We discovered Geocaching in 2020, after accidentally stumbling across a Geocache on one of our regular walking routes by our house! The boys had discovered what looked like a tiny lunchbox in the trees they were playing in, and when I approached it (initially unnerved as it had a camo style sticker, and we do live near a military base!) I could see the sticker explained it was a “Geocache”.
What is Geocaching?
Geocaching is a real-world, outdoor adventure that is happening all the time, all around the world. To play, participants use the Geocaching app and/or a GPS device to navigate to cleverly hidden containers called geocaches. There are millions of geocaches in 190 countries waiting to be discovered—there are probably even some near you right now.
Once back at home, I immediately jumped on Google to find out more about “Geocaching”. It turned out the item was of course safe to touch, and that we needed an account to find more, so we eagerly signed up for an account and went back the next day to log our first Geocache! However, between work, Covid-homeschooling and the on and off lockdowns that were taking place at this time, our first year of Geocaching was not a success. There was only one geocache in our immediate area, and with our boys being quite small and not walking more than a couple of miles, geocaching ended up leaving our life as quickly as it had entered it!
Roll on to 2024 (about 2 weeks ago!) and my youngest went out on a hike with his Beavers group. He came home that evening excitedly telling me about how he’d found a geocache! I’d all but forgotten about this activity, and after chatting with him about how much fun he’d had, I decided to download the app again and was immediately inspired to use it as a way to encourage us to do some different walks and get further out of our walking ‘comfort zone’. My husband and I have talked for a couple of years now about getting out more, but have always found excuses not to go through with it (work, weather, weariness…) But honestly, once I’m out I always love it (we all do!) and I think this will be a great activity to get us to new areas!
Our first geocaching excursion was the weekend following the Beavers hike, and I was accompanied by my youngest (my eldest being at one of his friends’ houses, and Dad was working). We decided to head to Ford Hall Farm, as there were plenty of caches to be found in one place, and a heavy concentration of caches would be good for my youngest to focus on. We arrived mid-morning to rain, but considered that an advantage, as this is a popular place for walking, and we didn’t want to be spotted by ‘muggles’ as we searched for the caches!
Ford Hall Farm is a community owned organic farm set in 128 acres of Shropshire. As well as offering the beautiful, rural walks, they also offer a farm shop selling their own and other locally produced food, and a cafe, serving fresh food and drinks, with indoor and outdoor seating, and it’s dog friendly too. There is also a little play area for younger children to enjoy.
After arriving at the carpark we followed the sign for the walks, which took us to a shelter by the play area where a billboard informed us of which walks were open, and which fields were closed off to the public. Walks available vary day by day due to either livestock locations or weather related issues. There were no printed maps available, so I took a photo of the one on the billboard, but honestly, the walk was so well signposted I didnt even need to refer back to it!
During the morning’s walk we discovered 3 geocaches (we did ‘Ben’s walk’). There are several walks of varying lengths around the Farm, and all are free to enjoy! There are still plenty of caches hidden around the area on the other walks and we are already looking forward to coming back to do some more of these with the rest of the family, and find some more caches! On this particular day, we took a leisurely stroll, taking in the views and nature around us; it was an easy and enjoyable walk, and as the clouds cleared, we even got some beautiful views across Shropshire to enjoy.
Thoughts from a 7 year old.
My 7 year old really rated this walk, telling me several times how much he enjoyed it – even after we’d left – and how he can’t wait to come back again. He said he loved finding the caches the best, but his second favourite section was an area with what I would consider an ‘outdoor classroom’, which he decided would be a good spot for our lunch (we’d bought a packed lunch), and there was also an ‘adventure play area’ with a tyre swing!
Things to bring.
Wherever you go, you’ll always want to make sure you’re dressed appropriately for the terrain and ever changing British weather (I’m talking layers and bringing a waterproof coat!) It’s always adviseable to bring your first aid kit too, as well as a bottle of water, but here are some other things you might want to consider!
Camera. Even if you aren’t into photographing the wildlife, farmlife or views, you’ll be able to capture some lovely candid moments of your family as they enjoy the walk. I love capturing their reactions and recording special moments that we can talk about for years to come.
Phone. If you’re geocaching, be sure to bring your phone to help you find those caches. We found a couple were not quite as the gps pinpointed, so take advantage of the previous logs sections to help you find them!
Long trousers! My youngest is a shorts guy through and through, though I did suggest trousers – and he did admit during the walk that trousers would’ve been a better idea. There were nettles in one of the geocache spots so we couldn’t find it, but the long, wet, grass in particular, wasn’t pleasant for him (hopefully he’ll listen to me next time haha!)😜
Sensible footwear. It was the end of June when we went, but 2024 has been WET! We wore walking boots, and they served us well for our walk, especially being waterproof, but you may want to wear/bring wellys for the ‘Welly walk’, or to avoid getting wet trousers/leggings/ankles whilst traipsing through the wetter fields.
Packed lunch. These walks aren’t long, but if you come around lunch time, you might want to add to the adventure by bringing a packed lunch! We found some nice spots to sit and enjoy food along the walk; the outdoor classroom, a couple of benches, or bring a picnic blanket and set up on a field! Alternatively there is the café, but we were on a budget. We did grab the youngest an ice cream afterwards though to show some support for this great business!
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