I’ve realised recently that an easy way to keep me happy is to do things that I enjoyed when I was a child. I used to love climbing trees but hadn’t done that in years, until one day when I still lived in a village in Scotland I headed out to the woods and climbed one. When I wasn’t in the trees, I was often under “The Den” (a small wooden shed which my Dad build, featuring a trap door leading to the ground) digging away the soil underneath and distributing it like “The Great Escape” to make the best den. Again, many years later, I headed out to the woods and had a great time making a small hole.
But there was one thing I loved doing as a kid that I never got enough of, and that was treasure hunts. When we’d go to the north of Scotland to visit my Grandparents, my Grandma would put so much effort into writing and hiding clues around the house and garden for my sister and I. We’d have a great time following the clues while my Parents and Grandparents got a chance to catch up.
I have missed this feeling of searching for treasure, but I didn’t realise how much until this Friday when I found my first Geocache.
I’ve heard of Geocaches before but never thought much of it until Neil Rolland began posting more and more pictures of his finds on Instagram. I had a little research and to begin with I did think it was a bit silly, but most of the things I do for fun are a bit silly anyway so why not give it a go.
Through the App Store I found the Geocaching Intro app, a free app with purchasable upgrades, and while waiting for a friend to get into Old Street Station I thought I’d give it a go.
I followed the in app GPS map to the location, waited till the groups of people had stopped talking by and felt behind an electrical box. Straight away I felt a small cylindrical object that didn’t feel like it should be there. I took it off and found this.
Inside there was a strip of paper, acting as a logbook. Unfortunately I didn’t have a pen and there were people coming along so I crammed the container and the logbook into my pocket and managed to repack it all with one hand, pretending to look at a really interesting text with my other. Once everything was packed away, I acted like I was pushing myself off the electrical box while I stuck the magnetic container back in its hiding place.
I was hooked! The fun of following the map, the excitement of being stealthy and trying not to race suspicion, the childish joy of finding treasure that (by the entries in the logbook) has been shared with many before me.
After having dinner with my friend and parting ways, I checked the map to see which other cashes I could get nearby. After a brief trip back to my flat to grab a pen, I headed out.
The next one I found was another magnetic pot, which I managed to crack open between groups of passing people. I quickly signed the logbook with “Scottish Scott” which seemed fitting, replaced the pot and left, completely forgetting to take a photo.
Ten minutes later I reached the next location but couldn’t work out where on earth the hiding place could be. The great thing about the app is not only does it show the location; it also has a hint for each location and a comments section with dates. I was able to see that this Geocache had been found just a few days before and the hint seemed to help. I thought about how I’d hide it and within a few minutes I had it!
Since Friday I’ve found a few more. There have been two so far that I’ve searched for but couldn’t find, but the disappointment is forgotten about as soon as you find another.
I walk a lot around London anyway so having a reason to walk to areas I wouldn’t normally visit just improves my experience of the city. Between locations I’ve been trying to avoid the main roads, opting for the side streets and hidden winding lanes, finding little pockets of calm in even the busiest areas of the capital.
I’m so glad I gave this a shot. If you enjoy exploring but you’re trapped in a city (or anywhere), I recommend you try it out (even if you think it sounds silly).
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