Geocaching on an elctric bike

[steveindenmark]

Not strictly cycling related but I have just discovered Geocaching and have been out on a few trips in my local area to places I have never been before.

It is certainly another way of using my Garmin Edge that I have not used before.

Do we have any other Geocachers in the club?

Nice views close to home

But it was not all plain sailing

Steve

 

[BrianSmithers]

That's a really cool looking bike Steve - but I wouldn't fancy carrying it up those steps!

- Brian

 

[iaing]

Just bought a Garmin Oregon 400t and have downloaded some local cache co-ordinates, have not started looking yet.

Iain

 

[steveindenmark]

Brian I didn`t fancy ity either so I walked up the steps and the bike ran alongside on the grass embankment.
How wonderful is a throttle on a bike, it saved all that pushing.
The Tonaro Enduro is a great bike and basically goes anywhere I want to take it.

I think you may like geocaching Iain. It is quite addictive and actually gives you another reason to get the bike out.

Steve

 

[Willin']

I tried it when I replaced my old and knackered Garmin Legend with a new Garmin Map60 with Geocaching facility but I rapidly got bored with it. Finding a little plastic toy in the bole of a tree just doesn't cut it in the excitement stakes.

 

[z0mb13e]

I used to be an avid geocacher but have spent pretty much every weekend for the past 3 years restoring a friends campervan and am just about to start another one of mine, so probably won't get around to it unless I'm on holiday.

When out and about in the camper it was a great way of seeing spots that you would otherwise pass by.

I haven't done it for a long while now. I had never thought of trying it on the bike. If I get a day free I think I will try it.

 

[steveindenmark]

I tried it when I replaced my old and knackered Garmin Legend with a new Garmin Map60 with Geocaching facility but I rapidly got bored with it. Finding a little plastic toy in the bole of a tree just doesn't cut it in the excitement stakes.

Didn`t you realise the plastic toys were for the kids??

I am learning a lot about my local area and local history whilst doing this. I can see that it may not be for everyone but it is worth a go.

Steve

 

[z0mb13e]

It's not all plastic toys. Sometimes a cache will be placed with cash prizes or useful items. There are also geocache coins and travel bugs. The latter being items that are tracked on geocache.com so you can see where they have been and sometimes they have destinations they try to get to (with the help of geo cachers).

Be warned though, recently a chap got a caution for finding an urban cache. BBC News - Geocaching: the unintended results

 

[tillson]

I wonder what offence he received the caution for.

 

[z0mb13e]

The police refused to say exactly what happened to this chap. Personally I would have refused to accept the caution. A criminal record for geocaching?! Sounds a bit over the top. It would have made more sense for everyone to just say oops, sorry, looks like a bit of a misunderstanding all round and for everyone to get on with their lives.

 

[tillson]

The police refused to say exactly what happened to this chap. Personally I would have refused to accept the caution. A criminal record for geocaching?! Sounds a bit over the top. It would have made more sense for everyone to just say oops, sorry, looks like a bit of a misunderstanding all round and for everyone to get on with their lives.

Exactly. I can't think of any offences that have been committed here.

 

[flecc]

Exactly. I can't think of any offences that have been committed here.

Under the anti-terrorism legislation, anything a police officer doesn't approve of is an offence.

That's how far this country has been sleep-walking into a police state.

 

[tillson]

Under the anti-terrorism legislation, anything a police officer doesn't approve of is an offence.

That's how far this country has been sleep-walking into a police state.

I wasn't aware that things had gone that far. It seems a bit extreme. Anyway, I would take my chance in court on that one and certainly wouldn't have admitted to an offence, whatever that may be in this case, in order to receive a caution.

 

[steveindenmark]

I think the newspaper is using the word "cautioned" not in the context of an official police caution. But it sounds better than "The local police officer had a word in his ear". There was no offence commited here, OK littering at a push, but I doubt it. I think the industrial tape, 2 wires and taped on alarm clock didn`t help his case.

Top marks for the waitress though she did exactly the right thing and so did the police.

My caches will have it on the outside of the box that it is a Geocache and hopefully all those cunning terrorists will not follow suit.

Steve

 

[Scimitar]

I wasn't aware that things had gone that far. It seems a bit extreme. Anyway, I would take my chance in court on that one and certainly wouldn't have admitted to an offence, whatever that may be in this case, in order to receive a caution.

"Causing fear and alarm to the lieges" is a useful catch-all.

 

[z0mb13e]

What worries me is the action police take in ignorance of the law. Police officers rarely know the law inside out. Section 44 (of the Terrorism Act - Now repealed I think) was trotted out for many minor offences, far removed from it's intent.

I see ID is back on the cards albeit without the card this time...

 

[kitchenman]

Brian I didn`t fancy ity either so I walked up the steps and the bike ran alongside on the grass embankment.
How wonderful is a throttle on a bike, it saved all that pushing.
Steve

Yes! .. Steve, I also made full use of the throttle to get my two bikes up some of those tricky canal tow path inclines ...

 

[tillson]

What worries me is the action police take in ignorance of the law. Police officers rarely know the law inside out. Section 44 (of the Terrorism Act - Now repealed I think) was trotted out for many minor offences, far removed from it's intent.

I see ID is back on the cards albeit without the card this time...

Or sometimes the law is not applied in the spirit that it was originally intended. Although offences or methods of investigation technically fit within the law, sometimes they way in which they are applied are a mutation of the original purpose of that law.

Council and Police Chiefs (Thick Coppers made good), find the temptation to use anti-terrorism law to snoop into and control other areas of everyday life irresistable. This can only lead to an eventual watering down of these tools to fight terrorism and no one apart from those who want to harm us will benefit from that.

 

[steveindenmark]

Thanks for all this guys but can we go back to my original thread of Geocaching please?

Steve

 

[tillson]

Thanks for all this guys but can we go back to my original thread of Geocaching please?

Steve

Good point.

How do you get started with Geocaching? Where do you find a list of grid references / clues or whatever to locate these items, whatever they may be?