GCAAR25 Piratemania Germany by Piraten Crew Block Party D1/T1
On July 5, 2025, the ever popular UK geocaching event Piratemania has spread across the North Sea and had a very German take at the Panarbora Nature Discovery Park in Waldbröl, North Rhine-Westphalia. Held as a Geocaching HQ Block Party and coinciding with geocaching’s 25th anniversary, the event drew adventurers from across Europe for a day of pirate-themed exploration and family fun.
The scenic Panarbora Park— with its breathtaking treetop walkway, 40m high observation tower, and nature trails—served as the perfect family friendly backdrop, there were geocaching & AdLab routes, shopping, story telling, treasure hunts, and an evening’s entertainment for those staying on site.
Panabora TowerPart of the tree walk from baseView from the tree walk
Accommodation consisted of either cosy treehouses or motorhome spots which were adjacent to the Event, admission to the event was €10 (this is perfectly normal for events on mainland Europe), though overnight guests entrance fee was covered in the treehouse agreement.
Ann@Birdbrook by Pirate ShipThe rest of the crew
Ann@Birdbrook and Naturesbyte, opted for the ‘International’ motorhome site. As the only Brits among the overnight campers, they were warmly welcomed by their European neighbours, highlighting the inclusive and friendly spirit that defines the geocaching community.
Blending adventure, community, and outdoor fun, this German edition of Piratemania truly embodied the spirit of geocaching—bringing people together to explore, connect, and create unforgettable memories in the great outdoors.
International crew
Many thanks to the The “Piraten Crew” who so worked hard in making this event happen.
Again apologies for the lack of posts. Nice to see 3 new Traditional caches plus more Premium Member Earthcaches and a Multi.
GCB9KY3Postyn Pren by Tiriondavies Traditional D2/T2 GCB9ABNYr hen siop by Tiriondavies Traditional D1.5/T1.5 GCB9AG4Llwybr Cyhoeddus Ardal Glan-yr-Afon By Mat1212 Traditional D2/T2
Premium Member Only GCB96T4REALLY SideTracked – Minffordd by ECOBAKE Multi D2/T1.5 Earthcaches GCB9P31Castell Mawr Rock by MrMagnaDefender Earthcache D1/T2.5 GCB9PBNAnglesey GeoMon – Unconformity by MrMagnaDefender Earthcache D4/T2.5 GCB9P49Anglesey GeoMon – Mudstone Clasts by MrMagnaDefender Earthcache D3.5/T2.5 GCB9PD9Parys Mountain Trig by MrMagnaDefender Earthcache D1.5/T1.5 GCB9MWDAnglesey GeoMon – Limestone by MrMagnaDefender Earthcache D1.5/T1.5 GCB9J6CLlyn Pedarn Glaciation by MrMagnaDefender Earthcache D2/T5 GCB9FF5Anglesey GeoMon – Cornstone by MrMagnaDefender Earthcache D1.5/T1.5 GCB9FDWQuartz Spar Coat by MrMagnaDefender Earthcache D1/T4 GCB9FF7Trefor Terraces by MrMagnaDefender Earthcache D2.5/T2.5 GCB9A72Anglesey Brachiopods by MrMagnaDefender Earthcache D2/T1.5 GCB9A6YLlyn Melynllyn by MrMagnaDefender Earthcache D1/T4 GCB9A71 Moel Farlwyd Moraines by MrMagnaDefender Earthcache D1.5/T3.5 GCB9A4DYOSM #1273 Tal-Y-Fan by MrMagnaDefender Earthcache D2.5/T2.5 GCB99X2Anglesey GeoMon – Palaeokarst by MrMagnaDefender Earthcache D3/T3
Event GCB90G9 Usual Suspects – Nosh & Natter 80 by 9 Usual Suspects event D1/T1 When: Wednesday 23rd July 2025 Where: Parc Snowdonia, Waunfawr, Caernarfon, Gwynedd LL55 4AQ Time: 7pm to 9pm or when the last person leaves
PLEASE NOTE THIS N&N IS ON A WEDNESDAY AND A WEEK EARLIER THAN NORMAL AS MOST OF THE REGULARS WILL BE ATTENDING PIRATEMANIA & UK MEGA
East Anglia UK Mega 2026
After a lot of speculation wether there is going to be a UK Mega in 2026 it has been confirmed that the East Anglia Mega Team will be hosting the UK Mega on Saturday 8th August, 2026 at The Norfolk Showground, Dereham Rd, Norwich, NR5 0TT. Camping will be available from Tuesday 4th August to Monday 10 August. For more details East Anglia Mega 2026
Recommended Pub Stopover
While heading to Piratemania Germany in our campervan via Harwich we discovered this basic pub stopover, free as long as you use the pub. The Bricklayers Arms, Little Bentley, Essex is about 20 minutes from Harwich port making it very popular with campervan owners traveling from Harwich to Hook of Holland. The pub advertise space for 5 vans and request you phone ahead to reserve a space but the night we stayed there was at least 9 vans many of which had not booked. The food is very good and the beer excellent. Do check on opening times as we found they were different than quoted on the website.
