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Experienced Geocachers should fast-forward to the end. You know why you're here and only need our shortcuts to the caches. For everyone else, read on for a brief introduction to the hobby, and find out how to see parts of the Island you might not otherwise encounter.

What is Geocaching?

The proper answer can be found at Geocaching - The Official Global GPS Cache Hunt Site, but, for a quick introduction to see if it's of interest, we have a brief description below.

At its simplest, the term applies to the organised hiding of an object or location, the cache, the identification of its location by GPS coordinates, and the publication of those coordinates on the Internet for others to seek and find. In reality, it's not quite that simple.

GPS

Global Positioning Systems are now common, cheap, and accurate. By triangulating signals received from a series of US military satellites circling the earth, GPS can now give your location to within a few metres. However, at the time Geocaching began, the US military were deliberately degrading the signal by introducing random errors of anything up to 100 m. Fortunately this game ended in 2000, and now operator error, misuse and misunderstanding are the real sources of error. If you're new to GPS, read about it first, there are now many resources available on the web. Also, try and speak to other users before making a choice.

There are many resources on the web where information can be gathered about GPS, but this one is generally recognised as being amongst the best: gpsinformation.net.

Caches

Caches can be simple or complex (Bute's are simple), and you really do need to read their details before deciding to add them to you target list. The simplest provide a set of coordinates, a location description, and a few clues as to where the cache may be found. The cache itself may be a hidden container, or a location that can only be uniquely identified from the clues when found. Where there is a container, there will normally be a log to complete, and the custom is to take something, and to leave something. Variations on the traditional cache include: multipart, virtual, webcam, photo, event, and mystery or puzzle to name a few. Just because a cache position is known doesn't necessarily mean you'll find it. Some are located at the end of very (very) long treks, while the word obscure would be a polite description for the degree of difficulty encountered in reaching others.

One variation encountered is the Travel Bug. This is usually a small soft toy (so it can be packed as luggage) that carries an attached bar code for identification. Their cache location can be logged on the Geocaching web site, allowing them to be tracked as they are found and travel from cache to cache.

Get the full story at geocaching.com.

The Isle of Bute Geocache Playground

We've been to all the current cache sites given below, and while they could all be be visited in one day, it would be a shame to spend it rushing around them. Far better to spread the hunt over a few days and enjoy the locations they take you to, just a little off the beaten track and away from the town centre.

The Cache List

Use the link below for a complete list of cahes on Bute...

List of Bute Geocaches