The Sketch
The MKBW Violet Section ran from Stony Stratford up to the marina at Yardley Gobion, and was pretty much alongside water the whole way. In Stony and through Wolverton it was alongside the River Great Ouse, through the parks around the outside of the town. It then branched north along the Grand Union Canal up to Yardley Gobion, passing through the village of Cosgrove on the way.
The fact that this course is almost entirely alongside water means two things in the context of geocaching. Firstly, no hills. OK, there are a few steps to get up from the river to the canal, but otherwise it’s flatter than a flat thing. Secondly, especially alongside the river, there is a tendency for the series to be inaccessible during wet conditions. Indeed, some of the caches were so inaccessible at times that they floated away. The CO had to start setting them higher up or fastening them to posts and trees to stop them from wandering off.
Along the Canal
Thankfully on the day that I did them I didn’t get wet. I did the higher numbered ones in backwards order, starting at Yardley Gobion, having previously done the lower numbered ones on the end of my walk for the Turquoise Section (see MKBW Turquoise). So my objective was to get from Yardley Gobion back into Stony Stratford, where Kas had arranged to take the girls to see a hairdresser at some point in the afternoon. As all sections of the MKBW were point-to-point, I needed Kas to drop me off so I could walk back. Either that or I’d have to leave my car and she’d have to drive me back to it. Very inefficient.
The day of my walk turned into a very pleasant early autumn afternoon, and I found the majority of caches I was looking for without too much bother. I started in Yardley Gobion to do a cluster around and outside the village. From there I ventured to the MKBW Violet walk down the canalside. The weather was decent, and just before getting to Stony Stratford I called the good lady wife to arrange my lift home. Result!
