Geocaching

[gus horsley]

At least they suggested taking a lamp and a spare, rather than just a box of Swan Vestas and a bit of string. Next time I find a geocache thingy I'm going to take the most valuable thing out and leave an old pair of unwashed shreddies behind. With skiddies.

 

[Dave H]

"On the way out we collected a good binliner full of rubbish which included a fair amount of broken glass. You'd think that these caving types would be a bit more sensitive, especially as the area is a SSSI You would think that they would have some sort of association that would oversee care & maintenance, instead of leaving it up to us Cachers."
:evil: Anyone fancy putting them right on the source of the rubbish!

 

[Peter Burgess]

The sad thing is, it may well have been some people calling themselves 'cavers' who left some of the rubbish. We aren't all squeaky clean. Just as there are self-righteous and pompous geocachers who ought to know better than to make sweeping statements.

 

[gus horsley]

I propose somebody leaves a geocache at the bottom of Quaking Pot, my most favouretist trip in the whole world, ever.

 

[SamT]

Hmm - this sound like a very bad idea.

Of all the places... why winnats.
Suicide cave - maybe but I still dont think this sort of thing should be encouraged at all. It can only lead to bad things.

I think there may have to be "official action" by the "sort of association that would oversee care & maintenance"

Like the removal of the cache and a note posting on the caching site to this effect.

Ive joined the caching site and I'll get on the phone to a few peeps.

Good effort with the cleaning up I suppose. Wonder if they picked up the bloody jam rag I had to crawl past last time I was in there.

 

[Cumbrian Neil]

I've done a couple of caches here where they were placed in short, dead end caves about 10 feet from the entrance. However, this cache appears to be a little further than the twilight zone!

As for valuable... there is rarely anything of value to be found. Although this one does currently have a Travel Bug in it that is valuable to someone somewhere. If the cache is on SSSI land, they might have restrictions on whether or not caches can be placed. You can't place them on wilderness lands or in national parks in North America. Contact SSSI and they will be able to get it removed. I suggest that this is the safest way as this way the log/cache would be removed off the Geocaching site and not unecessarily lead folks unwittingly into a cave without knowing that it was gone.

I think a more bizarre place to put a geocache would be directly under the main shaft of GG... now that would be a little silly!

CN.

 

[paul]

Hmm - this sound like a very bad idea.

Of all the places... why winnats.
Suicide cave - maybe but I still dont think this sort of thing should be encouraged at all. It can only lead to bad things.

I think there may have to be "official action" by the "sort of association that would oversee care & maintenance"

Like the removal of the cache and a note posting on the caching site to this effect.

Ive joined the caching site and I'll get on the phone to a few peeps.

Good effort with the cleaning up I suppose. Wonder if they picked up the bloody jam rag I had to crawl past last time I was in there.

The BCA Forum has some more info on
http://www.british-caving.org.uk/phpbb2/viewtopic.php?t=72

It appears the matter will be discussed at the DCA Meeting on 1st July and no doubt action will be taken.

 

[SamT]

Given the rate of visits, I think something needs to be done sooner than the 1st of July.

There is a contact form on the site that you can send to the site informing them of any cache that you consider to be inappropriate. The site can then remove it from their pages.

I've written emails to DCA, BCA & DCRO notifying them of this - and asking them to write in.

I also found this

http://www.gagb.org.uk/guidelines/guidelines.php

and mailed them too as this cache is clearly against their guidelines.

Depending on how things go at the weekend - if I have time - I might pop up there and remove the cache myself.

 

[SamT]

The sad thing is, it may well have been some people calling themselves 'cavers' who left some of the rubbish. We aren't all squeaky clean. Just as there are self-righteous and pompous geocachers who ought to know better than to make sweeping statements.

True.

BUT. the cave is in the back of a small hollow just off the path near the top of the increadibly busy winnats pass (thousands of tourists a year). The rubbish scattered down the entrance slope is typical of tourist picnics - old thermos, paper plates crisp packets etc. Its also the type of hollow that people nip off into to dispose of nappies, sanitry ware etc.

The rubbish they collected has not been left by cavers - just tossed in by passing tourists.

Good effort clearing it up though.

 

[SamT]

Spotted the following in the cache thread so it looks as though someone has had words - and the geochace.com admin guy "Lactodorum" has decided not to archive.
Hopefully - after some disscussion with DCA & DCRO a sensible solution can be arrived at.

Wonder who the "local cave rescue" bod was.