For the geocacher there is a cache on the green opposite the pub GC8HCV4 K6 Red and many more locally including the 007 puzzle series.
More Earthcaches for the Premium Member and a couple of new caches have been published since our last post:
GCB8QA8Wood You Look Here by hrytty Traditional D1/T1.5
Premium Member Only GCB93KQWar Memorial Nefyn by ECOBAKE Multi D2/T1.5
A just few more Earthcaches…. all premium member! GCB92F2Little Orme Trig by MrMagnaDefender Earthcache D2.5/T3.5 GCB92BYGreat Orme Grykes by MrMagnaDefender Earthcache D1.5/T2.5 GCB92CXGreat Orme Summit Trig by MrMagnaDefender Earthcache D2.5/T1.5 GCB925NWay Out West ~ The Gwna Group Geology GCB92A9Criccieth…Blue Schist by MrMagnaDefender Earthcache D3/T1.5 GCB918JThe Rocks of the Llewelyn Volcanic Group by MrMagnaDefender Earthcache D3/T4.5 GCB9160Mass Movement at Nefyn by MrMagnaDefender Earthcache D2/T1.5 GCB907RThe Snowdon Circle – Metasomatism by MrMagnaDefender Earthcache D3.5/T4.5 GCB8RF7Anglesey GeoMon – Ancient Flooding by MrMagnaDefender Earthcache D2.5/T2.5 GCB8T0MYOSM #0598 Snowdon Summit by MrMagnaDefender Earthcache D1/T5 GCB8RCZAnglesey GeoMon – The New Harbour Formation by MrMagnaDefender Earthcache D3/T3 GC8BRYXYOSM #1267 Garnedd Ugain by MrMagnaDefender Earthcache D2/T5 GCB8RQGThe Snowdon Circle – A Tuff Climb by MrMagnaDefender Earthcache D2/T4 GCB8R9XGreat Orme Kamenitzas by MrMagnaDefender Earthcache D1.5/T1.5 GCB8QHCDenbighshire Moors Climate Snapshot by MrMagnaDefender Earthcache D4.5/T1.5 GCB8QEKConcretions at Rhaeadr y Bedd by MrMagnaDefender Earthcache D3.5/T3.5 GCB8QKGWar Memorial #2357 – Llanfairpwllgwyngyll by MrMagnaDefender Earthcache D2.5/T1 GCB8PBTConwy Paleobotany by MrMagnaDefender Earthcache D1/T2.5 GCB8P89Moel y Tryfan by MrMagnaDefender Earthcache D3/T3 GCB8N9AManod Bach Jointing by MrMagnaDefender Earthcache D3.5/T4 GCB8NK4Clogwyngarreg Dome by MrMagnaDefender Earthcache D3/T4 GCB8N50Llyn y Dywarchen by MrMagnaDefender Earthcache D3/T3 GCB8N7WClogwyngarreg Contact by MrMagnaDefender Earthcache D4/T4
Event One for the diary: GCB95X1A view from a pier? by Ramblingt Event D1/T1 When: Wednesday 6th August 2025 Where: Aberystwyth Pier Time: 2pm – 2.45pm Ramblingt are hosting an event to meet local and not so local geocachers to discuss our wonderful hobby.
Event Reminder
GCB8G4G9 Usual Suspects – Nosh & Natter 79 by 9 Usual Suspects When: Thursday 26th, June 2025 Where: Parc Snowdonia, Waunfawr, Caernarfon, Gwynedd LL55 4AQ Time: 7pm to 9pm or when the last person leaves
Yes, this tonight!
