Another Facebook call out was for people to walk round the Omega series of caches near Silkstone (Barnsley) before the Christmas Corroboree event… As it was although many people talked about coming the threats of bad weather put some people off, so in the end it was just Godfairies (Steve), Goldfish58 (Carina) and myself who met up for the walk…
We started out at the Corroboree venue, walked past No25… failed to find No1… and then failed to find No2 – even though we were met at the GZ by another pair of cachers who had done the walk previously and knew where the cache had been – but it wasn’t there…

14th December 2013 – Omega 3 Wait Teal you see me! GC3QTYT – cache #3045
We then carried on to No3 and failed to find that too, so wondering if it was us being useless or a problem with the caches Godfairies phoned the Cache Owner who pointed us in the right direction to find the cache… it was just us being useless !

14th December 2013 – Omega 2 Blacker Lane GC3QTYE – cache #3046
We had failed to find this cache first time, even with the assistance from passing cachers who knew where the cache had beenbut when we rang the CO we got hints for both No3 (which we then found) and this cache – which was not where it had been

14th December 2013 – CC X1 #11 RUDOLPH GC4TP75 – cache #3047
This was a slight detour to the new caches put out for the Corroboree but as it was only slight (125 feet !) and we could see other cachers out looking for it we went over for a bit of a chat and to find the cache

14th December 2013 – Omega 4 Shapely Tree GC3QTZ5 – cache #3048
Steve had found this one before so stood back and let Carina search one side of the tree while I searched the other side… as usual I chose the wrong side

14th December 2013 – Omega 5 Lower Coates Farm GC3QTZG – cache #3049
A cache to scratch your head at while finding… unless you are wearing protective headgear !

14th December 2013 – Omega 6 Halfway Up. Enjoy the View! GC – cache #3050
Two possibilities – two gateposts, as usual I chose the wrong one first…

14th December 2013 – Omega 7 Ransom Bridge. GC3QV0W – cache #3051
We took some time finding this because there were lots of possible places which we each searched through, in the end there was really nowhere else to look so I looked there (or rather felt there) and pulled out the cache

14th December 2013 – Omega 8 V for Victory GC3QV1K – cache #3052
Steve had found this one before so stood back and let Carina and me search for the cache – which was quickly found

14th December 2013 – Omega 9 Odd Twin Out GC3QV1Y – cache #3053
As we were walking down the path we were pondering the title of the cache as there seemed to be two possible reasons for it… but the cache was easily found

14th December 2013 – Omega 10 Craggy Old Tree GC3QV2C – cache #3054
It was here we met Fat bloke walking around the other way… as I was chatting to him he spotted the cache and we walked off to sign it at the nearby bench, leaving Carina and Steve still searching trees for it (we did call them over eventually)
Unfortunately we didn’t do too well at signing the log as it was absolutely sodden.

14th December 2013 – Omega 11 Top Tunnel GC3QVG8 – cache #3055
While Steve and Carina searched what appeared to be the obvious feature I followed the GPS arrow to what it said were the exact coordinates – and there I spotted the little rascal

14th December 2013 – Omega 12 Knabbs Lane Crossing GC3QVH3 – cache #3056
Steve had found this one before and had to shout to Carina and I that we had walked past the cache… the pile of stickoflage was pretty obvious !

14th December 2013 – Omega 13 Unlucky for Some GC3QVJW – cache #3057
We searched all around here and spotted something that looked not quite right but didn’t appear to be moveable… so we phoned the CO and he told us that we were looking at the right thing, so we delved into Steve’s rucksack for a suitable tool and used it to reveal the cache… A Clever hide well worthy of a favourite point

14th December 2013 – Omega 14 Twixt Tunnel and Bridge GC3QVKB – cache #3058
A few places that matched the hint, but Steve found the right one in the end

14th December 2013 – Omega 15 The Ivy League GC3QVKX – cache #3059
I thought camouflage was meant to hide a cache ?… this one stood out a mile !

14th December 2013 – Omega 16 Doing it in Style GC3QVM9 – cache #3060
Another cache with a few places around that match the hint… but we soon spotted the cache

14th December 2013 – Omega 17 WHY GC3QVMQ – cache #3061
We got on the wrong path in the woods and had a circuitous route to get to the cache, fortunately finding it was easier than finding our way there

14th December 2013 – Omega 18 They’re not for Cricket GC3QVN4 – cache #3062
Thanks to the hint we quickly found the right place to look

14th December 2013 – Omega 19 Is This a Tunnel or a Bridge GC3QWEW – cache #3063
As we were now back in ‘civilisation’ we were meeting a few passers-by, so when Carina had found the cache she sat on the wall to sign the log while Steve distracted the passersby by getting out his sandwiches making it look like we’d stopped for a refreshment break

14th December 2013 – Omega 20 The Tall One GC3QWF6 – cache #3064
Spotted ‘The Tall One’ from a long way away, and the cache was almost as easy to find

14th December 2013 – Omega 21 The Tamworth Three GC3QWFE – cache #3065
What appearedto be an obvious pile of stickoflage was actually the tree roots !

14th December 2013 – Omega 22 Hollow Spring GC3QWG7 – cache #3066
After searching round for ages we resorted to phoning the CO for a better hint for the feeder, which he duly supplied but even then it took a few minutes to turn it up… Fortunately once we had the final co-ordinates finding the cache was easy

14th December 2013 – Omega 23 Pipe Dreams GC3QWHE – cache #3067
Steve had found this cache before… however although he knew where he had found it Carina and I had no luck at all in locating it ourselves… because it wasn’t hidden where it had been… eventually after turning over every stone around the cache was found

14th December 2013 – Omega 24 Bank House Farm GC3QWHT – cache #3068
A sneaky little hide, but we got there in the end

14th December 2013 – Christmas Corroboree XI GC4R0ZK – cache #3069
After a walk round the Omega circuit Godfairies and Goldfish58 we were glad to get back to the club… for refreshments and toilets (though not necessarily in that order)

South Yorkshire is a bit outside my normal caching area so I didn’t know many people at the event, but there were lots of people there and I’ll recognise a few more faces next time I meet them on the trail (or in the pub !)

14th December 2013 – Omega 25 Are the Beavers at home? GC3QWHY – cache #3070
Found in the middle of the corroboree, we had got back to the venue after No24 so went in for refreshments and a chat, then as Steve had found it before I came out with Carina to look for the cache, which wasn’t that hard to find as it was in the hands of The Cressy’s when we got there !

After this we didn’t find GC3QTX0 Omega 1 Going Batty?
We DNF’d this one twice… we couldn’t find it anywhere when we started out on the walk – even though Steve had found it before… then at the corroboree we got further hints from other people who had found it in the past, so Carina and I went out for another look, and after another search we still couldn’t find it – the cache is obviously no longer where it was when other people found it !

14th December 2013 – Ye Ole Survey Monuments GC45CC – cache #3071
This time logging YSM521 Pool Hill
A quick detour on my way back from the Christmas Corroboree XI. The trig is easy to spot from the road but to get to it takes a bit of climbing up steep bankings

And that turned out to be the last of the 721 caches I found in 2013… at the beginning of the year I said that I wanted to get to 1,000 caches in the year – to beat my 2013 score of 950, and to get 100 caches in a day to beat my 2013 best of 95 caches… in the end I failed miserably at both as my best day would have been the day I did YMSII Northern Loop with Ian and Dave, when I logged 51 caches