"Now finding your way around by using satellites was once something only what the military did, but with the development of handheld 'Global Positioning Systems', or GPS as they're better known, we can all give it a go. You've probably got one fitted to your car, haven't you? I want one fitted in mine.
Um. As well as helping us get from A to B they've spawned a new sport though. It's called Geocaching - Which is basically a 21st century treasure hunt.
Paul Smith is a geo-cacher, who has been getting to know Oxfordshire much better with his GPS - and joins us now. Morning Paul.

Good morning Anne.

So can you explain what Geocaching is?

Ah well, you've err given it in a nutshell. It is err a high-tech treasure hunt using GPS to find err little boxes of trinkets hidden out in the woods.

But who sets the hunt?

Err. Other Geocachers. Um. Basically there are people who like to hide, there are people who like hunt and there are people who like to do both.

Right. Is this all on a web site of some sort?

It is yes, Geocaching.com.

Oh really? So you log on and if there's a hunt - what do you do? Download it into your computer in your car or something? I just- I wouldn't know what to do next.

You can't really- you can't really do it with a car one, unfortunately. It does need to be a handheld.

Right.

Because it'll carry you to an exact spot and they're very rarely next to a road.

Oh I see. So I mean how- w- How do you hunt it? Is it a clue that's given and you have to follow the clue, or what?

Err no no no. If you go to geocaching.com, umm there's a little box in the top right hand corner where you can put your postcode in, and that will then give you a list of all your closest local caches, with their longitude and latitude.

So when you find that spot, what is there there? What do you do?

Um. Well, it basically becomes a treasure hunt then. Um. There are lots of different sorts of caches. Ones that take you straight to the spot where you need to go, ones that take you on a little tour of an area, and once you're there, you know, you could be in the middle of woods or even in the middle of Oxford. There's lots and lots actually in Oxford town centre. Tiny ones hidden away.

What, and is there a little treasure there waiting for you?

Well, the little tiny ones have only got a logbook, or a little log sheet, just so you can prove you've actually visited before you go back to the web site and make your log there. Um, but the bigger ones, they've got -you know- bits and bobs; McDonalds toys, blank CDRs, books...um, car air fresheners...

Do you know, if I'm going to be totally honest, I'd say it sounds a bit nerdy.

Ahhh. Well, ummm. There is an element of Anorak I suppose just because it's a high-tech game. Umm. But no, it's very popular with families-

But there's no real skill to it, is there?

I would certainly not say that!

Well if you've got a GPS all you do is follow it!

Well, Um. If the arrow is saying it's 500 yards in one direction but there's a river, um, a busy road- You know, there's lots of natural obstacles between you and the-

Ah, I see, yes.

-point. Sometimes the skill is actually in getting to that location.

So how many people are geocaching nower days?

In the UK, there's probably 4 or 5 active- 4 or 5! 4 or 5 thousand active geocachers, um, looking for about 5,000 caches hidden in the UK. There's over 100,000 of these 'treasure boxes' hidden around the world in over 200 countries. So it's- from starting in 2000 in America, it really has snowballed.

My goodness. And how long have you been at it?

I started in the middle of 2003 and I'm just coming up to my 400th find, now.

I'll shall have to have a look. Geocache.com, did you say?

GeocachING.com.

GeocachING.com. Well thanks very much for introducing it to us. Huh!"