Amberel Top Cache Awards

Earnanaes	The Quest for Aladdin's Lamp very nearly got the maximum possible TOP CACHE score, but I knocked off a point, else I wouldn't be able to award a higher score if an even better cache came along. On this one I can't see which section I could possibly justify deducting a point from! This was almost certainly the most difficult cache I have ever reached. It is not as difficult as il Nono Cerchio, but my best efforts were not enough for that one. It is technically a more difficult cave than Lasciate Ogne Speranza, and I would almost certainly not have been able to get out again without the expert and patient assistance of digdug123 - this is a man I quite literally trust with my life. But abanazar's cave caches are not just about a high terrain adventure. They are story lines that start with the puzzle, follow through each stage as you act out the part, and end very much later at the cache. Every aspect is carefully designed and thought out. They are quite brilliant caches. View the cache page on geocaching.com View the geocoin page on geocaching.com
abanazar
Wiltshire
25 points
No. 94
With owner
Open Sesame: The Quest for Aladdin's Lamp	A taxing puzzle and some fairly tricky underground terrain led to an outstanding cache :-) I can't say much more, or I'll spoil it for future finders. View the cache page on opencaching.org.uk View the geocoin page on geocaching.com
abanazar
Wiltshire
24 points
No. 73
With owner
Los Juicios de la Inquisición	Another cache with a very original theme running through it. Terrain not for the faint-hearted :-) View the cache page on opencaching.org.uk
abanazar
Wiltshire
23 points
No. 137

Lasciate ogne speranza, voi ch'intrate	Probably the most physically demanding cache I've found, though by some margin not the most physically demanding I have attempted - see "il Nono Cerchio". Much as I enjoyed the nearby quarry caches, the terrain for this one was an order of magnitude more difficult. It didn't have the interesting artefacts, but almost every step of the way was a challenge. I wasn't scared stiff in the way I was when doing some of the climbing caches, but I failed on my first attempt and believed reaching this cache was simply beyond my abilities. A second visit proved it wasn't :-) So - an elegant puzzle, a well constructed cache page, a most challenging route to the cache and a neat hiding place - a TOP CACHE. View the cache page on geocaching.com View the geocoin page on geocaching.com
abanazar
Wiltshire
22 points
No. 56
Near cache :-)
Alice's Adventure	A beautifully prepared cache page, stages that built up the tempo, and a final that exploded like a firework :-) Cleverly constructed to follow the storyline, with humorous details, and all of it made most beautifully. After nearly 6,000 caches this was probably the most creative one I've ever done. View the cache page on terracaching.com
UrsusBear
Suffolk
21 points
No. 128
With owner
Below Above - The Fallen Monarch	An awesome experience. As someone with a mild claustrophobia it took a little determination to tackle this in the first place. But it was so interesting that at no point did I give a second thought to the small spaces and tight squeezes. And what a reward! Some fascinating ancient artefacts, and a challenging exit. It was a privilege to be able to present this coin to the cache owner at the cache location. Click on the images to expand them. View the cache page on geocaching.com View the geocoin page on geocaching.com
BareClawz
Wiltshire
21 points
No. 33
With owner
Below Above - Multi 1	The fourth and last (though that would soon change) of a group of subterranean caches - the longest, and with some of the trickiest terrain. But with so much of interest to see. A fantastic place to visit. Too good to visit only once - this coin was presented to the cache owner on a return visit :-) . Click on the image to expand it. View the cache page on geocaching.com View the geocoin page on geocaching.com
BareClawz
Wiltshire
21 points
No. 46
With owner
Below Above - Multi 2	We came back for Multi 2 some 6 weeks after finding the previous four Below Above caches. This one was on a different scale - neither more nor less interesting, but different. Another great experience. Click on the image to expand it. View the cache page on geocaching.com View the geocoin page on geocaching.com
BareClawz
Wiltshire
21 points
No. 65
With owner
Below Above - Mind The Trains	Noticeably different to the previous Below Above caches we found - this quarry is larger and the underground passageways and caverns more spacious. It's hard to say which was the more interesting. As with The Fallen Monarch, prior to the visit it seemed utterly improbable that these caches would fail to achieve TOP CACHE status, so I had taken the unique step of manufacturing the coins BEFORE visiting. The location did not disappoint. Click on the image to expand it. View the cache page on geocaching.com View the geocoin page on geocaching.com
BareClawz
Wiltshire
21 points
No. 32
With owner
Knock Knock	This was a rather different type of puzzle to those I normally tackle. I had to enrol the entire Amberel clan to help solve it. And even that wasn't enough - we needed a nudge to shift us out of a rut we got stuck in. But once I had the location I wasted no further time. From previous logs I was expecting it to be good, but I didn't know in what way. It turned out to be such an obvious idea, but only with hindsight, and I think that is a feature of the very best ideas :-) So a great and original idea, and a great deal of effort to produce, but it was worth it. A fantastic cache :-) View the cache page on geocaching.com View the geocoin page on geocaching.com
Digdug123 & Boo
Wiltshire
20 points
No. 93
With owner
Below Above - The White Bird	Our first taste of what these underground caches would be like. The entrance was challenging, the whole experience amazing. Click Heffalumps's legs or the log book to expand the images. View the cache page on geocaching.com View the geocoin page on geocaching.com
BareClawz
Wiltshire
20 points
No. 48
With owner
Ogof Huw John Fychan	A really great location, superb beach, great views, some surprises and possibly the best hiding place I've seen in 5,500 cache finds :-) View the cache page on terracaching.com View the geocoin page on geocaching.com
UrsusBear
Gwynedd
19 points
No. 119
Released
Caching Cluedo	The superb design and attention to detail that are the hallmark of the cache owners. Humour, careful preparation, good maintenance, a great walk and a twist in the tail :-) View the cache page on terracaching.com
UrsusBear
Suffolk
19 points
No. 130

