Taking the world by storm and definitely on the increase is this high-tech form of treasure hunting. In September 2006 I discovered the sport of Geocaching. Friends called at my house one afternoon and mentioned they were going to visit a cache site that was located close to where I lived. I went to investigate with them and the rest is history. I was hooked.

Geocaching is an electronic and hi-tech form of treasure hunting. Using a Global Positioning System (GPS device) you drive, ride, run or walk to an area to hunt out Geocaches that are hidden in public places across the UK and in fact the World.

The concept is unique as it combines an outdoor sporting activity with an a indoor past time using a computer and the internet. The idea started in America in 2000 and has expanded rapidly in the last five years. In the last two years the activity has grown in popularity in the UK as more and more Geocachers engage and create ‘cache sites’ across the UK.

There are literally thousands hidden around the world from Afganistan to Africa, Greenland to Antarctica and right across Great Britain and Europe.

They come in different sizes and are a small container that holds a guest book, pen and other small items of treasure. It is then carefully hidden for other Geocachers to find.

Anyone who registers with Groundspeak at www.geocaching.com becomes a Geocacher and will allocate themselves a nom de plume and an internet profile.

The most essential piece of equipment is a portable GPS device. The reviewed Timex Trailrunner is perfect but there are more sofisicated devices on the market many of which are used on board cars for A to B navigation. The device will determine a coordinate: For example: N 54 55 55.57 W 002 77 88.02 This coordinate is given as the primary ‘clue’ on the internet along with a series of other clues that will hopefully lead you to the cache.

Apart from the GPS coordinate and other clues, an Ordnance Survey map is helpful and sometimes essential depending on where the cache is located.

They can be anywhere but essentially need to be located where non-Geocachers - or ‘Muggles’ (a Harry Potter word used for ‘the general public’) - can find them. For this reason a vast majority are in rural locations but some are in towns and cities.

Caches can be ‘micro’ size - as small as a thimble or 35mm film container. These are usually placed in busy places. There is one in the centre of Lancaster stuck with Velcro to the underside of a park bench. Most are ‘lunch-box’ size capable of holding items of treasure, travel bugs or geocoins. Some caches can be even bigger capable of holding larger travel bugs.

Travel Bugs and Geocoins are ‘Trackables’ and make Geocaching even more interesting. Geocachers can buy a Travel Bug dog tag that costs only few pounds. It has a unique number stamped on it and is registered with Groundspeak. The TB is then let loose into the world, sometime with a mission, usually to go around the world or to a particular place. Geocoins are similar and are themed to different countries around the world.

The owner can then watch his or her bug move from cache to cache, country to country many clocking up thousands of miles within a few weeks.

Many Geocaches hold small items of ‘treasure’, usually worthless artefacts. This is ideal for families with young children to give the sport some added interest. The idea is to leave a small item in the cache and exchange it for some other.

The fascination of ‘collecting’ attracts many people to a vast range of hobbies and past times. Geocaching is just this only the collectable item is simply a computer record, a diary of events and activities over a period of months and years.

Avid Geocachers mark their 50^th, 100^th and 1000^th cache finds as a success event. There are competitions to find the most caches in 24 hours or in a year. Who knows where this up and coming sport will end?

Yes, this is what makes the sport so versatile. There is probably a Geocache within a mile or so of where you live and every chance you have walked or driven past it every day. To find them you may enter your post code in the search facility and ask for a return radius of 10 miles.

For example, within 1 mile radius of police HQ - PR4 5SB - there are 3 caches. Within 10 miles there are 130 and within 100 miles there are 4841 caches. There are a total of 14,555 caches hidden in the UK.

If you are going on holiday abroad then you can research caches in the area you are going to be then when you arrive, the hunt makes an interesting way of exploring your holiday location. Most caches tend to be at a site of particular interest, viewpoint or historical importance.

This travel bug is a great example of the many thousands that are in circulation. This one has been on the go for many years and is now heading north towards Perth, Scotland, perhaps not the destination the owner intended!

Here are two examples of geocache sites that are already in place.

