The Task Fosse

Motorway Mayhem M1 J21 Leicester Forest East (traditional cache)


13 Counties view (multicache)


Motorway Mayhem M5 J9 (traditional cache)


Mr. Squishy travelbug


It was mid-afternoon by the time I left the Post Office tea room and I had to decide what to do next. I could have returned into Leicester and ambled around, but decided it would be more pleasant to head home early, and take in the wonderful Fosse Way - and the prospect of an enticing multicache in the Cotswolds.

I picked off the Leicester Forest East cache fairly easily and decided to head south down the M1. Unfortunately, I did not know that the junction I was aiming for had no entry to the road I wanted. So had to carry on as far south as Northampton before leaving the motorway.

An unexpected cross-country run across Northamptonshire then followed. I haven't seen much of this county before and I found it surprisingly pretty and less flat than I had imagined. My route took me round Daventry, another historic town I have not seen before. It's larger than I thought.

Pic. 1: Fosse Way

Soon I was over the county line into Warwickshire, and anticipating meeting up belatedly with the Fosse Way. This road has fascinated me since Maalie informed me of it a couple of years ago. It's a real treat for the historical geographer - an incongruously straight B road linking Exeter, Bath Spa, Cirencester, Leicester and Lincoln. A real antedote to the 21st Century stress of driving. I stopped for a lengthy break just after joining the Fosse Way to take some pics.

Soon enough I had made it down to Moreton-in-Marsh where I turned westwards towards the Broadway tower and the site of the 13 Counties view multicache. I'm not persuaded that 13 counties can be viewed here - it also depends on whether one is counting traditional counties or the new-fangled unitary bodies in England.

Pic. 2: the 13 Counties View geocache - on the Cotswold way - with the Broadway Tower folly in the background.


Nevertheless, a stunning cache - and only my 3rd ever multicache - based on clues around the Broadway tower folly. Delighted to stumble across the Cotswold Way which I will probably return to with K in the months and years to come. Lots of geocaches here too! Found Mr. Squishy travelbug in 13 Counties view. It reeks of cannabis so I'm going to give him a bath in Tesco's non-bio.

Got stuck in Cheltenham Festival traffic in the Vale of Evesham but made up for it by finding a superbly hidden micro on the outskirts of Tewkesbury. Then home.