2024-08-12 51 5
| Mon 12 Aug 2024 in 51,5: 51.4553792, 5.4902458 geohashing.info google osm bing/os kml crox |
Location
On the golf course run by the University of Eindhoven
Participants
Expedition
The hash seemed to be on a golf course just north of Eindhoven central station. Should have been easy enough except some extra difficulties were added:
- The weather was HOT, up to 35 degrees during the day
- I had to work ‘til 16:30, the golf course would close at 21:00.
- I decided to ride my bike from Culemborg to ‘s-Hertogenbosch. A distance of 35 kilometers
- Eindhoven had their annual fair.
- Eindhoven University was still on summer break.
None of these were dealbreakers, but together they made for quite a taxing expedition. I left Utrecht at 16:30 and got on my bike in Culemborg at 17:00. I only reached Den Bosch at 19:52, which means that a 2 hour bike ride (according to Google Maps) took almost an hour longer. I guess the frequent water breaks and Google Maps frequent mistakes in the route added up to close to an hour of extra high intensity workout. Had to run to grab my train to Eindhoven, but made it. Sweating heavily, I could only imagine my fellow traveler’s horror at the dusty and stinky man breathing heavily across from them. The only thing I could do was put in my headphones and look as boring as possible. I decided not to give them an explanation of my expedition as I’m not sure my tale would have eased their worries. While in the train, I decided to look at the best way to get to the hash. Weirdly, the busses seemed to be very slow. The hash was close to the university, so I assumed that busses would be frequent and fast. With this knowledge, I decided to walk 20 minutes to the hash from the station. I decided against renting against because, honestly, I’m not sure my butt would have accepted another bike ride that day.
I reached Eindhoven and started walking. Crossing the road to the campus, I saw the reason why the busses were not going to where I wanted to go… the Eindhoven annual fair was in town. On the road next to the campus. At least I had an explanation I guess. It was still very hot outside but luckily Eindhoven University has a very green campus and I know the campus well. Crossing a small stream and walking past the Student Sports Union, I encountered a fence. Apparently work was being done where I was walking. Luckily I was able to go around it, sweatily walking past a lot of people sweatily doing fitness. This was only a vision of blockades to come.
I crossed the street and walk past another large building behind which I would find my golf course. Maps showed an entrance-gate from the road, someone did come out of the gate, but I was unable to go in. Door 1. Deciding to go back and find another entrance I found another 3 locked doors before finally seeing the open gate to the athlete’s fields. Happily, I trudged through the dry wilderness around the closed gates to get to the open gate. I still needed permission to get to the hash as it was technically private terrain. No-one here was able to find me a staff member except for telling me that the main manager was showering. That was a door I would keep closed for now. As 21:00 was rapidly approaching, I decided to accept the students’ permission to go onto the field and ask the manager’s permission on the way out.
The trick now was to find a way to the hash. The students had told me that I could cross behind the soccer goals where people where playing to the field with the hash. Getting to the soccergoals resulted in at least 4 more closed gates that usually would have been open. The friendly signs explained that the fields had been recently sown because of summer break. Just my luck. Finally I found my way to the soccer field in between two buildings. I walked behind the goals right when a player was going over a fence to retrieve a ball. I wished him luck because the fence looked unstable and sharp. At the same time I wished that going over the fence would have been an option for me, because it would have saved me time at least 4 times now.
Having gone past the soccer goals, I turned on the app to find the hash. From the road, I had guesstimated this to be the field with the hash. Reality turned out differently. There was once again a looked door and a fence in between me and the hash. I saw someone in the correct field retrieving flags for the holes. Time was not on my side at this point. I hurried back past the soccer field, tried another closed gate, went through the gate in between the buildings. I rushed past some stoners who were sitting in their car looking at the soccer players with Bob Dylan on. I was sweating and overheated, I must have been quite a sight. I finally found the entry gate to the golf course and it was open. 20:55, I was still on time!!! Smiling, I asked the last 4 golf players for the manager. She was the same person that had been removing the flags. She’d seen me on the other side of the fence, and told me she had been wondering what I was doing over there. Quickly, I explained Geohashing and that all I needed to do was go about 100m onto the field and take some pictures. She asked if I was going to dig in the grass. I said no. She gave me permission to get to the hash.
Happy with my success, I ran in a straight line to the hash. It was in between a sand pit and a hole (excuse my golf language if I make any mistakes, the only golf I’m familiar with is casual mini-golf). Took my pictures, celebrated my success, and walked back to the manager to thank her. She told me that if I had asked her when the guests had already left (they left while I was walking to the hash), she would have said no to my being on the property alone with her. Understandable. I thanked her profusely. And left the golf course.
I walked back to the train station with a slightly route. Was able to stop a scooter from being stolen by looking at the guy breaking open the lock intently. Reported the attempted theft with security. Walked to the station without any further doors in my way and went home. All in all, a very easy hash with a lot of complications. Very proud to have made this one, especially with 5 minutes remaining before it would have become unreachable.
Photos
So proud, so tired