UK Block Party GCAWA2F Great British Geocaching Party by Milton Keynes Geocaching Block Party D1/T1 When: 28th June 2025 Where: Scot Sports and Social Club, Selbourne Avenue, Bletchley, Milton Keynes, MK3 5BX Time: 10am to 4pm Admission Charge: £5.00 in advance £7.00 on the day under 18’s free
SideTracked Series Turns 18
This year marks the 18th anniversary of the SideTracked Series, and they are doing things a little differently. Unlike previous years, they won’t be hosting a week-long celebration. Instead, they will focus their anniversary events on a single day: Sunday, 10th August. Why? This year also marks a once-in-a-generation milestone: the 200th anniversary of the modern railway in the UK.
On 27th September 1825, the Stockton & Darlington Railway officially opened, becoming the first public railway in the world to operate steam locomotives and carry both passengers and goods. This revolutionary achievement connected people, powered the Industrial Revolution, and ultimately changed the world.
To honour this historic event, a nationwide initiative Railway 200 is underway, with events, exhibitions, and celebrations taking place across the country. A special week-long SideTracked celebration is planned for September.
Join the SideTracked 18th anniversary celebrations by:
Publishing new SideTracked caches on 10th August
Finding a SideTracked cache or more on 10th August
Hosting one (or more!) SideTracked geocaching events
Sharing your stories and photos from your SideTracked adventures using the hashtag #SideTrackedSeries
Another good week for Premium Member Earthcache fans…
Premium Member Only GCB8E0VBwlch y Groes by MrMagnaDefender Earthcache D3/T3 GCB8E30Glacial Striations by MrMagnaDefender Earthcache D2/T3 GCB8E1TThe Dolwyddelan Syncline by MrMagnaDefender Earthcache D3.5/T3.5 GCB8D26Roché by MrMagnaDefender Earthcache D1/T2.5 GCB8D3GMoel Siabod Cleavage by MrMagnaDefender Earthcache D2/T4 GCB8CYKYOSM #1262 Carn Fadryn by MrMagnaDefender Earthcache D2.5/T3 GCB8CZRYOSM #1263 Mynydd Rhiw by MrMagnaDefender Earthcache D2.5/T3.5 GCB8D3Y YOSM #1264 Carnedd Moel Siabod by MrMagnaDefender Earthcache D3.5/T4.5 GCB8BWN Mynydd Graig Goch by MrMagnaDefender Earthcache D2/T4.5 GCB8C0WThe Snowdon Volcanic Group by MrMagnaDefender Earthcache D4/T4.5 GCB8C2WPelk Point by MrMagnaDefender Earthcache D3/T1.5 GCB8AMGOrdovician Mega Ripples by MrMagnaDefender Earthcache D3/T3
GCB782GWedding Day by Optimist on the run Traditional D1.5/T1.5
The Happy Couple
On behalf of 9 Usual Suspects and all of the North Wales geocaching community we would like to say congratulations to Simon & Liz on their marriage, wishing them a very happy marriage with lots of fun, laughter and adventures.
