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Thread: Taking it to extremes... again! June 2010 trip to Jersey- and beyond?

  1. #1
    Simply Paul Guest

    Exclamation Taking it to extremes... again! June 2010 trip to Jersey- and beyond?

    It's that time again!

    Having recovered from my amazing trip to the UK's most northerly point at the far end of Shetland* in June, I'm now planning my next extreme cache event for June 2010. I'm running out of unexplored corners of Britain (Lowestoft really is going to have to wait) but a look at the map shows me there's a tidal island off the south coast of Jersey that's just about the most southerly point in Britain - It's certainly home to what claims to be Britain's most southerly cache. The only place beyond that is the Minquiers islands, which at low tide is 100 square miles of exposed rocks and high tide a small island (0.1 squ miles?) with some fishermen's shelters on it. Jersey Kayak Adventures have sea kayak trips out to it; not cheap though, and 12 miles from Jersey, not an easy paddle either.

    I'll look into cheaper/easier ways to get to the more remote island, but if nothing suitable is found, the event may be on (just off!) Jersey towards the end of June next year instead. I'll list the event when I can, and post news here as and when I have it.


    A hint of what the Minquiers have to offer...

    *For how amazing, have a look at my gallery. In 2008 it was St Agnes in the Isles of Scilly (UK's south point) and in 2007 it was St Kilda (UK/Britain's west point- bar Rockall!)

  2. #2

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    That first pic is truly stunning - I wanna be there...!
    ​​Do not go gentle into that good night.
    Rage, rage against the dying of the light. (Dylan Thomas)​


  3. #3
    zwei ormers Guest

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    The Minkies (as locals call it) is difficult to get to unless you own your own sea transport, and even then it's not straightforward due to a) lots of poorly charted drying/shallow areas and b) strong tides. Local charterboats might take you out there, and if you give me enough fuel money and good weather I could take you down in my boat from Guernsey.

  4. #4
    Simply Paul Guest

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    That's a very tempting offer. I'll be in touch closer to the time if I get some reasonable numbers, to make it practical to do it that way. How many folks would it be safe for you to transport?

  5. #5
    zwei ormers Guest

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    Only me plus three others - it'a a 21foot fast fisher, so would need perfect weather too. Realistically you should get in touch with Jersey cachers for a more sensible option.

  6. #6
    Simply Paul Guest

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    Thanks for that suggestion. I'll see if I can find anyone on Jersey with a bigger boat. Failing that, I've seen a nice RIB on eBay, some rope and tractor inner-tubes...

  7. #7
    Simply Paul Guest

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    Just keeping folks in the loop with this; I'd be looking to clear all the CI's of caches while I'm out that way, so would people be interested in cache events on each of the inhabited/cached islands?

  8. #8
    zwei ormers Guest

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    That's going to be quite a task, certainly in Guernsey caching is taking off with about 2 new ones a week on average at the moment (and people haven't even started on micros yet!), and lots more to come. Jersey has loads already too.
    It would be interesting to have an 'event' as there's never been one, but I think there's only 4 or 5 teams placing caches at the moment and a handful of others hunting them. Caches are generally 'good quality' though, and we're starting to get a bit more variation from the standard 'box in hole hidden by a stone' caches
    Last edited by zwei ormers; 9th September 2009 at 09:25 AM.

  9. #9
    Simply Paul Guest

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    And so it begins! My thanks to Antheia for passing GC22370 - In The Unlikly Event... (Les Minquiers) - this morning. To quote from the cache page,

    "Be warned: This one WILL be hard to get to...!
    When:
    2pm - Sunday 20th June 2010 (Weather permitting).
    Where: Les Minquiers islands (aka The Minkies), English Channel.
    Why: Because it's there! Except at high tide!
    Who: Those who take their extreme caching seriously.
    How to get there: That's up to you, but an Internet search will produce some suggestions."

    The meet will be at Britain's most southerly flag pole, beneath a fluttering Union Jack, I hope. Here's a taste:


    Hope to see you there, in the middle of the sea!

  10. #10
    Simply Paul Guest

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    The softer/perhaps cheaper option than the above is a walk from Jersey to an off-shore tower on a tidal island for another cache event a couple of days later. My thanks to Antheia again for passing GC1WD50 - Britain's Fourth Most Remote Event Cache (Jersey) - yesterday. Have a look at the near-by physical cache's gallery to get an idea of what's in store. Here's a small teaser...


    With thanks to rappaz for uploading some great shots.

    If you don't know about my extreme (in the geographical sense) events, there are links to them from both event's pages- Well worth a look for an idea of the adventures in store in June!

    Any questions?

  11. #11
    zwei ormers Guest

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    Nice work Paul!
    Tide times - about 13:49BST is high water. I will try to find out from my Pilotage book what time you're supposed to be able to land there.

  12. #12
    Simply Paul Guest

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    Latest News:

    I've been in contact with Derek who runs Jersey Kayak Adventures http://www.jerseykayakadventures.co.uk/tours/ with an eye to chartering a boat out to Les Minquiers, with the option of a sea kayak tour for those interested in something a bit more challenging. I should have conformation of date and prices soon. Please note, this is just one way to get to the islands and the event is open to anyone, no matter how they get there. Mate with a yacht? There's even a helicopter pad..!