il Nono Cerchio	Without any doubt the most physically demanding cache I've ever looked for, and probably the most physically demanding thing I've ever done in my entire life. I tried my best, but I got stuck about 75% of the way there, so this is one of those rare beasts, a TOP CACHE award for a DNF. The reason it falls below some other caches in this list is because the points allocated to its strong suit have "maxed out", and it loses out by being only a micro, even though getting anything bigger than a micro down there would be a very difficult task :-) So despite "only" 19 points, this is a TOP TOP CACHE. In this short space I can't begin do it justice - if you are interested you should read the logs. View the cache page on opencaching.org.uk View the geocoin page on geocaching.com
abanazar
Wiltshire
19 points
No. 77
With owner
h4ck3r	One for the technophile :-) But after the geeky stuff, a lovely walk :) View this cache page on geocaching.com
abanazar
Wiltshire
18 points
No. 136

Caractacus Potts' workshop	What a fantastic view, made all the more special by being so unexpected. Nothing in my route to the cache prepared me for the sight that unfolded just before I reached GZ. View the cache page on terracaching.com
icenians
Buckinghamshire
18 points
No. 16
With owner
Porth Sion Dafydd	A lovely walk along a wide, deserted beach, at low tide, to a fun cache placement :-) View this cache page on geocaching.com
UrsusBear
Gwynedd
18 points
No. 118

Playing Around in Kingsdown + Piddypug's Hole (In One)	A clever and amusing Groundspeak multi, leading directly to a short, but tight and tricky, opencaching cave cache. View Playing Around in Kingsdown on geocaching.com View Piddypug's Hole (In One) on opencaching.org.uk
abanazar
Wiltshire
18 points
No. 133

The Legend of the Lost Cachers	A long walk over (and through) some very difficult terrain in the middle of the night, a very tricky puzzle to solve "on your feet", and the owner's willingness to be woken up in the middle of the night all contribute to the award, but it's mainly for the ingenuity and effort expended in preparing the cache. View the cache page for part 1 on geocaching.com View the cache page for part 1 on opencaching.org.uk View the cache page for part 2 on opencaching.org.uk View the geocoin page on geocaching.com
sandvika
Berkshire
17 points
No. 38
With owner
Sygyn Copper Trail	A varied walk, taking in the town of Beddgelert, industrial and other history, myth, great views, past rushing river and over rocky mountain. View the cache page on terracaching.com
UrsusBear
Gwynedd
17 points
No. 114