Coordinates: N 54° 07.785 W 002° 46.227

Cache Size: A ‘small’ cache about the size of a small lunch box containing a guest book and pencil along with two or three small items of treasure.

The cache site is located within a few minutes easy walk from the main high street. There is ample car parking available. It should be fairly easy to find and will be of particular interest to Railway and Movie enthusiasts. It is also wheelchair accessible.

In 1945 Carnforth station was used as the basis, and location for the David Lean film "Brief Encounter" starring Celia Johnson and Trevor Howard, filming taking place on Carnforth station during February 1945.

On the 17th October 2003, the splendid Brief Encounter Cafe, and the Railway Heritage Centre's were opened and makes an ideal place to visit once the cache has been found.

Enjoy your ‘brief encounter’ in Carnforth!

The cache was activated on 6 November 2006 and on the first day had three visits from local Geocachers. From thereon the cache is attracting Geocachers on a weekly basis. This cache is an easy one to find and was located with disability access in mind. Many caches are on mountain tops or miles from the main roads so it is refreshing to consider wheelchair users who can access this site easily.

And if you think this is in a bizarre location…

Coordinates: S 77° 31.963 E 167° 04.918

Extracts from the cache description and clues how to find it:

“12,000 foot level on the southern-most active volcano on earth.”

“To access this site will take some very special equipment and a very special person. First of all, you have to get to Antarctica”.

“Come as a tourist. This option will involve taking a cruise ship from Australia or New Zealand and then finding a way to convince the helicopter pilot to fly you to the site”.

“The Helispot is quite nice however have the pilot take into consideration that the atmospheric pressure in Antarctica is much lower than it is in the temperate zones. The pressure/altitude is generally around 14,000 ft. This could make a difference in the number of cachers on the trip. Dress very warmly!

“The ambient temperature is usually below zero on the Fahrenheit scale and I think I have only been there a couple of times that the wind was not blowing. The 360 degree views are incredible.”

“The ocean looks close enough to walk to in a few minutes (don’t try it). The fumaroles are usually steaming just a very short walk away and the plume from the caldera just 2,000 feet above is magnificent.”

We hope this feature may have stimulated the imagination of many Club members who are perhaps looking for an alternative outdoor past time for themselves or their family.

This activity can be extended to larger groups with many members sharing the one GPS device and going out on a day trip to places like the Lake District and Yorkshire Dales seeking out caches here and there but at the same time having an enjoyable days walking, cycling or even just a drive in the country.

Why not form a Geocaching Section and organise groups of members within your division? Skills such as map-reading, navigation, orienteering and countryside leadership can be enhanced and developed in different ways. Funding can be applied for to assist the activity and even the purchase of a Club GPS Device could be considered provided there would be enough continued interest to support this.

There are a vast number of GPS devices available. The device suitable for Geocaching would need to be one capable of being hand held and battery powered. Many devices now are made for ‘in-car’ use as well as on foot and this would be the best type to purchase.

There are 100s of GPS devices on sale ranging from as little as £50 up to the more sophisticated device at £800. Here are three examples of :

Ideal for runners and cyclists as it is only a small pod unit that is strapped to your arm and an everyday wristwatch that receives and displays data.

Perhaps the ideal device for Geocaching in terms of cost and portability. Fits into your pocket, designed for durability and fully waterproof.

Ideal for those who want a car-mounted device for driving and the flexibility of taking it outside and using it as a hand-held device. However, the luxury of having a colour TV display screen is not necessary for Geocaching.

This is effectively an indoor activity and outdoor activity rolled onto one. It can be done as a singleton or as a group. One of the biggest attractions is it is a great family past time. The kids can go onto the internet at home and research the cache sites in an area. These can be printed off and the family can then drive to the first location and find each cache site in turn. This can be done either on foot, cycle or by car. Either way it gets the family out into the fresh air. At the end of the day, after a great day’s treasure hunting the kids can return home and log their visit on the internet. They can also upload pictures taken at each cache site as well as write a log on the movements of any travel bugs placed or found.