    Thanks zwei but Derek also tells me that due to a Neap Tide (low amplitude) my date for Britain's Fourth Most Remote Event Cache (Jersey) https://www.geocaching.com/seek/cach...1-0678bc745edb may not be ideal. I'm looking to move it to the following weekend to give enough time to get there, look around, swap coins & TBs, talk caching and get back without getting wet. Please watch the cache page for the most up-to-date info. Neap Tides suit a trip to Les Minquiers so that's ok.

    Of additional interest? I see there's an organised 48 mile walk of the costal path around Jersey on June the 19th. It takes most people between 12-21 hours to complete the circuit which needless to say passes many cache locations... More info at www.itexwalk.je - Ignore the bit about 'Online Registration Closed' -that refers to last year's walk!- This year's opens in February.

    More news when I have it

  13. #13
    zwei ormers Guest

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    As an experienced boater and shore gatherer I'd say a spring tide was a good idea to get the best from the Minquiers - you'd be looking at a 36foot vertical distance between low and high water! At HW the islands are only just big enough for the houses, at low water it's a moonscape nearly as big as Jersey!
    Itex walk - I did it last year If you like that sort of thing it's really good - you have to start early (05:30) though, but if the weather's good like last year then it's fantastic. Took me 11.5 hours I think. There's one in Guernsey a week or two before as well www.itexwalk.gg which is about 38-40 miles. Terrain for either is strenuous but well-maintained cliffpaths with steps, or flat coastal path. If you do either I'd recommend making sure you're at the front and going as fast as you can at the start to get ahead of as many people as possible to avoid getting stuck behind them on the single-file sections of cliffpath, especially on the Jersey one.

  14. #14
    Simply Paul Guest

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    Thanks for that great info Zwei. As I understand it, the problem with big tides at Les Minquiers is you can end up with a stranded boat a bit too easily as the water is changing height quickly and that produces strong currents between the rocks. I can see how a smaller (neap) tidal range keeps things simple, even if it robs the location of some 'drama'.

    I didn't know there's an Itex walk on Guernsey too; I'll have to check that out. 11.5 hours for Jersey is going some; 4.2mph non-stop by my reckoning- Quite a pace to keep up for that length of time. I'm running 10km daily and hoped to jog/run/jog/run it... Sound advice about starting near the front to avoid the bottlenecks

    Fresh boat-trip info from Derek:

    "Hi Paul. Some good news: I can get you a boat; a RIB which can take 12. Probably a 12-ish departure time.

    If only foot passengers are going to Les Minquiers for the afternoon it'll be £55 each for 6 or more. Or min charge of £480.00 split x-ways for fewer (it can take 12 max).

    It could perhaps be possible for us to team up with a Kayaking group (£160) if you've less than 6 and charge £70 per foot passenger as they will be taking up kayaking places. Please give me an idea of numbers when you can.

    We can also arrange packed lunches for around £8 with cakes/rolls etc made by a local tea shop. We use them on our other trips.

    P.S. A good camp site is Rozel Farm"

    Remember, the event is open to all, no matter how they get to the island. I'm passing on the above information as this is the cheapest travel option I know of; you may have your own transport, a mate with a boat, a jet-pack...

  15. #15
    zwei ormers Guest

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    Other options for transport would be the Jersey fishing charter boats - Anna II and Theseus (see www.deepsea.co.uk ) or the Guernsey charters 'Out the blue II' www.boatfishing.net and 'Margaret K' (deepsea again?) or the Guernsey fast ribs 'www.islandribvoyages.com'. The charterboats are slower, but better in rain and bad weather. Charterboats are ~£450 for the day, Guernsey ones might charge extra fuel costs? All are licensed for 12 passengers.

  16. #16
    Simply Paul Guest

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    For hardy cachers interesting in a long, long walk the day before my summer Extreme event (GC1WD50 - Britain's Fourth Most Remote Event Cache-Jersey https://www.geocaching.com/seek/cach...1-0678bc745edb), the 48.1 mile (77.3Km) Round Island Walk is set for the 19th of June and you can sign up for it here: http://www.itexwalk.je/default.aspx - It costs £12 to enter, which includes a t-shirt and support at 13 points around the island (drinks, loos etc). If you're interested, please let me know. I've already signed up

  17. #17
    Simply Paul Guest

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    From the mundy family, about my GC1WD50 - Britain's Fourth Most Remote Event Cache (Jersey) event: https://www.geocaching.com/seek/cach...1-0678bc745edb

    "Reliable tide times and heights are available to locals! Tuesday 15th June is your best time in the month to do Seymour Tower. Low water is at 15.55 height of 1.59m or 5.23 feet. The best weekend date is Sunday 13th June at 14.24 1.74m 5.71ft. You need to leave Seymour slip an hour before and follow the tide out. There is a locals route out which takes you around the gullies otherwise you run the risk of being caught in a gully with water up to your waist. You will have approx 30 to 40 mins at the tower before having to think about turning back. You can't take longer, even though it will look clear as the tide circles you in the gullies and cuts you off. Hope this helps."