The Geocaching Robot Arm	One of the most ingenious and humorous caches I've ever done. Combine that with a high level of commitment and technical expertise to implement, and it means this one just has to be on the list. View the cache page on geocaching.com
drsolly
Buckinghamshire
17 points
No. 8
With owner
Series 3 (Walk 4) The Fairy Door	A cache of great imagination, on a lovely walk in lovely woods, and one very especially for the toddlers. View the cache page on geocaching.com View the geocoin page on geocaching.com
bailey rangers
Worcestershire
17 points
No. 71
Released
Rendcomb Rat Run	Another culvert cache, not very long but in a "nice" tunnel, with (lots and lots of) clean water :-) . In a very pleasant location, and with a nice cache container at the end of it. Or, more precisely, in the middle of it :-) . View the cache page on geocaching.com
twise_1
Gloucestershire
17 points
No. 108
No response
Alphabet Soup	A mix of walking on and off road, but what made the series was the variety of excellent camouflaged and "trick" caches :-) . View the cache page for A, Alphabet Soup on geocaching.com
smart451
Derbyshire
17 points
No. 95
With owner
Happy Birthday	An extremely muddy walk, but what a WOW at the end of it :-) View the cache page on terracaching.com
UrsusBear
Cambridgeshire
17 points
No. 135

Pickle House	Wow! We were most fortunate to arrive just after Pickle House had been redecorated :-) View the cache page on geocaching.com
mushroom mike
Pembroke
17 points
No. 122
With owner
Cilan Cliffs	A fairly straightforward puzzle followed by a lovely cliff-top walk, in a strong gale, through heather and gorse. A slightly "heart in mouth" hiding place! Click on the image to expand it. View the cache page on terracaching.com
UrsusBear
Gwynedd
16 points
No. 116

Carding Mill Capers	Standing in these lovely hills I couldn't believe that I'd managed in my whole life not to visit the Long Mynd before ! View the cache page on terracaching.com View the geocoin page on geocaching.com
markandlynn
Shropshire
16 points
No. 21
With owner
Alien Alert!	A really imaginative use of the location. Simple but very effective game pieces and a great cache at the end :-) View the cache page on terracaching.com
UrsusBear
Suffolk
16 points
No. 127

Red Kite	A great location, you feel on top of the world. View the cache page on opencaching.org.uk View the geocoin page on geocaching.com
sandvika
Oxfordshire
16 points
No. 9
With owner
Pickle Tower	A really great location, and a fun hide :-) View the cache page on geocaching.com
mushroom mike
Pembroke
16 points
No. 121

Bardsey View	A spectacular cliff-top walk. Click on the image to expand it. View the cache page on terracaching.com
UrsusBear
Gwynedd
16 points
No. 117

The Mystery of the Dancing Monk	A very difficult puzzle (too difficult for me, I needed a nudge from the cache owner), but once in the woods there were some fun stages and great final. View the cache page on terracaching.com
team postie grum
Cambridgeshire
15 points
No. 134
With owner
peregrines above	A long walk over Coppet Hill to the meadows below Symonds Yat Rock, with the Peregrine Falcon's nests directly above. It's somewhere I've looked down on before, but never visited. View the cache page on opencaching.org.uk View this cache page on geocaching.com
laurencemo
Herefordshire
15 points
No. 109
Ready
Village of the damned	An interesting location. But muddy. Very muddy :-) View the cache page on terracaching.com View the geocoin page on geocaching.com
Gackt
Oxfordshire
15 points
No. 107
With owner
Quackers	A simple puzzle, effectively presented, and a fun paddle :-) View the cache page on terracaching.com
UrsusBear
Suffolk
15 points
No. 126

Tunstall Starlight Stroll	An excellent night cache, with much more variety than most, and a super cache at the end. View the cache page on terracaching.com
UrsusBear
Suffolk
15 points
No. 129

The Highest Accessible Cache in Western Europe	A short spring break saw us at Brevent practising our off-piste ski-ing in preparation for the Vallee Blanche. A glorious spring afternoon afforded amazing views of Chamonix directly below us. A great place for a cache, plus a big "feel good" factor. View the cache page on geocaching.com
Cache U Nutter
France
15 points
No. 66
With owner
Canaston Wood	A series of amusing and beautifully engineered caches in some lovely woods. View one of the cache pages on geocaching.com
mushroom mike
Pembroke
15 points
No. 120

