2009-03-24 52 -1

Tue 24 Mar 2009 in Birmingham: 52.6026123, -1.1056386 geohashing.info google osm bing/os kml crox

This hashpoint was on the grass verge by a small carpark next to a park in the southern outskirts of Leicester. Joehardflec had claimed he would get there 'around 4pm', so Benjw jumped at the chance to go to a hashpoint at which he would actually meet someone. In the end the hashpoint was easily reached, but Joe never showed up.

Expedition (Benjw)

The previous afternoon, Joe Hardman had left a message on the graticule page saying "joehardflec will be there around 4pm. Anyone else coming?". A mere seven minutes later, I had jumped at the chance to meet another geohasher and had replied to say I'd be there. The point looked to be right on the pavement of a street in the outskirts of Leicester, so it should be easily reachable, and it was right next to a park with its own small carpark. Perfect.

I set off from Cambridge with enough time to drive to Leicester and find a few geocaches on the way. I also investigated the university's botanic gardens (well worth a visit) and was at the hashpoint carpark at 3:50pm. As well as a carpark, this seemed to be the meeting place for the local youth to hang out and spend amorous afternoons sitting (or, indeed, lying) in their cars with their (or possibly someone else's) girlfriends. My car was then re-parked at the other end of the carpark.

The hashpoint was easily located, just outside the park, between a hedge and a cycle path. I took some photos and hung around, waiting for Joe to show up. It was a nice day, and a nice area, with flowerbeds and sunshine. However, after half an hour or so I got bored and went looking for a geocache in the park. A geohash marker was written and left in the hedge, in case anyone else showed up, and then I had a walk through the park, finding the geocache 375 m away from the hashpoint in a nice area of rock gardens, shrub beds and grassy paths. Lots of people were out walking their dogs (and children).

I then returned to the hashpoint and waited around some more, but nobody arrived, so I left at 4:45pm and went home via some more caches and some grocery shopping. All in all, a nice trip and I'm glad I went, but it's a shame the planned meetup didn't happen.

Photographic documentation

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  Knighton Park, home of the geohash since 2009.

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  And there's the hashpoint (under that flagpole).

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  Easily found, at the bottom of a hedge.

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  Benjw standing on the hashpoint.

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  The area around the hashpoint was tidy and pretty.

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  The trees were out in blossom.

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  Ben went for a stroll through the park.

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  He found some pretty gardens.

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  And some wildlife.

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  And a geocache!

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  A note was left in the hedge in case Joe ever turned up.

Shiny ribbons earned

Benjw earned the Land geohash achievement by reaching the (52, -1) geohash on 2009-03-24.

Benjw earned the Hash collision honorable mention by discovering the geocache GC10D2A 375 m from the (52, -1) geohash on 2009-03-24.

Benjw earned the Consecutive geohash achievement by reaching 2 consecutive hash points starting on 2009-03-23.

Benjw achieved level 4 of the Minesweeper Geohash achievement by visiting coordinates in Northampton, United Kingdom and 4 of the surrounding graticules.