(Probably andrew moorhouse )

May 11 by geohunter matt (62 found)
Back up and running again. Please note the extra information in the listing.
'Ramble On!'
Matt
[view this log on a separate page]



May 11 by geohunter matt (62 found)
back up soon
[view this log on a separate page]


May 10 by Lactodorum (0 found)
This cache, in common with all others, is published in accordance with Geocaching.com guidelines. My reasons for not archiving it have been aired in private communications.
[view this log on a separate page]


May 9 by geohunter matt (62 found)
Im curently in comunication with a member of the local cave rescue and land owners regarding the state of this cave / cache. Its looking at the moment this could be back up again soon. Going to get in touch in the next week with the Winnats Pass farm to see about these access permissions and if its required it will be up in the description.
[This entry was edited by geohunter matt on Thursday, May 11, 2006 at 2:18:18 PM.]
[view this log on a separate page]



May 9 by geohunter matt (62 found)
out of order.. looks like its causing problems
[view this log on a separate page]


May 9 by Lactodorum (0 found)
Hello, as a result of comments received the reviewers have checked access requirements to the cave and have found the following:
"Cache is in Winnatts Head cave, free access is allowed to cavers at any time with permission. A fee is payable.

Winnats Head Cave, Castleton, Derbyshire.
Grid Ref: SK 1315 8284
Alt: 405m
Length: 600m+
Access: Park at Winnats Head Farm for permission to visit the cave. A parking fee is charged (50p/person).
The boulder chokes require care, especially the one below Fox Chamber. "

To ensure the relevant permission has been obtained would the cache owner please add these details to the cache description.

Many thanks, Lactodorum

 

[SamT]

Noticed that this cache has now been archived.

8)

 

[Dave H]

"Lactodorum" is the Roman name for Towcester, Northamptonshire, where I work.
I hope the person holding this guilty secret is no-one I know

 

[Peter Burgess]

See this thread in the BCA Forum for more background on how this happened.

http://www.british-caving.org.uk/phpbb2/viewtopic.php?t=72

 

[madratdan]

FYI, in the US, the NSS has a geocaching committee to help deal with problems like this, as they arise between the two groups. Good luck, and I hope the situation works itself out. 

 

[Alkapton]

I seem to be restarting an old thread.  Given the subject it might be a good idea. 

I notice in other countries geocaches can sometimes be left in caves.  In this country it seems to me it is a frowned upon practice.  I can envisige a geocache being placed by a climber at a location only accesible by a climber or by srt.  I dont see a problem with that because someone without the necssary skills could not possibly reach the cache.

Caves seem different because those without gates are accesible by anyone.  So I ask what you think.  Is leaving a geocache inside a cave always a bad thing to do or are there caves/underground locations that are suitable?
I understand the temptation to do it but I also recognise the potential for problems.

 

[SamT]

I didn't think GPS worked underground 

And my two pence worth is that is strikes me as a bloody silly idea - re the rest of this thread.

 

[Ian Adams]

I do a fair bit of geocaching and have not yet come across any actually in "caves" in the UK.

There are a good few within the entrance (only a metre) and a good few that are near to entrances(on the outside). There is also a series called "all in the m'ined" where an entire collective exist by mine entrances (but not inside).

There is only one that I have have found that was actually underground and ths was inside a trial adit on a heavily walked footpath. The trial was as unexciting, unsurprising and as "un"dangerous as you might expect. The description did include notes to the effect that it was underground.

I personally don't think that an underground cache is a particularly good idea - it would lead to inexperienced people "pushing" themselves to find something in an environment they may be unfamiliar with and which has obvious dangers.

Of course, SamT is also correct - a GPS will not work underground unless you lock onto a Russian/Chinese, ground penetrating, Higgs Boson emitting satellite network.

Ian

 

[TheBitterEnd]

We came across one in the measureless vastness of Hellsfell cave. It was pretty wet and the log fairly unreadable but hadn't been accessed for some time, anyone going for it would get a bit muddy.

 

[Amy]

Do you guys have registers there? In popular caves here there are registers placed to sign your name and log the date and note where you are from. It's fun looking through old log books to see who made it to a certain point. Guess that's kinda like geocaching but for cavers. Usually they are put in difficult or out-of-the-way spots. They aren't hidden they are in plain sight but you have to be in the right area to see it. For example, Tumbling Rock (very popular SCCi owned cave here) it's at Mt Olympus, a popular trip destination further back than your softer cavers will make it to. Additionally many people say "oh yeah I've been to Mt Olympus" but they didn't get covered in mud or anything...uhwhattt? Yeah. They didn't actually make it to Mt Olympus if they didn't find the register and didn't covered in mud!

 

[robjones]

Do you guys have registers there?

Not unless you count a small number of systems that have books a short way in from the entrance for people to log themselves in and back out so in the event of a call-out there will be information on who is in the cave and what part of the system they intended visiting.

I believe that US cave registers are an extension of the 'tin can registers' (similar registers but in a weatherproof-ish metal box) that many US mountain summits have possessed since at least the mid twentieth century. As tin can registers do not seem to exist* on UK mountains, this may account for cave registers not having taken off here.

[* an open invitationn for pedants to mention the few exceptions that may exist!]