At the events in Harrogate and Ripon I had discussed with a few people the possibility of bringing the 10th Anniversary UK Mega to Yorkshire, where the first Mega was held. This led to starting a facebook group to see if there was enough general interest from the Yorkshire caching community, which there was, which then led to an ‘interest meeting’ to sort out a preliminary committee and brainstorm ideas for where to have it and what we would like to see at it. This one will run and run assuming we actually get the nod to hold it (a formality if no other area wish to hold it, a competitive tender process if two or more areas want to host it)

12th July 2015 – Yorkshire 2018? GC5XRP6 – cache #3702
I had my doubts about having an interest meeting for the 2018 Mega at 9:00 on a Sunday, but it turned out to be all we could have hoped for to get the project off the ground… and the £3.99 breakfast wasn’t bad either (all you can eat cooked breakfast for £3.99)

By attending this event I also qualified for the second ‘Geocaching Road Trip’ souvenir.

12th July 2015 – Oulton Hall Golf Course #4 GC49XN6 – cache #3703
Found with the Mega 2018 team after the Breakfast event… not sure what the fisherman sitting on the bank of the pond thought about 7 adults and 2 kids poking about in the bushes behind him, but he kept his eyes on his float and didn’t say a word

12th July 2015 – Oulton Hall Golf Course #5 GC49XP8 – cache #3704
we didn’t have kippers for breakfast but there were a couple of red herrings here

12th July 2015 – Oulton Hall Golf Course #6 GC49XZR – cache #3705
Mel is always ahead of the rest of the group so she is always the one that has to avoid the hawthorn spikes

12th July 2015 – Oulton Hall Golf Course #7 GC49Y0Z – cache #3706
another one that Mel found while the rest of us were still pushing through the branches

12th July 2015 – Oulton Hall Golf Course #8 GC49Y1Q – cache #3707
This one was Freddies find as Mel, myself and a couple of others had been delayed at the last cache looking for a lost earring

12th July 2015 – Oulton Hall Golf Course #9 GC49Y2R – cache #3708
Lots of places matched the hint, but then there were lots of us, so the cache didn’t elude us for long, found by the youngest member of the party

12th July 2015 – Oulton Hall Golf Course #1 GC49X42 – cache #3709
The group split in two after cache #9, some went to see if they could find the bonus with the numbers they had (half of the total numbers to give full coords) and the others of us carried on to find this cache

12th July 2015 – Oulton Hall Golf Course #2 GC49XCM – cache #3710
GPS all over the place under the trees, eventually we followed the advice of previous finders and hacked our way to the cache – there’s a nice cachers trail to lead the next seeker straight to it !

12th July 2015 – Oulton Hall Golf Course #3 GC49XD0 – cache #3711
I think as they had already found the bonus half our party weren’t bothering to check whether they were walking past any caches.. but when my GPS beeped I knew there was a cache near

12th July 2015 – Oulton Hall Cache 1 GC48ZZM – cache #3712
By the time those who hadn’t walked straight past the last cache caught up this one was already found and signed by those who had

12th July 2015 – Off course – Oulton Hall GC49VMQ – cache #3713
The hint was base of tree, and as it’s a big tree so there was little problem in deciding which one the hint referred to

12th July 2015 – Ledston Walk 01 GC5VRVR – cache #3714
After lunch – well I didn’t have any lunch cos I’d pigged out completely at Breakfast time, but Mel and Derek did, the three of us went to meet Richlay and his boys to have a go at a new series that had come out recently a few miles away. While Richard was getting the boys in order Mel and I set off up the hill to the first cache. The detailed hint said it was on a particular Ivy covered fence post, I let Mel search for this, life is too short for poking about in ivy !

12th July 2015 – Ledston Walk 02 GC5VRVW – cache #3715
Not much doubt which feature the cache was going to be hidden at so I wasn’t surprised at the lack of hint for this one

12th July 2015 – Ledston Walk 03 GC5VRW1 – cache #3716
So after a detailed hint for number 01 there were no hints at all for the rest of the series. That meant a little search had to be done for this one and we left the finding to Billy

12th July 2015 – Ledston Walk 04 GC5VRW4 – cache #3717
Rich was having issues getting his boys to behave as they crossed the road and I have a bad back so it was left to Mel to crawl about looking for this one

12th July 2015 – Ledston Walk 05 GC5VRW6 – cache #3718
A few prickly plants on the path across the field didn’t please the short trousered Lay clan, but Alex managed to avoid the nettles to pull this one out

12th July 2015 – Ledston Walk 06 GC5VRW8 – cache #3719
Mel had shot off in front and had this one in hand before the rest of us arrived

12th July 2015 – #4 Wood Walk GC43MFK – cache #3720
The others had found this cache before so were a bit surprised when I headed off the path into the long grass to grab this one

12th July 2015 – Who Dunnit????? GC3WKKT – cache #3721
I Solved this so many years ago that I don’t actually remember the puzzle at all but it’s coordinates appeared on the GPS so I grabbed it in passing

12th July 2015 – Ledston Walk 07 GC5VV25 – cache #3722
Mel found this one while Alex and Billy were busy fascinated by a caterpillar walking across the path

12th July 2015 – Ledston Walk 08 GC5VRWA – cache #3723
Mel got this one too, well it involved feeling around in the dark under a large stone and so I sat on the stone while she hunted

12th July 2015 – Ledston Walk 09 GC5VRWE – cache #3724
Spotted by one of the boys whose eye level is nearer the ground than mine

12th July 2015 – Ledston Walk 10 GC5VRWH – cache #3725
Mel got this one while the rest of us were being careful to avoid the passing cars

12th July 2015 – Ledston Walk 11 GC5VRWJ – cache #3726
I actually found this one myself, well I used my walking pole to reach down and flip over the likely camouflage, then Mel climbed down the bank to sign it

12th July 2015 – Ledston Walk 12 GC5VRWP – cache #3727
Camouflaged bison hanging in a prickly bush – send Mel in for it !

12th July 2015 – Ledston Walk 13 GC5VRWT – cache #3728
The cache took some rooting out, but we found it when Alex almost stepped on it

12th July 2015 – Ledston Walk 14 GC5VRWW – cache #3729
Hidden in plain site, Mel & I both spotted it from many yards away – we camouflaged it a bit better when we had signed the log

12th July 2015 – Ledston Walk The Bonus GC5VRX1 – cache #3730
When we set off the area round the pub was full (well it was Sunday Lunchtime), but by the time we got back we could search unobserved and quickly found the cache (well actually we met RM73 near the end of the walk and she guided us to a quick find to save us having to search at all)