A geocaching nature trail.

It is International Geocaching Day so it only seemed fitting to go out and grab at least one cache.   We went in to town for our coffee, but earlier than normal with the intention of going on to Troon afterwards, which just a 10 minute drive along from Ayr, as a new set of nature trail caches had been put into place earlier this week.

We know the area where they are all hidden, this is a lovely wood in the town of Troon, we have found a number of caches in the wood since starting geocaching a couple of years ago.  This being a Saturday morning the area was busy with all the rugby training going on, all the little boys and a few girls out running about in the sunshine.   So lots of muggles to contend with as we walked along on our search, again this was along the Smugglers Trail.  As I said to hubby, I wonder what was smuggled along here all those years back, maybe rum, tobacco, whisky.  Back came the reply, tupperware boxes!!!

We parked the car and off we go up the old steps that were once part of the garden of the old house that once stood here.

Along through the woods, the GPS beeps so we start searching the ivy which there is a lot of around here, hubby finds it, being a nature trail series this is what we found.

After reading Big Al's story on the bears in his garden, I said to hubby there would be no way I would be walking here if there were bears. lol

cute

First one found, signed and replaced, off to the next one, looking for the old gate posts.  As we stand looking at the GPS with us turning one way then other way, a man walks by and says hello, then points out that the old gates are up through the trees a bit, and we didn't even ask him! we thought he was maybe a geocacher but he wasn't.

I spy the container as soon as we reach the area, can you see it peeping out behind the rock, (red)?

This is what the log was hidden in, we signed the tiny slip of paper giving the container some more camo as we replace the ladybird.

We were muggled as we searched!   A least it isn't a bear!  ;-)

Back onto the road we had driven along to get to the woods.  Oh I wish drivers would slow down when folk are walking on the road with no pavement, it is a country lane with high hedges they need to be more considerate.   More of that later!

Brambles (blackberries) almost ready. Note to self *bring a bag to pick them* to make bramble jelly.

And another nature container hidden and found, no it wasn't on top of the post but down at the base.

A lot of rubbish at this area which was a shame, dumped bags of alcohol bottles so I guess a place for underage drinkers maybe!   but the container was soon found, I sat the toadstool in the tree to take a photograph.

Looking across the fields with Ayr and the Firth of Clyde in the distance.

Back along the road watching out for the drivers!

This next cache was decribed as magnetic and the hint was "look low"  It was seen straight away, I don't think this one will last long, the container is too big and wasn't on the pole but lying on the ground.  I tried to give it extra camo before leaving.

We walk along past the youngsters at their rugby training, along another country road, look at this old tree, imagine looking at this in the dark ! spooky.  (I'm a wimp!) There are actually 3 trees along this road all like this and as the hint was "Inside" we knew to look in one of them.

Can you see the nature container? the clue was "inside"?

There he is resting inside the old tree waiting to be discovered again.

Again no paths on this stretch of road, so we stand across from the tree to take the photograph and sign the log, we stand on the grass off of the road, but some idiot comes roaring along in his car behind another car, he doesn't bother to slow down when he sees us, just roars on by, now bear in mind this is a narrow country lane, cars have to pull over to the very side of the road to pass one another on the road, the car almost touched my husband!

So that was our morning, lovely sunshine, plenty of excercise and plenty of caches!