Amberel - AvonWiltshire
Earnanaes
abanazar
Wiltshire
25 points
No. 94
Near the dragon 🙂
The Quest for Aladdin's Lamp very nearly received 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 how I could justify deducting a point from any aspect!
At the time this was almost the most physically difficult cache I had ever reached. I would almost certainly not have been able to get out again without the expert and patient assistance of digdug123.
Abanazar's cave caches have 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. Brilliant caches 🙂.
View the cache page on geocaching.com
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There and Back Again
abanazar
Wiltshire
25 points
No. 150
In the mountain 🙂
Abanazar does it again - the second TOP CACHE to get top marks (and there would be more in future).
A superb underground cache, themed on the Hobbit - the recovery of Thror's treasure from the dragon Smaug by Bilbo, Gandalf and the dwarves.
The best cache I have ever done (until another abanazar cache some time later 🙂 ) !!!
Truly worthy of its 5/5 rating.
View the cache page on opencache.uk
View the geocoin page on geocaching.com
Stargate SN13
abanazar
Wiltshire
25 points
No. 291
With owner
It took 3 days underground to complete this one, with our route taking us to new, challenging and rarely visited locations in the quarries. The navigation challenge was a greater test than any of the other caches in the quarries, both Groundspeak and opencaching listed.
Originally I marked this up as 24 points simply because the subject matter suits me a little less than "There and Back Again", but this marking is supposed not to be subjective and I really couldn't justify taking a point off anywhere - so it's a third maximum pointer for abanazar 🙂.
View the cache page on opencache.uk
View the geocoin page on geocaching.com
Enter the Matrix
abanazar
Wiltshire
25 points
No. 463
With owner
An awesome puzzle, one of the most difficult caches ever, both mentally and physically.
We took the red pill ...
View the cache page on opencache.uk
View the geocoin page on geocaching.com
Orpheus and Eurydice
abanazar
Wiltshire
24 points
No. 462
With owner
A clever and very original interpretation of a moving cache 🙂.
View the cache page on opencache.uk
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Open Sesame: The Quest for Aladdin's Lamp
abanazar
Wiltshire
24 points
No. 73
With owner
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 opencache.uk
View the geocoin page on geocaching.com
If You Go Down To The Woods Tonight...............
cannonfodder32
Wiltshire
24 points
No. 454
With owner
This night cache was in a class of its own! Imaginative in conception and exquisitely presented, it oozed quality all the way.
View the cache page on geocaching.com
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Los Juicios de la Inquisición
abanazar
Wiltshire
23 points
No. 137
With owner
Another cache with a very original theme running through it. Terrain not for the faint-hearted 🙂.
View the cache page on opencache.uk
View the geocoin page on geocaching.com
Below Above - The Janitor's Blither
JestersMagpie
Wiltshire
23 points
No. 156
With owner
Another great journey through the Bath stone quarries, to a great cache container.
View the cache page on geocaching.com
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Lasciate ogne speranza, voi ch'intrate
abanazar
Wiltshire
22 points
No. 56
Near cache 🙂
At the time, the most physically demanding cache I had found. 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
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Below Above - Mega Breakfast
JestersMagpie&Lichee
Wiltshire
22 points
No. 157
With owner
I've been down these quarries more than a dozen times, on some epic journeys, but this was the grand-daddy of them all 🙂.
View the cache page on geocaching.com
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Der Adler ist gelandet: der Fahrer
abanazar
Wiltshire
22 points
No. 177
With owner
Yet another refreshingly original theme, and a cache hunt that involved many disciplines over a long, exhausting and highly satisfying day.
Raven's Well
madrab
Avon
22 points
No. 456
With owner
An amazing location, in remarkable order for its age!
Der Adler ist gelandet: Saboteur
abanazar
Wiltshire
22 points
No. 493
With owner
A puzzle that went way over my head, but I was able to make a contribution to solving the field stages. As always, it is truly remrkable how the c/o finds relevant locations and field puzzles to weave into the story line.
View the cache page on geocaching.com
View the geocoin page on geocaching.com
Below Above - Gruidae
JestersMagpie&Lichee
Wiltshire
22 points
No. 591
With owner
One of the more challenging Below Above caches - the number is out of sequence because while I said TOP CACHE on my log, I forgot to add it to the database!
View the cache page on geocaching.com
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Mind The Trains
BareClawz
Wiltshire
21 points
No. 32
With owner
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.
Now archived, but the same ground is covered by others in the series.
