alchemy Quest ~ Iron (Shropshire)

Alchemy Quest ~ Iron

I/we had some more great caching adventures this month:

- a couple in Birmingham City Centre; Pointless Passage and St Pauls Nano, both great hides by Mumbo Jumbo
- an FTF fest on the Goosey's Nest series right on my doorstep with a couple of great hides like 'Newbie' and 'BFG'
- another FTF on our doorstep where we took 'Bramble' as our prize at Wimblebury Woods by baggiewhite

But this month, the award goes to another in the Alchemy Quest series , this time Steel - mainly for the very interesting building to be seen during the pleasant walk to GZ. Yet another of those 'would not have seen this but for geocaching' moments.

07 JUL: Alchemy Quest ~ Steel (Staffordshire)

Alchemy Quest ~ Steel

Well there were some more great caching adventures this month like:

- the Moseley Court series by a0004uk we did with team baggiewhite including the 5/5 which involved sending ME (why is it always me) up a tree for it
- FTF chases round Hawks Green, Cannock Chase and Armitage; it's always great to bump into fellow cachers on nights like this - like we did with GT Wyrley Wanderers, Ghost House Three and aoheiwa on some of these
- a fabulous event with a series of caches at Biddulph Grange
- and a few on our holidays to Florida; boy do those floodlight shrouds make some noise when you're trying to be invisible!

but this month, the prize goes to 'Sch ... You Know Who!!' by HartOfTheMatter for an imaginative and novel hide found during an afterdark FTF chase that we, well I ;-), managed to spot before bumping into GH3 a few mins later.


08 AUG: Sch ... You Know Who!!

Sch ... You Know Who!!

Plenty more memorable ones this month including:

- some clever ones round Herrington Park, nr Sunderland with my bruv-in-law and nephew

- crafty puzzles by baggiewhite

- FTF chasing caches in Armitage by HartoftheMatter

- a very nice walk around Penn Golf Club before the event at the Crooked House

- some clever hides by StaffsKnotter on a nice walk around another golf club near Stafford Castle

however the award for September goes to this one by MysteryFrog for the fun and interesting puzzle which gave me the 'eureka' moment and finally the excuse to visit the castle and surrounds for the very first time despite living less than 10 miles away for nearly 40 years.


09 SEP: +++++ Stafford Castle Mystery +++++

+++++ Stafford Castle Mystery +++++

Looking back, I've found caches in quite a few different places this month:

Liverpool
Stafford
Birmingham
Lichfield
Wroxeter
The Wrekin
Bangor
Snowdonia
Atherstone
Walsall
Wolverhampton
Telford

and there's been a few memorable ones in those places but the October award goes to this one for the fascinating and spooky location. Isn't geocaching smashing that it shows you spots like this you would never have otherwise seen? LOVE IT!

10 OCT: Baddesley Ramble A - Old Graveyard

Baddesley Ramble A - Old Graveyard

Reading back I realise this was an epic month where I've found caches round:

Essington
Middleton Hall
Bodymoor Heath
The Belfry
Kinver
Castle Combe
Chippenham
Lacock
Birmingham
Stafford
Cannock

and also some fab caches like:
mysteries by The Wombles in Chippenham, 
Boogie Wonderland by MaxTrev, 
and LOADS on the WIAN series by All-Weather-Cacher 

- so it was a really REALLY hard choice this month - any one of those above could have won it in another month.

But this month it has to be Gargantuan by FungiManForager for a fantastic night-cache that ALL the family came out on (and THAT doesn't happen very often these days) and for our 2000 milestone too!

11 NOV: GARGANTUAN - NIGHT CACHE

GARGANTUAN - NIGHT CACHE

I seem to have solved and found quite a few crafty and enjoyable puzzle caches this  month which all deserve a special mention:

Double Puzzle by roobarbandcustard - two puzzles for the price of one solved as a family effort
Are We There Yet Dad? by Little MissC - now I know lots more about Peppa Pig!
The Tobacco Hen Lodge by gaz_zippy - needed a gentle nudge from the CO I shouldn't have
Zippy's Rainbow Cache by gaz_zippy - 'up above the streets...'
A Bedeviling Foments, Neigh! by stokesy - it's been bugging me for aaages
The "Honour Teen Soil" Enigma by TheFitz - very novel
Can You Crack The Code? by Dingo749 - a codecracker
143 Susie by The Mighty Shark - sneaky!

but the December award goes to this one by baggiewhite, not just for the fun solving the puzzle but the late night adventure (on me todd) in the dark in unknown territory chasing the FTF (to which I pipped Mike and Em by but a few mins).


12 DEC: What's On My MP3 Player

What's On My MP3 Player

Our Favourite Cache that we found in each month of 2011


PAZAuk's Cache of the Month 2011.list-details-1wr9x6v{text-transform:uppercase;font-size:12px;}@media screen and (min-width: 600px){.list-details-1wr9x6v{font-size:1.25rem;}}.list-details-1wr9x6v.shareable{color:#87705a;}.list-details-1wr9x6v.public{color:#00b265;}Public

PAZAuk's Cache of the Month 2011Public