Event GCB8G4G9 Usual Suspects – Nosh & Natter 79 by 9 Usual Suspects When: Thursday 26th, June 2025 Where: Parc Snowdonia, Waunfawr, Caernarfon, Gwynedd LL55 4AQ Time: 7pm to 9pm or when the last person leaves
TB Race Update
Our TB race is now just past the halfway point. This was the leader board on 13.6.2025
1. Golden Goose owner Clueless_Goose 23,487.8 km 2. GraPeS The Bear owner Bess’s Friends 22,719.0 km 3. I Met Signal Tag owner Ecobake 22,566.3 km 4. 16,113.9 km Leap Year Devon Mega 2017 owner FfiLli 16,113.9 km 5. DJ’s Dolphin Adventure owner Cwm DJ 16,100.5 km 6. 9US Race 2025 Go For It owner escapefromwork 15,911.9 km 7. Incy owner sionyn68 15,803.1 km 8. 2025 New Adventure racing Hummingbird owner Wendy2000 15,770.1km 9. 74jen Signal Race Tag owner 74jen 13,233.6 km 10. Racing Pirate owner Ann@Birdbrook 12,668.7 km 11. Compass Winnie owner Bess’s Friends 11,941.6 km 12. WanderBug the World Traveler owner naturesbyte 4,644.4 km 13. RACING KINGFISHER owner YnysMonBirders 4,481.2 km 14. BONUSTOWN I’M IN A RACE owner lostnwet 3,642.1 km 15. Lackey Tag owner Mossfamilymacc 2,053.9 km 16. Travel Sun geocoin owner WelshDisneyMum80 1,184.6 km Stitch Lackey owner Geojade2013 1,184.6 km 18. Mardi gras 2015 owner Mossfamilymacc 363.6 km 19. Piratemania Chorley Chuckle jude100 194.0 km 20. Clogging all over the world owner Team Marzipan 0.0 km
Total distance traveled by all TB’s 204,064.9 km
A global race, so far 23 countries visited: Argentina, Barbados, Belgium, Brazil, Bulgaria, Cyprus, Czechia, Egypt, France, Falkland Islands, Greece, Ireland, Italy, Netherlands, Norway, Spain, Switzerland, Turkey, UK, USA, Uruguay
Turtle Bridgetown Barbados
Currently the Best Picture award uploaded to a TB page goes to Golden Goose owner Clueless_Goose. I think this picture of a turtle in Barbados is going to take some beating….
Memories of Elaine
Cocktails for 70th Birthday
It is with great sorrow we have to announce the passing of Elaine Welch, a friend to all and a big part of 9 Usual Suspects adventures. Elaine & Richard attended their first 9US event way back in 2017 and quickly became involved with 9US escapades. One of the first to volunteer, becoming very proficient at putting up the tents, lights and props. Always mucking in wether making tea or washing up, she had a knack of spotting what was needed and getting it sorted without any fuss. Elaine hated litter and joined us on many of our CITO litter picks, deriving much satisfaction from leaving a rubbish free environment.
Her parents were Welsh and being a ‘Jones’ North Wales had a very special place in her heart. All her life she had holidayed in Wales. After retiring Richard and her had a caravan on seasonal pitches near Criccieth where they spent as much time as they possibly could.
We know she will be missed by all who knew her. Our thoughts at this difficult time are with Richard, their family & friends.
Premium Member Only GCB7RZB Church Micro 15411…Rhoscolyn by Glaslyn1 Traditional D1.5/T1.5
GCB871KCriccieth Veins by MrMagnaDefender Earthcache D2.5/T2 GCB855JDixie by MrMagnaDefender Earthcache D2.5/T1.5 GCB817WMachroes…Fault by MrMagnaDefender Earthcache D2.5/T2 GCB8185Machroes…Ironstone by MrMagnaDefender Earthcache D3/T2.5 GCB81FTMachroes…Tessellation by MrMagnaDefender Earthcache D3.5/T2.5 GCB8189Machroes…Cliff Spiral by MrMagnaDefender Earthcache D3.5/T2.5 GCB8183Machroes…Slickensides by MrMagnaDefender Earthcache D3/T2.5 GCB8180Machroes…Fold by MrMagnaDefender Earthcache D1.5/T2.5 GCB8181Machroes…Lamination by MrMagnaDefender Earthcache D2.5/T1.5 GCB807APorthmadog Stylolites by MrMagnaDefender Earthcache D3/T1.5
Event Reminder
GCAZVXE2025 Community Celebration Event by Bess’s Friends Community Event D1/T1 When: Saturday 7th June 2025 Where: Rocklands, Cymyran Road, Caergeiliog, Anglesey LL65 3HN Time: 1pm to 6pm Join Bess’s Friends for a BBQ followed by an afternoon of fun and games to celebrate 25 years of geocaching. If you have a favourite board game they ask you to bring it along.
New Treasures
Tuesday 10th June sees the release of two new Treasure Collections, Event mementos and Planets. To start collecting Treasures in Event mementos, geocachers must first complete Classic trackables. To start collecting Treasures in Planets, geocachers must first complete Mystery books.
Back in October we hosted a CITO that instead of picking up litter looked at trees and their contribution to our local environment. We asked attendees to gather tree seeds while out geocaching and to bring them along to the event which we then planted. The response of our attendees was incredible….
