2009-03-09 52 1

Mon 9 Mar 2009 in Norwich: 52.6171403, 1.2402096 geohashing.info google osm bing/os kml crox

Today's hashpoint was just outside Norwich, in woodland owned by the University of East Anglia (UEA), north of Cringleford. Permission is given to pedestrians (with well-behaved dogs) to walk through the woodland. Despite lack of dog, Benjw found the hashpoint, on the first recorded expedition in this graticule.

This was the first part of a Triple Hash expedition by Ben -- the other parts are here and here.

Expedition

Benjw

I'd finished everything I needed to do at work by 11:15, so I went home. I made some lunch, did some washing up, answered some emails and did some maths homework, but soon the call of the geohash was too strong. I succumbed, and printed off maps, made a flask of tea and some sandwiches, and was out of the door at 1:30pm.

I had grand plans for reaching many hashpoints today, so decided to take a relatively long trip to Norwich to start off with. It's a fair distance, but there's a reasonable main road that goes straight there. As expected the journey was slow in the single-carriageway sections, but it wasn't too bad overall and soon I had parked up in the village of Cringleford. I walked to the edge of the village, not knowing quite what to expect when I got to the woodland -- there was a pathway through it to the UEA campus but whether the rest was open to the public or not, I didn't know.

Luckily, it was. A large sign at the gate said that use of the woodland without authorisation was fine for pedestrians with well-behaved dogs. Unfortunately I hadn't brought any well-behaved dogs with me. I looked around but I couldn't see a single one that I might be able to borrow. Still, nobody was looking so I sneaked in without one.

A path led in the general direction I wanted to go, so I followed it until about 200m from the hashpoint, when it went elsewhere, so I walked through the trees for the last bit. This was not as awkward as other expedition reports from more forested parts of the world have made it sound -- here the woods were quite airy and not at all overgrown. A few minutes later I found the hashpoint -- right next to a path! Evidently I could have taken the easy route after all.

Despite having a few people put their names on the wiki, this was the first recorded expedition in the graticule. I was pleased that it was so easily successful, and in quite a pleasant spot. I hereby claim the Virgin Graticule award for 52,1.

A few metres further north of the hashpoint the ground got rather marshy as it approached the river. I could see the UEA buildings through the trees but didn't get as far as the river itself as I started to sink into the mud. Good job the hashpoint itself wasn't a few metres further north!

It was then almost exactly 3:00pm. After taking a few photos, I returned (through the trees again) to the car, and set off on my next expedition.

Shiny ribbons earned

Benjw earned the Land geohash achievement by reaching the (52, 1) geohash on 2009-03-09.

Photographic documentation

• 

  Permission to go geohashing.

• 

  Ben at the hashpoint.

• 

  GPS proof that the point was reached.

• 

  Luckily the hashpoint didn't fall just a few metres north.

• 

  Marshy ground between the river and the hashpoint.

• 

  University of East Anglia (UEA) buildings through the trees.