Site Visit

I caught the train to Gargrave and cycled the 17 or so miles to Buckden for a meeting with the folks from Chrysalis, Jackie Calderwood and representatives from National Trust and the National Park.

The ride was fine - it wasn't warm but cycling kept the chill at bay. There had been snow in the area a couple of days previously but this had now thawed apart from on the fells. The roads were quite quiet as I took mostly back lanes through Hetton, Grassington, Conistone and Kettlewell. Spring was hinted at in the form of snowdrops but otherwise all was still muted.

We met at Town Head Barn in Buckden and had a productive meeting. After introductions we learnt a bit more about the area, some of the do's and dont's about geocaching in the National Park and also some potential themes and places to site caches. I tried to find a geocache that I thought was in Buckden afterwards finding that it was the co-ordinates for parking for a multi-cache!

The light was just begining to go by the time we finished our meeting and I headed back the few miles to Kettlewell and my B&B for the night. After settling in at the B&B and before an evening meal at the King's Head I had another failed attempt to find a geocache. This time in Dowber Gill I was beaten by the darkness and realising I was above the site of it on the side of a steep hill!

The following morning I left my bags and cycled out on the Leyburn road to attempt Park Rash. Another failure as my cycle-unfit legs and high gearing saw me off and walking before the first hairpin! A cycle, walk, cycle, walk approach eventually got me to the summit of Park Rash in miserable weather but a successful find of the geocache on Tor Dyke. I couldn't record my visit though as the log had all but dissolved.

I descended back down Park Rash (easier said than done) to try and find the micro-cache hidden at the foot of the hill. Another failure and a wet foot to add insult to injury. Tail between my legs I went back to the B&B to collect my bags and headed up Wharfedale to seek inspiration for cache sites and find a couple of the National Park caches.

I cycled all the way up to Low Green Field in deteriorating weather. Cars became fewer and further between and the road grew narrower until it turned into not much more than a track on the dead-end lane from Beckermonds. I tried hard to imagine the dale in the spring with green in the landscape and sun in the sky but it wasn't easy.

I passed the limestone pavement and continued up to the entrance to Low Green Field before I turned back in search of geocaches at Yockenthwaite. I left the bike by the farm and walked the short way up the hill to find the first one and then decided to walk on to the next one. It wasn't far and was easy to find. Both were in good condition and full of items left for swaps.

Then it was back on the bike for the ride back to Skipton station. I stopped off in Grassington for some much-needed food and to dry out a bit and was glad to finally reach the station and change out of my mud-spattered and soaked clothes to look (and smell) a little more presentable on the train.