Gathered Seeds
We supplied all necessary pots, containers etc.
Busy planting….
Planted seeds…
We can now report that some were a success and others a dismal failure. Sadly the Squirrels and Jays had a feast on the acorns but one has survived, the biggest success is the beech trees followed by the horse chestnuts. The Hawthorns are still germinating.
Just a few of the Horse Chestnut, Beech, Oak & Holly sapplings.
If you have space for a tree and would like any of the trees please contact us.
If you are a Premium Member there are more new Earthcaches and a very interesting D5/T5 Traditional.
GCB7Z5CAbersoch first hide by JGibson16062012 Traditional D1/T1.5
Premium Member Only GBB80GBSunken Treasure by Squaddie101 Traditional D5/T5 I think we might have to have an event here… a lovely location to explore followed by a beach picnic! Earthcaches GCB7YHKPorthmadog Ooids by MrMagnaDefender Earthcache D2.5/T1.5 GCB7XTJBizarre Breccia by MrMagnaDefender Earthcache D3.5/T1 GCB7V5AVolcano Land by MrMagnaDefender Earthcache D2/T2 GCB7PTJThe Llanberis Volcanic Group by MrMagnaDefender Earthcache D4/T2 GCB7P9Z Beddgelert🐶 by MrMagnaDefender Earthcache D2/T1.5
Event GCB6T20The After Bryn Event by martin&lindabryn Event D1/T2 When: Saturday 5th July 2025 Where: Moss Road, Gwersyllt, Nr. Wrexham Time: 5pm to 7pm or when the last person leave Parking: Disabled Parking only at venue. Parking N 53° 03.892 W 003° 01.760 follow instructions on the cache page. This is Martin & Linda’s first event since retiring from The Bryn. They are hosting a BBQ in their garden of their new abode. All geocachers welcome.
Event Reminder GCB74849 Usual Suspects – Nosh & Natter 78 by 9 Usual Suspects When: Thursday 29th May, 2025 Where: Parc Snowdonia, Waunfawr, Caernarfon, Gwynedd LL55 4AQ Time: 7pm to 9pm or when the last person leaves
Yes, it’s tonight!
June Solstice Souvenir
To earn your June Solstice souvenir find and log any geocache, Event, or Adventure Lab® Location from Friday 20th to Sunday 22nd June.
Again another good week for anyone that likes Earthcaches and is a Premium Member:
GCB7F9EIn the Middle by hryaaw Traditional D1/T1.5 GCB7RW4Lakeside Snowdonia Business Park by DaveHGeoCach Traditonal D3/T2
Premium Member Only GCB7A77Memorial Stone. by Bess’s Friends Mystery D3/T3.5
GCB7PRVBeddgelert Beach by MrMagnaDefender Earthcache D3.5/T2 GCB7RABGyrn Ddu by MrMagnaDefender Earthcache D2.5/T4 GCB7QAMTin Man by MrMagnaDefender Earthcache D4/T3.5 GCB7Q7XPorthmadog Park by MrsMagnaDefender Earthcache D2/T1.5 GCB7PQKLittle Bridges # 3143 Beddgelert by MrMagnaDefender Earthcache D3/T1.5 GCB7MMRPwllheli Minerals by MrMagnaDefender Earthcache D1.5/T1.5 GCB7MJTPwllheli Contact by MrMagnaDefender Earthcache D3/T2.5 GCB7KWABangor Metasomatism by MrMagnaDefender Earthcache D4.5/T1 GCB7MJ2Pwllheli Glaciation by MrMagnaDefender Earthcache D3.5/T3.5 GCB7M98Bangor Palaeocurrents by MrMagnaDefender Earthcache D2/T1 GCB7GG1Pistyll Cwn by MrMagnaDefender Earthcache D4.5/T4.5 GCB7E45YOSM #1249 Mynydd Cilan by MrMagnaDefender Earthcache D3/T3
The End of Another Heritage Cache
GC9472Nant-y-Gamar by ldbooth & stonemasons Traditional D2/T3.5 Hidden 28.9.2002
Sadly, even though in place and in excellent condition, this 2002 cache has been archived. Why? Because the cache owner did not respond to a Reviewers 30 day notice. The current owners of the cache only found 61 caches and have not visited Geocaching.com since 29.12.2014. We tried to adopt the cache but were, unsurprisingly, unable to trace ldbooth+EJ the owners, therefore unable to transfer the cache ownership.
