Get up to speed with everything you need to know.

- The first and most obvious piece of equipment necessary is of course a GPS receiver. These come in many shapes, sizes and price ranges, but a fairly low cost outdoor model such as the Garmin etrex with a black and white display is perfectly adequate and can be bought for around £80. More elaborate options include units with colour mapping, but these can be considerably more expensive and don't completely replace a traditional map and compass. The most important consideration is that the unit can be connected to a PC to receive downloaded Cache information.

 - Other equipment you may need would be the standard kit that you should take on any trip into the outdoors, such as a map for the area, compass, waterproof clothing and sturdy, comfortable footwear.

 - Although a GPS is a wonderful navigation tool, don't forget it has batteries that can run out, and it can't warn you about any obstacles that may lie ahead. A good map and compass can help you find you way back to your car when all else fails, avoiding any hazards on the way.

- The next step is to find some caches. Go to the find a cache page and select the area you would like to search. A list of caches will pop up and you can select the ones that seem most interesting and click for further details.  

- Once you've found the cache, remember to sign your name in the log book, and also to record your visit on the cache website when you get home. If the cache is large enough to contain tradable items then you can swap these with any of your own of equal or greater value.

- If you want to go on a training course to learn about how to use a GPS unit a number of courses take place in Northumberland. Just click here and scroll down the page to find the 'Getting Started' and 'Going Further' GPS courses that are taking place in the coming months.