Geo..what? Geocaching has become a hugely popular past time over the last couple of years and the Isle of Man is no different. The simplest way of thinking of Geocaching is to think of a good old fashioned treasure hunt with a slightly techy edge. Longitude and latitude positions are provided that give you a starting position and from there it can be as simple or as complicated as the original cacher decides in how to find their “treasure”. Queue much looking in bushes, holes in walls and under piles of rocks. Once found you are usually free to take something from the cache in return for leaving something for the next person. It really is great fun for adults and children alike and a fantastic way of discovering a new place. Different types of Geocaches are available from the very simple to multi clue and puzzle caches.
The Isle of Man in particular is very well suited to starting your Geocaching career. Measuring just 33 miles long by 11 miles wide and with over 300 caches you are never far from your next find, I know from experience that some locals have been shocked by just how many hidden caches there are in and around the towns in particular..
If you’re a family that has never been to the Isle of Man before then it is a great way of adding some added excitement to the natural beauty of exploring the islands glens, towns and coastline. Caches such as at the real Fairy Bridge may even take you to spots that not many residents see and just that little bit of the usual tourist trail. Even if you’re more interested in the mainstream attractions of the Isle of Man you’ll find several caches close by most of the more well known sites.
To get started with Geocaching you’ll need a GPS device of some sort. Of course many modern mobile phones come with GPS technology built in but there are even cheaper ways of getting started with Garmin producing several low cost hand held GPS units including those designed for runners which are ideal for locating Geocaches. The next step is to sign up at the Geocaching.com website (which is free) and then search for Geocaches on the Isle of Man (you can use this list of Isle of Man Geocaches if you like). That’s all you need. Once you’ve paid for your GPS this has got to be one of the cheapest hobbies you can do. Who knows, start your Geocaching career on the Isle of Man and you might just want to try it when you get home as well.
Some Cheaper GPS Units To Get You Started With Geocaching
Garmin Forerunner 305 GPS Watch – Approximately £140 and does the job as good as anything else. Don’t be scared because it’s worn on the wrist, the GPS receiver in this unit works well even under tree canopy cover.
Garmin 76csx – Great for use on the boat but also a fantastic hand held unit for Geocaching. The ability to add extra map information and a colour display puts this a solid step above the Garmin Forerunner but for around £250 you’d expect it to.
Geocaching on the Isle of Man. With hundreds of different caches to find all within a small island there’s no better place to discover Geocaching.
2 comments
What I think would be a great idea is that if someone set up a stall or shop of somekind where you could rent a GPS compatible device that is compatible with Geo-Caching, the family, group or idividual could then go about the island taking part in Geo-Caching. When they finish they could then simply return the GPS device and return home. I think this a fantastic idea and one that should put into practise, and surely with todays crime prevention technology the units could be tracked if not returned.
Juan
I would like someone to give a talk on this – who are the couple in Laxey and have you contact details?