Wayland's Smithy	This one is for the walk, and the destination. The destination I found most interesting. The walk I did twice, after leaving my eTrex on the ground beside the cache :-) View the cache page on geocaching.com View the geocoin page on geocaching.com
The Wombles
Oxfordshire
15 points
No. 18
With owner
Cache EM if you can #1 - 9 ladies of Stanton Moor	A gorgeous spot, high on the moor. On an autumn morning I climbed up through heavy mist to a beautiful sunny day. Click on the image to expand it. View the cache page on opencaching.org.uk View the cache page on Garmin opencaching View the cache page on geocaching.com
Ve8
Derbyshire
15 points
No. 70
No response
Cuckoo	There's not much that is new under the sun, but in 5,500 cache finds I've never come across one like this before :-) View the cache page on geocaching.com
mushroom mike
Pembroke
14 points
No. 123

Another Knight Cache	I'm not very good at puzzles and as a rule do them only as a means to an end - i.e. to be able to visit a cache I particularly want to find. This one taxed me greatly, and I needed a little more help from my caching friend factotem than I really felt comfortable with. But the cache was worth the trouble :-) Neatly put together, and with an excellent container in a good hide at the end of it. View the cache page on geocaching.com View the geocoin page on geocaching.com
Team Hippo
Buckinghamshire
14 points
No. 131
With owner
Series 3 (Walk 13) Sum It Up	Not unique but very unusual. Top quality implementation, and in a great location. View the cache page on geocaching.com
bailey rangers
Worcestershire
14 points
No. 85

Cache on a Bare Mountain	A good hiding place in a beautiful cliff-top location. Click on the image to expand it. View this cache page on geocaching.com
wumsandi
Gwynedd
14 points
No. 115
No response
Noon Hill	A great walk, lovely views, an immaculate cache box and a really friendly bunch of cows :-))) View the cache page on opencaching.org.uk View the geocoin page on geocaching.com
pharisee
Bedfordshire
14 points
No. 22
With owner
Unattributed	A great location in Swinley Forest, and an excellent sized container. View the cache page on opencaching.org.uk
The White Family
Berkshire
13 points
No. 112
With owner
Jaggers Clough	A fabulous walk following the path of the stream onto the Kinder plateau, which remains unfinished business for me as I was unable to complete it. View the cache page for Jaggers Clough 6 on geocaching.com View the geocoin page on geocaching.com
geogeriatrics
Derbyshire
13 points
No. 96
Released
Chiltern Hundred	The award is for the series rather than any one cache. It was one of the first long series. What makes it stand out is the clever layout that allows several different ways to walk it, the lovely country through which it passes and the variation in the route. View the cache page (for the bonus cache) on geocaching.com
drsolly
Buckinghamshire
13 points
No. 61
With owner
It's not so Grimm in Box	Done as an opportunistic cache, as we were passing close by and I spotted it had been awarded a lot of "favourite" points. A typically abanazar cache, combining metaphor and allegory into the cache page and search. An excellent cache, and an unexpected TOP CACHE. View the cache page on geocaching.com
abanazar
Wiltshire
13 points
No. 75

High N Dry	A fun location on an island in the Thames, and a big challenge to reach the cache. Teamed up with The_Dave and goldfish62 to crack this one :-) View the cache page on geocaching.com View the geocoin page on geocaching.com
asfastasfcuk
Berkshire
13 points
No. 98
Released
Hergest Ridge	A lovely walk and great views. Peter is the first recipient to choose the "brave" option of having his coin delivered by cache :-) . View the cache page on opencaching.org.uk View the geocoin page on geocaching.com
The Hornet
Herefordshire
13 points
No. 19
Released
The Night Mail	Another amusing and original cache, with a fun night walk to round it off and a tricky twist in the tail. View the cache page on geocaching.com
drsolly
Buckinghamshire
13 points
No. 53
With owner
Vertigo	This one is in Windsor, so I came here on my boat, which always adds to my enjoyment of a cache. I have a fear of heights. The first time I visited, by myself, I bottled it. Some time later I returned with Pseudolite. He went up to recover the cache. At age 60, and for the first time in my life, I climbed a very tall tree to put it back again. Regrettably this cache is now archived.
Cryptik Souls Crew
Berkshire
13 points
No. 105
No response