Click the image to expand it.
View the cache page on geocaching.com
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Forbrydelsen: Mangler
abanazar
Avon
21 points
No. 140
With owner
Humour in abundance, variety, superb detail, probably abanazar's best "above ground" cache.
View the cache page on geocaching.com
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The Ascent of Man
abanazar
Avon
21 points
No. 141
With owner
Multiple free tree climbs, the last one in particular being very challenging for me, but set in the most breathtaking landscape of green hills and valleys, this one would get 11 out of 10 for the location if it could.
View the cache page on opencache.uk
View the geocoin page on geocaching.com
The Quest for St Aldhelm's Glove
abanazar
Wiltshire
21 points
No. 142
With owner
This one had to be on the itinerary as I had been urged to do it by so many different people. A most unusual starting task, after which it was a little bit of a slow burner, but some great final stages in a place I know well, and a superb cache 🙂.
View the cache page on geocaching.com
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PuRe GeNiUS
digdug123 & bam
Wiltshire
21 points
No. 584
With owner
A most elegant puzzle, and from me there is no higher accolade than elegance 😉 A nice walk to the cache, though very muddy, and as always with this c/o, a big, well stocked box in immaculate condition 🙂.
Below Above - Multi 2
BareClawz
Wiltshire
21 points
No. 65
With owner
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 the image to expand it.
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Below Above - Multi 1
BareClawz
Wiltshire
21 points
No. 46
With owner
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 🙂.
Now archived, but others in the series cover the same ground.
Click the image to expand it.
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The Fallen Monarch
BareClawz
Wiltshire
21 points
No. 33
With owner
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 the images to expand them.
View the cache page on geocaching.com
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Below Above - Mind The Trains
JestersMagpie&Lichee
Wiltshire
20 points
No. 576
With owner
Covers both Mind the Trains in Brown's and the Branch Line in Swan's 🙂.
View the cache page for Mind the Trains on geocaching.com
View the cache page for Branch Line on geocaching.com
View the geocoin page on geocaching.com
Below Above - Hanging Death
JestersMagpie&Lichee
Wiltshire
20 points
No. 575
With owner
A little more exercise than usual at the end 🙂.
View the cache page on geocaching.com
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Below Above - The Peach Stealers Mission
JestersMagpie&Lichee and Wan Hu
Wiltshire
20 points
No. 574
With owner
A familiar place, but a tricky route to follow for an old body 😉.
View the cache page on geocaching.com
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Knock Knock
digdug123 & Boo
Wiltshire
20 points
No. 93
With owner
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
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The White Bird
BareClawz
Wiltshire
20 points
No. 48
With owner
Our first taste of what these underground caches would be like. The entrance was challenging, the whole experience amazing.
Now archived but the same ground is covered by others in the series.
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
University of BoA: School of Engineering
pljg
Wiltshire
19 points
No. 760
With owner
A great location and a challenging recovery/replacement, successfully achieved.
View the cache page on geocaching.com
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Der Adler ist gelandet: das Ende
abanazar
Avon
19 points
No. 789
With owner
Another great cache to complete the series.
View the cache page on geocaching.com
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River Avon Wet & Wild
kiricache
Avon
19 points
No. 768
With owner
A long paddle on a peaceful navigation 🙂.
View the cache page for #1 on geocaching.com
View the geocoin page on geocaching.com
il Nono Cerchio
abanazar
Wiltshire
19 points
No. 77
In the ninth circle 🙂
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 opencache.uk
View the geocoin page on geocaching.com
International Icon Challenges
redsox_mark
Avon
18 points
No. 860
With owner
A somewhat challenging climb up the hill to large and well stocked caches.
View the cache page for "Silver" on geocaching.com
View the geocoin page on geocaching.com
Scooby-Doo! Sally's Mystery
abanazar
Wiltshire
18 points
No. 494
With owner
The puzzle was a bit too taxing for me, but great field stages I could participate in 🙂.
View the cache page on geocaching.com
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Forbrydelsen: Bron|Broen
abanazar
Wiltshire
18 points
No. 520
With owner
The usual ingenuity and painstaking attention to detail.
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Cruising the Avon
madrab
Wiltshire
18 points
No. 767
With owner
A really tough canoe series on the embryonic river Avon.
View the cache page for #1 on geocaching.com
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Playing Around in Kingsdown + Piddypug's Hole (In One)
abanazar
Wiltshire
18 points
No. 133
With owner
A clever and amusing Groundspeak multi, leading directly to a short, but tight and tricky, opencaching.org.uk cave cache.