    It did help- a lot. Finding reliable tide information was proving a big -and potentially dangerous- problem so I'm indebted to the mundy family. Does anyone have any strong feelings as to which day would suit them best? I'm open to suggestions now I have accurate info on both dates and times. To give people maximum time to make plans and get cheap travel options, I'll decide which date on Monday March 1st (tomorrow!) at noon, and update the cache page and add a note then.

  18. #18
    Simply Paul Guest

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    The new time and date for the GC1WD50 event on the tidal island just south of Jersey is the 13th of June at 2.10pm; low tide. Sorry for the change but it's been done for reasons of safety; the original date just wasn't suitable because of the neap tide. It's all very technical... Hope to see you on the island

  19. #19
    Simply Paul Guest

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    Latest update: To Jersey and beyond!

    I've had a further four Channel Island events published for the week following my Jersey events:

    Friday, June 25th - GC226KJ The Hunting of the Sark!

    Saturday, June 26th - GC229XC Herm is where the heart is!

    Sunday, June 27th - GC229YY Guernsey Gathering

    Monday, June 28th - GC229YB All the way to Alderney

    It would be great to meet some local cachers while I'm on the islands; perhaps an event might encourage a visit to one of the smaller isles; they all have caches on them. Hope to see you there! :socool:

  20. #20
    zwei ormers Guest

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    Looks good, hopefully we'll make it to most of those! We'll also try to put some caches out as well so the existing caches don't get mobbed!:socool:

  21. #21
    Simply Paul Guest

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    That would be great, zwei ormers. All of the islands I'm going to visit have caches already but an extra reason to visit any great location which deserves one would be wonderful.

    On the 19th of June, the day before my Minkies event, there's an organised walk of the 48.1 mile / 77.3Km coast of Jersey. I've signed-up to do it and I'm going to try to complete it at a jog in under 11 hours; a decent pace given the hilly nature of the coastal path. I hope to collect over £100 for the British Heart Foundation via a Just Giving page at http://www.justgiving.com/simplypaul - Unlike the 'other forum' I can do a little light begging here, so if anyone can help, it'd be wonderful. Cheers! :socool:

  22. #22
    RuberyBlue Guest

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    Always a sucker for legitimate begging bowls.......Good luck

    RB
    KRO!

  23. #23

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    A pleasure to support a fellow cacher in their effort to collect funds for w worthy cause.

  24. #24
    Simply Paul Guest

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    A public thank you guys, your generosity is moving. Also, it might encourage others...

  25. #25
    Simply Paul Guest

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    Just a month to go until my run around Jersey (http://www.justgiving.com/simplypaul) and less than that for the walk out to the tidal island off the south coast. On June the 20th I'll be heading to Les Minquiers (aka The Minkies) to hide Britain's most southerly - and one of its most remote - cache, if plans go to... plan There are still seats on the boat free (if I get an extra shipmate the price drops from £70 to £55 each so I'm very keen to rope someone else in!) but of course the event is open to anyone who gets to the island, however they get there. Any questions?

  26. #26
    Simply Paul Guest

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    The trip to the Minkies has hit a snag; the cost of the boat has jumped for £480 to £800 (humm!) so I'm looking for a replacement. Please watch the cache page for the latest updates. If I can't get a sensible price to get out there, I'll have to cancel the event; sorry.

  27. #27
    zwei ormers Guest

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    So how was the Itex walk then? Colleagues went over and it took them 18 hours!

  28. #28
    zwei ormers Guest

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    OK, we put a couple of caches out on Herm tonight - I've listed the co-ords in the 'Herm is where the heart is' log notes in case they don't get published in time (unlikely, Antheia is very good).:socool:

  29. #29
    Simply Paul Guest

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    I should keep an eye on this forum and this thread more often. To reply to the excellent zwei ormers, I managed the Itex walk in 15h 46m, having developed huge blisters on both feet. I ran the first few stages in good time, aiming for my 11h target, but for the first and thus-far only time my running shoes rubbed and I had to patch my feet up. The rest of the coast was completed at a rather slower pace! I still think 11 hours is do-able but realistically I'd want to go sub 13h if I give it another go. I raised over £140 at http://www.justgiving.com/simplypaul (live for another week?) and I can certainly say it was an experience!

    On the Herm caches front, as I hinted in my logs, I really enjoyed them both but the one in the mine was properly amazing! Perhaps even my cache of the holiday - or a close 2nd or 3rd... But then I did find 192! So thanks very much for setting those, as well as looking after my Guernsey multi. :socool:

  30. #30
    zwei ormers Guest

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    Quote Originally Posted by Simply Paul View Post
    So thanks very much for setting those, as well as looking after my Guernsey multi. :socool:
    Hehe, we've just moved house....to a place about 100yards away!! Should make it easy to maintain LOL!

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