Our reviewer advised us to contact Geocaching HQ to see if they would allow us to take on the responsibility and maintain the cache. Disappointingly we had no response from Geocaching HQ. After the cache had been archived I complained that my message had not been acknowledged and received the following: “Geocaches are considered property of the cache owner. It is for this reason that we cannot allow any transferring of ownership without the owner’s permission – or any exceptions.“ The cache is now geo-litter. Is geocaching HQ ignoring the problem of maintaining and keeping alive these old heritage caches?
While attending the Giga Event in Prague we spoke to a HQ Lackey about the problem of old caches being archived and the difficulty of tracing cache owners who no longer geocache making adoption impossible. He was very sympathetic, promised to raise the problem at HQ but didn’t think that there was much chance in changing the current policy. He did point out that even if a cache is archived it can still be logged as a find unless locked by HQ. He also suggested that owners of heritage caches should put a note on their geocaching profile page saying that if for any reason they had not visited Geocaching.com for 12 months that they give their permission for adoption of their owned caches.
Personally I think it is time for a change of HQ policy with any cache over, say, 20 years being allowed to be adopted or at least maintained by another geocacher. What do you think?
Something for everyone this week, for those that enjoy Earthcaches an especially good week! Please note all the new caches are Premium Member Only.
GCB76DHPorth Ceiriad – A look into the Quaternary by MrMagnaDefender Earthcache D4/T2 GCB76FYPorth Ceiriad – Fantastic Folds by MrMagnaDefender Earthcache D1/T3.5 GCB769ZPort Bach – Strata by MrMagnaDefender Earthcache D2/T3 GCB76EYPorth Ceiriad – Bouma Sequence by MrMagnaDefender Earthcache D4/T2.5 GCB7A9MSt Tudwal’s Islands by MrMagnaDefender Earthcache D4/T5 GCB79P3Natural Concrete by MrMagnaDefender Earthcache D2.5/T2.5 GCB79NAYOSM – Penychain by MrMagnaDefender Earthcache D3/T3 GCB78QTPeridotite Perambulation by MrMagnaDefender Earthcache D3.3/T2.5 GCB7834Longshore Drift at Abersoch by MrMagnaDefender Earthcache D2.5/T2 GCB78NXPorth Ceiriad – Unconformity by MrMagnaDefender Earthcache D3.5/T3.5 GCB78MMInto the Ordovician by MrMagnaDefender Earthcache D2/T4 GCB78JBYOSM – Mynydd Penarfynydd by MrMagnaDefender Earthcache D4.5/T3 GCB78Q4Pwllheli Fracture by MrMagnaDefender Earthcache D3/T2 GCB7AA9YOSM – Mynydd Tîr-y-cwmwd by MrMagnaDefender Earthcache D4/T4
GCB766M St Mair’s Church – Y Felinheli by ECOBAKE Multi D2/T1.5 GCB5RVZSteller Droid 97 by sdharding Traditional D1.5/T3.5
Event GCB74849 Usual Suspects – Nosh & Natter 78 by 9 Usual Suspects When: Thursday 29th May, 2025 Where: Parc Snowdonia, Waunfawr, Caernarfon, Gwynedd LL55 4AQ Time: 7pm to 9pm or when the last person leaves
We are back again at Snowdonia Parc for this months N&N.
We apologise for the lack of posts over the last couple of weeks, but hopefully, we are back to normal. We have 7 new caches to report:
GCB6XG5Cache cyflym yn y gogledd by NonCompassMentis Traditional D2/T2 GCB6VG5Stroll to the Beach by hryaaw Traditional D1.5/T1.5 GCB6RG1Cultural Milestone by Clueles_Goose Traditional D1.5/T1.5 GCB5NN7REALLY SideTracked – Y Groeslon by Clueless_Goose Multi D2.5/T1/5 GCB6ECBREALLY SideTracked – Pant Glas by Clueless_Goose Traditional D2/1.5 GCB6EBR REALLY SideTracked – Llanwnda by Clueless_Goose Traditional D2/1.5 GCB62TNA llonydd gorffenedig yw llonydd Lôn Goed by cartinlloyd_x D2/T2
Celebrating 25 years of Geocaching
May 3rd 2025 saw the 25th birthday of Geocaching, to celebrate there was many events, large and small, held all over the world plus there was the Blue Switch Day souvenir to be earned. Did you experience difficulties with Ad labs? All the extra celebratory logging of Ad Labs caused the Geocaching server to became overloaded affecting the logging and display of stages and in some cases shutting down the app. With many celebratory LAB’s only being available for a limited time this caused a lot of frustration. In Prague the initial reaction was to blame local internet connectivity before later in the day admitting the problem was global and the fault being with Geocaching servers.
