14 April 2019 (Sunday) - Cambridgeshire Day Three


The rooster didn’t start its noise until half past five this morning. Fortunately the dogs were so tired they slept through it. Or couldn’t be bothered to react.
We had another really good breakfast, then said our goodbyes to the Cross Keys at Molesworth and drove off to the village of Barrington where today’s little stroll was starting.
Or some of us did.
Others got there eventually once their sat-navs decided to work. We didn’t snigger much…

We started a little walk which was again directed by various geocaches. Our first port of call was just by where we parked -  a church graveyard from which we had to get information from various graves…
It isn’t uncommon to have to find one gravestone from which you need a date to solve a geo-puzzle. Usually the grave is rather near the gate of the graveyard so you can come and go easily. This puzzle was different. We had to find four separate places in the graveyard. I wasn’t comfortable with traipsing all over the graves. And then once you’ve found what you are looking for you need access to the internet to calculate the number of days that someone lived for.
I’m surprised the geo-feds allowed this one to be placed.

We took a wrong turn, but it wasn’t long before we were on our way. I lost Fudge at one point, but when I saw several pheasants flying out of a bush I knew where he would be. Pogo fell in a river, and needed help to get out. We found a cache which had been named “Cheeky Sod”. For all that I liked the name, I couldn’t see anything “cheeky” about it at all. We found a rather good house which looked to be half-castle. Was it once a windmill?
We had a little picnic – it was a shame that Pogo had to bark so loudly at the passing dogs. His socialisation training clearly isn’t working. I shall have to try something else.

Eventually the first part of our walk was done. The “Shepreth Saunter” was… to be honest I didn’t like it. It was a well marked walk with well maintained geocaches, but for me I want a dog-walk, and this was mostly along roads, some of which were rather busy.

Finding ourselves at a pub we stopped for a pint. The Royal Oak in Barrington isn’t somewhere I can recommend. It was clearly a very good and welcoming pub... *IF* you are a local. If you aren't, it was quite clear that you might as well go somewhere else.
And then the rain started.
Mind you the rain went as quickly as it started. And seeing how it had stopped we carried on with the second part of our walk. Being all off-road the dogs could run free. And they did.

After nine and a half miles and sixty geocaches we were soon back where we’d parked. We again had a go at trying to solve that puzzle in the graveyard, but we couldn’t come up with a sensible answer.
We said our goodbyes, and set off homewards.
We’d been looking forward to a good run home with “Operation Brock” having been called off. Although we made good time, the contraflow was still in place. What was that all about?

Once home the dogs were soon snoring. I popped to the KFC for dinner, and we scoffed it whilst watching the last episode of “Derry Girls”.

It’s been a rather good weekend…

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