Outdoor activities don’t need to be extreme - Green Laning and Geo-Caching

Quite often on Experience Swap we talk about a lot of activities that go on in the ‘Wilds’ either up a mountain, on a river or the beach but there are still tons of experiences to be had in the more genteel parts of Great Britain. This weekend Experience Swap was out in the Northamptonshire countryside enjoying some 4x4 action in a classic 1943 jeep and also trying out Geo Caching for the first time.

“This was the predecessor to the first Landrover” shouts Jon over the noise of the 2 Lt original Ford engine. “It’s like God said; let there be 4x4s, this jeep is Genesis!” Jon is the proud owner of a completely original 1943 ‘Willys’ Ford Jeep that was left behind by the Americans after the War. It was made for reconnaissance but nearly 60 years later it is also awesome fun to go ‘Green-Laning’ in!

Across the UK there are approximately 2000 miles of byways or green lanes as their known. These are often unpaved, muddy and overgrown stretches of road that are no longer used by the general public but are perfect if you have a 4x4.

Byways shouldn’t be confused with Bridleways which are only for non-motorised vehicles so you need to check the maps first. Exploring  green lanes is brilliant fun and definitely comes recommended from Experience Swap.The next day Experience Swap tried it’s hand at Geocaching. This activity is hugely popular and involves finding ‘caches’ hidden in the countryside, locating them using good old fashioned navigation, and a detailed map or a GPS device. When you get there you have to work out the clues as to where the cache is hidden. You can then fill in the log book and take and leave items as you wish.

We used the iPhone app to turn our mobiles into Geocache locators and within about 20 minutes of walking had found our first cache, a perfectly hidden ex-army ammunition box. We opened it up to find all sorts of random stuff such as a rubber duck, a musical Christmas tie and bizarrely (and slightly disturbingly) a set of latex gloves! We signed the logbook, re-hid the cache for the next ‘geocachers’ and headed off to find the next one.

If I’m completely honest, we were slightly bemused what all the fuss is about! There are literally thousands of these geocache’s all over the UK and the rest of the world. You look a little odd rummaging around in hedges for secret boxes, which is part of the excitement, however I think that it would be great fun to do with a family and even better if done as part of a good walk to a pub! Check out www.geocaching.com for more info.

So there you go, Experience Swap isn’t just about extreme activities. It’s an ideal way to try loads of different outdoor activities wherever you live. Sign up to Experience Swap to discover more outdoor pursuits wherever you live or anywhere you might be visiting.