Getting Started
The first and most obvious piece of equipment necessary is of
course a GPS receiver. These come in many shapes, sizes and
price ranges, but a fairly low cost outdoor model such as the
Garmin etrex with a black and white display is perfectly
adequate and can be bought for around £80. More elaborate
options include units with colour mapping, but these can be
considerably more expensive and don’t completely replace a
traditional map and compass. The most important consideration is
that the unit can be connected to a PC to receive downloaded
Cache information.
Other equipment you may need would be the standard kit that you
should take on any trip into the outdoors, such as a map for the
area, compass, waterproof clothing and sturdy, comfortable
footwear.
Although a GPS is a wonderful navigation tool, don’t forget it has batteries that can run out, and it can’t warn you about any obstacles that may lie ahead. A good map and compass can help you find you way back to your car when all else fails, avoiding any hazards on the way.
The next step is to find some caches. Go to
www.geocachingwales.com and
select the area you would like to search. A list of caches will
pop up and you can select the ones that seem most interesting
and click for further details. The
next page will give you clues
to the cache location and provide an option to download the
cache coordinates to your GPS. Consult your GPS manual for
further information on downloading cache points. Most entries
will give you the exact coordinates of the cache, so it is a
simple matter of setting your GPS to take you directly to that
point. Some caches however will list only a starting point or a
convenient place to park and then expect you to work out the
location of the cache from a series of clues, see
puzzle caches
and multi-caches in the
glossary.
Once you’ve found the cache, remember to sign your name in the log book, and also to record your visit on the cache website when you get home. If the cache is large enough to contain tradable items then you can swap these with any of your own of equal or greater value.