Geocaching....

[Sair33]

Now, I'm a big fan of geocaching. A very enjoyable pastime, and a great way to get people (including kids) out and about and walking further than they may otherwise have wanted to.

But... do I want them on my land?
There are currently 2 in the woodland we are in the process of purchasing. Close to the footpath, but not on it, therefore requires wandering off the path.

Any thoughts? I feel a bit of a hypocrite saying I don't want them there

[Dexter's Shed]

There are currently 2 in the woodland we are in the process of purchasing. Close to the footpath, but not on it, therefore requires wandering off the path.

(

two what?

[outeredge]

Can't you just remove them and there references from the "database" (if there is one)? They are on your private land after all.

[Dexter's Shed]

Can't you just remove them and there references from the "database" (if there is one)? They are on your private land after all.

now that makes more sense to me, so how can any plot holder check their woods for these "spots" anyone got a link?

[oldclaypaws]

I'm in the middle of nowhere and was amazed to find theres one about 400 yards away from me and twenty within 1 1/2 miles. How bizarre. This is the host site, there has to be a way to remove one, even if you just physically chuck whatever object it is in a skip so it becomes a 'dead link'.

https://www.geocaching.com/

Update; The GB organisation page has a 'landowners page' where you can contact them if your land has a cache without consent (as is the case if ownership changes and you dont want it there)

http://www.gagb.org.uk/

[Stephen1]

I've had this issue. I'd prefer it if they weren't on our land, but the reality is there's not much you can do - as Oldclaypaw says there's a national geocaching umbrella organisation, but it's still individuals that choose where to place caches and apparently there are many splinter groups. However I contacted the folk who placed the box and agreed with them a different spot for it to be hidden in that better suited me in terms of both privacy and to an area where the ground flora was less special. I'd suggest not to move the box or hide it yourself- this will just mean they spend more time trampling around and wandering further from the reference point in an attempt to find it. From what I gather, and in the case of all three on our land, there is a log book in the box - you can look at this and gain an idea of how many visits you're receiving. Perhaps if it's not too many you can tolerate it, or come to a compromise location, if there is more use than you're happy with then it might be worth looking at other options- but don't leave yourself open to spite reprisals from the geocaching community - you may find boxes appearing all over your land, I get the impression that many in the geocaching community feel everywhere should be open access - that said they were very happy to cooperate and compromise with me on the exact location of their box.

[Zathras]

I would leave them there and even help maintain it if I were you.

As a rule your average geocacher is an upstanding responsible citizen rather than a dodgy bugger, although they can look dodgy because you're trying to do geocaching discreetly.

I think I'd be happy to have good citizens hanging around who could report or intervene if they see something dodgy going on nearby.

[oldclaypaws]

There's a straight forward issue here of consent and trespass. I fail to see why anyone thinks they should be able to come onto private land without consent, or else you could put these things in places that are unsafe, delicate ecosystems, shooting grounds, felling sites, full of valuable property like timber and machinery, or simply sanctuaries from the outside world. There are many valid reasons to exclude uninvited visitors, I see no reason to an entitlement to go where you want if it has a detrimental impact on the owner. Any uninvited visitors to my wood had better be able to run faster than 2 huge American Akitas or they'll get soundly wuffed at and licked to death. If you were scared of dogs, you'd have a heart attack, they are massive.

[Stephen1]

I absolutely agree with you Oldclaypaw - but land ownership is always an emotive subject - and of course the larger part of our feckless population expect/demand all kinds of 'rights', of course with no attached duties of their own. The reality is that it's not simple, there is a big difference between criminal and civil law- and trespass is a civil matter. The legal rights of land owners have been successively reduced over the years, and it is a fact that they will be reduced further in the years to come - might as well try and develop reasonable relationships with groups before they are given the right anyway. I appreciate this more imminently applies to Wales, where I am, than where you are in England.

What gets my goat above all is how skewed the law is against the landowner with regard to trespassers - we have a duty of care to them, but there doesn't seem to be much the state offers to protect our 'rights' from them.

[Zathras]

If somebody doesn't want them on their land that's fine, the geocaching community discourages using private land and encourages that permission is sought if it is private.

The geocaching sites will be happy to remove them from the database if you ask them to as the land owner, however I think it would be better to ask the geocache placer to move it to where you are happy - such as closer to the path or further on.

They are usually a very approachable crowd and civic minded, plus they want there cache to be used and an unhappy land owner is an obvious risk to their cache - so why wouldn't they be accommodating?

By the way, in the interests of full disclosure I have around 175 finds and usually have a carrier bag with me to pick up rubbish in remote locations where councils are unable to service - as many other geocachers I've seen do.