Before the lockdown came down on the UK, I was down in London for the Digital Women Awards. I had some free time the morning after and spent it Geocaching, I think I walked over three miles in total that day.
I found six caches, five of which were virtuals. I had only covered a small section of London and there are more virtuals for me to go back and claim in the future. The smileys represent the virtual finds of the day, see the little ghost? That’s how we know if a Geocache is virtual, there are quite a few different types of caches.
About virtual Geocaches:
A Virtual Cache is about discovering a location rather than a container. The requirements for logging a Virtual Cache vary. You may be required to answer a question about the location, take a picture, complete a task, etc. In any case, you must visit the coordinates before you can post your log.
The Virtuals that you can find today are mostly great examples of this cache type. But they took a lot of time to review and it was difficult to determine guidelines for high-quality Virtuals.
(source Geocaching.com)
Finsbury Circus Green
The first find of the morning, the virtual was to locate the drinking fountain and to claim the find I had to provide the cache owner with the answer to their question: Who was the object at the GZ presented by?
A nice and easy cache to start the day and a lovely garden with stunning buildings circling it (GCK63N).
MMMonument
I would have never have found this monument without Geocaching. The monument is under the Millennium Bridge and celebrates Millenium measure with scientific instrument makers. The instructions to claim the virtual: the top item on one face is of interest to all geocachers, but to prove you’ve visited, what item is listed at the bottom of that face?
I knew exactly what the answer was just after inspecting each side and I thought it was a perfect virtual for any Geocacher (GCHC6H).
Golden Gallery Virtual Cache
I don’t ever remember going in or even seeing St Pauls Cathedral when visiting London as a child or teen. It was an impressive sight and I would have loved to have gone in but time didn’t allow it, I plan to come back with the family in the future and enjoy discovering St Pauls Cathedral together. I did, however, spend some time looking up and walking around.
The task from the cache owner was to go into St Pauls and visit the uppermost gallery but they accepted claims outside due to the fee to gain entry. I was glad to claim this find (GCHX1W).
TechnOLOGY (Central London)
I have to admit I went up to the virtual and then looked at the page after having a quick mooch around, only to find out that you shouldn’t linger due to the security cameras. I did manage to grab the information required by the cache owner: To claim this cache, mail us the exact wording of the CIRCULAR GREY historical plaque/sign on the wall. Mail the answers through our profile at the top of the page. The answer is NOT the white oval “City of London, Ward of Cheap”.
It was interesting to find another historical virtual for a different reason and one that resounds with Geocachers (GCCC6B).
A meeting place for Martyrs
The last virtual of the morning and there was a lot to do to claim this find, I hoped that I was right with my answers here. I did spend a lot of time investigating the area and I could tell people were wondering why I appeared to be very interested in this building.
The cache owner required: When you arrive at the site. Find for me as evidence at GZ THE FULL NAMES OF 3 JOHN’S AND A BILL. In between the Johns and Bill you will find some steps, go up, turn around and look up. How many floodlights do you see? To the right of Bill there is a drop down covered by a metal grill, what is the amount of windows you can see there?
The cache owner was right in saying that tourists would be interested to find out about this location with more history to discover (GC22E5).
With so many virtuals to find in London, it will be quite a few trips before claiming the virtuals alone. We are looking forward to when the lockdown is over so we can head down and discover them, in fact, go Geocaching at all! It has been just over a week since we last went Geocaching and we are all missing the long walks and fun that it brings.
I hope you’ve enjoyed having a virtual walk around with me as well. If you do manage to discover any virtuals in London in the future, do let me know what you learn.
Keep safe.
Jen