View Playing Around in Kingsdown on geocaching.com
View Piddypug's Hole (In One) on opencache.uk
View the geocoin page on geocaching.com
Attributes Challenges
higster
Avon
18 points
No. 781
With owner
A lovely walk in the Wiltshire countryside, and some extraordinary cache containers 🙂.
View the cache page for #1 on geocaching.com
View the geocoin page on geocaching.com
h4ck3r
abanazar
Wiltshire
18 points
No. 136
With owner
One for the technophile 🙂. But after the geeky stuff, a lovely walk 🙂.
View the cache page on geocaching.com
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Below Above - 地狱
JestersMagpie&Lichee
Wiltshire
17 points
No. 597
With owner
A simple quarry, but a variation on a theme.
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Der Adler ist gelandet: der Anfang
abanazar
Wiltshire
17 points
No. 495
With owner
More great locations for us to visit 🙂.
View the cache page on geocaching.com
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Below Above - Fred's Dog
JestersMagpie&Lichee
Wiltshire
17 points
No. 506
With owner
Another enjoyable day underground 🙂.
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Der Adler ist gelandet: Einzelgänger
abanazar
Avon
17 points
No. 521
With owner
An extraordinary location!
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Below Above - The Lost Geocacher
JestersMagpie&Lichee
Wiltshire
17 points
No. 455
With owner
A return visit to Brown's quarry after quite a gap - lots of fun 🙂.
View the cache page on geocaching.com
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Tim'n'Marion's Attribute Challenges
Tim'n'Marion
Avon
16 points
No. 761
With owner
A fun series of "fishing" caches 🙂.
View the cache page for one of them on geocaching.com
View the geocoin page on geocaching.com
Cache by Kayak - Avon
antpeng
Wiltshire
16 points
No. 214
With owner
A series of 12 caches set on the River Avon and accessible by canoe. We did it while the river was in flood, which made for a very interesting and enjoyable ride 🙂.
View the cache page for #1 on geocaching.com
View the geocoin page on geocaching.com
The (Water) Crystal Maze
Winter Foxes
Wiltshire
16 points
No. 372
With owner
A fun cache with a great final container 🙂.
View the cache page on geocaching.com
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Below Above - Nuts & Bolts
JestersMagpie&Lichee
Avon
16 points
No. 647
With owner
A series of 9 caches in a very interesting underground location.
View the cache page for #9 on geocaching.com
View the geocoin page on geocaching.com
Dundas adventure lab
Ev1l 81tch
Avon
16 points
No. 859
With owner
Interesting and peaceful location.
View the cache page on geocaching.com
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Flotsam & Jetsam EXTREME
FollowMeChaps
Avon
16 points
No. 523
Declined
Big Game Fishing - MARLIN
Magic Traveler's
Avon
15 points
No. 720
With owner
A great series of "fishing" caches, with this one in particular being quite a challenge!
View the cache page on geocaching.com
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Safety Dance
redsox_mark
Wiltshire
15 points
No. 292
With owner
A nicely put together cache with an unusual theme, a good walk, mostly through lovely countryside, and a nice container at the end of it 🙂.
View the cache page on geocaching.com
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A Practice Tree
swindon_leys
Wiltshire
15 points
No. 646
With owner
Nice climb in a pleasant location.
View the cache page on opencache.uk
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Centenary Challenge
Lydford Locators
Wiltshire
15 points
No. 201
With owner
A representative cache from a series of challenges. What made them stand out from other challenge cache series I've done was the good size, well stocked containers, and the setting in a lovely woods.
View the cache page on geocaching.com
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TIDAL Avon
TeamEww
Avon
14 points
No. 769
With owner
A pleasant paddle 🙂.
Mix-tapes
antpeng
Wiltshire
14 points
No. 464
With owner
A series of songs to identify, of increasing difficulty. And a series of trees to climb, quite a variety, some good some not quite so good 😉.
View the cache page on geocaching.com, for the hardest of the puzzles but the best of the climbs
View the geocoin page on geocaching.com
It’s not so Grimm in Box
abanazar
Wiltshire
13 points
No. 75
With owner
Done as an opportunistic cache, as we were passing close by and I spotted it had been awarded a lot of "favourite" points.
A typical abanazar cache, combining metaphor and allegory into the cache page and search. An excellent cache, and an unexpected TOP CACHE.
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