The following statement was issued by the Prague Giga Team:
🌐 Geocaching HQ server issues We’re sorry about the technical difficulties on Saturday that affected logging and displaying LAB caches. These were not local connection issues – the problems originated from the Geocaching HQ servers.
Is this the Best Ever Cache?
While in Prague for the giga event we found this brilliant traditional cache in a quiet back street. A superb piece of urban camouflage for this large well stocked cache in the topbox of a moped.
GCAY4V9Motocyklová by chorchoj Traditional D2.5/T1 Premium Member Only Favourite points 2326
Thanks to a very busy Clueless_Goose we have several new caches since our last post:
GCB5YXYREALLY SideTracked – Port Dinorwic by Clueless_Goose Traditional D2/T1.5 GCB5RKCSideTracked – Llanfairpwll by Clueless_Goose Mystery D3.5/T1.5 GCB5V3ASideTracked – Bangor (Gwynedd) Traditional D2.5/T1.5 GCB5QE3Pont Britannia by Clueless_Goose Multi D2/T2.5 GCB5M1ETaken for Granted by Clueless_Goose Multi T2/D2
Premium Member Only GCB60FPWater Under The Bridge by OuroborosOutdoors Traditional D4/T4.5 GCB5V2CREALLY SideTracked – Griffith’s Crossing by Clueless_Goose Traditional D2.5/T1.5 It is nice to see a cache back here, see below for a brief history of this once ‘famous’ station.
Event Reminder
GCB5JC59 Usual Suspects Nosh & Natter 77 by 9 usual Suspects When: Thursday 24th April 2025 Where: Snowdonia Parc, Waunfawr, LL55 4AQ Time: 7pm to 9pm For this months Nosh & Natter we are back at the Snowdonia Parc, Waunfawr.
Griffith’s Crossing, a Brief History
The Griffiths Crossing Station was a Station on the Menai Bridge to Afon Wen line which was opened in stages between 1852 and 1871.
13th July 1913 the royal train arrives at Griffith’s Crossing
In 1911 a ceremony was held in which the future King Edward VIII was invested as Prince of Wales at Caernarfon castle. Part of the event was a procession into the town led by King George V and Queen Mary. Griffiths Crossing was chosen as the location at which the royal party would alight. The station facilities were considered inadequate for the royal party, so temporary timber structures were erected which included an extension to the down platform and a canopy. The Royal train stopped at Griffiths Crossing on 13th November 1911. After the event, the station reverted to its basic form.
Griffith’s Crossing station at time of closure in 1937
The station closed in 1937 even though the line remained busy into the 1960s, but following the closure of Caernarfon and Afon Wen section in 1964, it went into decline. In the second half of 1966 the line through the station was singled, and the former down line lifted. On 1st July 1969 Prince Charles was invested as Prince of Wales at Caernarfon castle, once again it was decided that a procession would take place and that Griffiths Crossing would be the ideal location for the royal party to alight the Royal train. As Griffiths Crossing had been demolished a temporary platform was built further west then the original station, where the bridge passed over into the Ferodo Factory.
Below is a video showing guests to the investiture arriving at Caernarfon Station, now Morrisons, and the royal train arriving at Griffiths Crossing with the then new Ferodo Factory in the background.
All services ended on the 4th January 1970. However on 23rd of May 1970 a fire on the Britannia Bridge isolated Holyhead from the railway network. Holyhead was at the time an important freightliner depot, so Caernarfon was pressed into use for freightliner services. Freightliner trains passed through Griffiths Crossing until 5th February 1972. The line then closed completely and was lifted.
The site of the station was lost under a road improvement scheme but the house nearby is the old Station Master’s House, and is the only evidence of a station once being here.
