Between Christmas and New Year I had this great afternoon out for a socially distanced walk and explore around the lovely village of Tickton near Beverley.
I’d never been geocaching before but a friend knew it would suit me perfectly as it would get me outdoors, exploring and is free!
What is geocaching?
Imagine a digital treasure hunt that you navigate from an app on your phone but to find real treasure in real life. This is exactly what geocaching is! There are literally millions of geocaches hidden all around the world and quite likely lots near you and this is why we chose Tickton to explore as there are quite a few hidden in this one village.
The app
First, you need to download the Geocaching app onto your smartphone and register yourself. There are options to upgrade which you have to pay for but don’t bother with this until the point where you’ve done all the geocaches in your local area and are looking to access exclusive puzzle ones.
How does it work?
On the app you can pinpoint your current location on a map via GPS and it will show rough indicators as to where hidden geocaches are nearby. You can start walking towards one of the locations and your phone will start to vibrate when you get closer. Then its a case of keeping your eyes peeled or if you need some extra help, you can reveal some clues on the app to find the cache.
What am I looking for?
When searching for geocaches, you need to be open-minded. Basically, they could be anything, which I get isn’t that helpful if you’re new to this but pictured is an official geocache to get you started.
However many geocaches will just be small Tupperware tubs, possibly wrapped in gaffer tape to conceal them a bit more.
Some will be listed as micro caches though and these require tweezers. This is because they are test-tube size (and shape) and require tweezers to tease the roll of paper out as pictured.
So what’s actually inside them?
In the microcaches, you’ll probably only find a roll of paper to write the date and your initials or team name on. But inside the larger tubs you will likely find some swag!
When I found my first swag filled cache I was like a kid in a sweet shop! It was just full of little tat (as pictured) but they were treasures and it really didn’t matter.
There’s just something lovely and wholesome about geocaching that I can’t recommend enough.
Here’s why I recommend Tickton for geocaching, especially with kids
Tickton felt lovely and safe to walk around during the day. The roads are quiet and the caches were nice and accessible.
Some of the caches were really innovative but hidden low down so kids can still help to find them. I don’t want to give too many clues away and risk spoiling anyone’s fun but my favourite was near the church.
There’s also a lovely play park for the kids to stop off at which is still open too.
I particularly enjoyed seeing the beautiful cottages dotted around the villages. They wouldn’t look out of place on the cover of Country Living magazine! It just made for a perfect location to wander around.
And just getting outdoors for a good leg-stretch did me the world of good and it is most beautiful on a crisp, frosty day.
Make sure you take time to check out the little library located in the telephone box where the books are free.
I was so impressed with the abundance of books and activities in here!
Finally, once the pubs are back open, I’ll be finishing off my geocaching adventure with a drink at The Micro Pig Bar, Tickton’s fabulous microbrewery.
Geocaching is just one great activity to do together as a family. Here’s me including it in my round-up of free family fun for Steph’s Packed Lunch.
