Geocaching.

Geocaching is an international game of treasure-hunting.

Whether you are in a city or the middle of nowhere, a Geocache is never far away.

Anyone can do it, all you do is simply download the ‘Geocaching’ App and away you go.

I wasn’t aware of Geocaching until a visit to Volterra, Italy  in early December with a lovely friend of mine, who introduced me to the app.

Essentially no matter where you are in the world there will usually be a ‘geocache’ or ‘cache’ to find.

The app provides clues and riddles for you to try and locate the Geocache.

The app is based on a  global plotting system, and is partaken by people from all over the world. The most commonly found geocache is usually a waterproof box containing names and dates of those who have found the location and the box.

Larger boxes sometimes include trinkets, which can be swapped, or the more prized caches of co-ordinates, which allow you to see where the item has been all over the world.

Some finds, usually named as ‘grandfather caches’ provide a clue to find the real geocache, which not everyone is successful in finding or figuring out. The prizes in these finds are usually worth the hunt.

I found my first Geocahe in Volterra, a tuscan village in Italy. However, the friend that introduced me to the app said that when she was in Asia, they found one geocache behind a waterfall.

Because the app isn’t to famous yet, those who are unaware of the app or game are referred to as ‘muggles’ so you are not supposed to be seen when finding your geocache.

** You did not hear this from me**

The wonderful thing about Geocahing is that it takes you to areas of your destination you would not have previously ventured to, and makes exploring that bit more magical.

There has been one amazing incident where two hikers were lost inside caves on Mt Hood, and stumbled across a Geocache inside the cave, and were able to use the co-ordinates inside the box to phone for rescue.

There are other variations in the geocaching, such as NaviCache, and even Extraterrestrial geocache (which made me chuckle, but I have my doubts about)

This was my first Geocache in Volterra hidden behind the sign inside an old film canister, we then went on to find another hidden inside a wall in San Gimignano.