Since our last post we have had a couple of new traditional caches and a new earthcache published:

GCBC6PX YOSM #0187 Bwlch Mawr by Clueless_Goose Traditional D2/T3
GCBDNEJ The Captain’s bench by Tirion_Trailblazer Traditional D2/T1
GCBDMQ0 Llewellyn by MrMagnaDefender Earthcache D2/T1.5

Event Reminder
GCBDCQG Meet & Greet in Porthmadog by Hammer66 D1/T1
When: Saturday 11th October 2025 (tonight)
Where: Porthmadog Harbour
Time: 6pm to 6.30pm
Hammer66 is on holiday in the area and would like to meet local and not so local cachers to discuss our wonderful hobby.

International EarthCache Day

Earn the International EarthCache Day 2025 souvenir by visiting any EarthCache and completing the logging requirements from October 10 through October 12, 2025.
Since 2004, EarthCaches have encouraged geocachers to explore and celebrate our planet’s extraordinary geological features.
All non-Premium EarthCaches are open to everyone throughout the weekend on the Geocaching® app from 12:00:00 UTC on Friday 10th October, until 12:00:00 UTC on Monday 13th October, 2025.

Treasures

Recently 4 new Treasure collections have been released, GIFF Gnomes, Celebrating GIFF, Fossils and River Expedition Puzzle. Collections now have to be activated to collect treasures, with only 3 collections active at any one time. Some juggling of active collections may be needed to ensure maximum treasures are collected. Here are the requirements for each new collection:
GIFF Gnomes: Find 5 Mystery caches of Any Size with the Available 24/7 attribute.
Celebrating GIFF: Attend 8 Events all types count.
Fossils: Discover 6 Earthcaches, all D/T’s count.

River Expedition Puzzle: This new Treasure collection is only available for Premium members, and it’s a little different from previous collections as each treasure is piece of a jigsaw. Complete the collection to complete the puzzle and earn a souvenir. The puzzle has 16 pieces, and each piece has unique criteria based on difficulty and terrain ratings.

East Anglia UK Mega 2026

GCB910M East Anglia UK Mega Event by EastAngliaMega26
When: Saturday 8th August 2026
Where: Norfolk Showground, Dereham Rd, New Costessey, Norwich NR5 0TT
Time: 10:00am to 4pm

Are you planning on camping at the UK Mega next year? If so are you aware that there is a 10% discount for Early Bird booking available until the 31st October.
Camping is available from Tuesday 4th to Monday 10th August and can be booked on this website.
Full size 10m x 12m pitches at £30 per night.
Small tent pitch 5m x 6m at £22 per night.
£50 per week for optional EHU.
Book from 2 to 6 nights. (Minimum booking is 2 nights.)

The pitches are all on a large grass field. The site has permanent toilet and shower blocks, electricity is generated by solar panels on the roof of the exhibition hall.

Just one new cache and 3 new events have been published since our last post.

GCBDJB6 Pwmp Dŵr Rhos Isaf by Math1212 Traditional D2/T1.5

Events

GCBDCQG Meet & Greet in Porthmadog by Hammer66 D1/T1
When: Saturday 11th October 2025
Where: West Highland Railway Platform, Porthmadog
Time: 6pm to 6.30pm
Hammer66 is on holiday in the area and would like to meet local and not so local cachers to discuss our wonderful hobby.

GCBDKYT 9 Usual Suspects – Nosh & Natter 83 by 9 Usual Suspects
When: Thursday 30th October 2025
Where: Parc Snowdonia, Waunfawr, Caernarfon, Gwynedd LL55 4AQ
Time: 7pm to 9pm or when the last person leaves

Christmas Dinner

I know it is only the beginning of October and no one wants to think about Christmas but for our Christmas Dinner Event we have to book way in advance to get our preferred date and venue.

GCBDKZD Christmas Dinner – Nosh & Natter 84 by 9 Usual Suspects
Where: Tafarn Yr Afr/Goat Inn, Glandwyfach, Porthmadog LL51 9LJ
When: Saturday 29th November
Time: 7-9pm or when the last person leaves
Dress Code: Anything Christmas

 Will Santa be attending? Who knows, but for those that wish to take part there will be the usual ‘Secret Santa’, presents price guide £5-£10.
Please find the menu below:

Please note all food has to be ordered in advance and we need food orders by 21st November.

Event Reminders

We are weather watching, according to the latest info, with luck, Storm Amy should have passed by 2pm tomorrow, so we are not canceling the following events. We will review weather/conditions tomorrow morning and make a decision whether to go ahead or cancel. An event announcement will be made to confirm our decision.

GCBD2G7 CITO 2025 Season 2 by 9 Usual Suspects
When: Saturday 4th October 2025
Where: The Old Bridge, Morfa Parc, Caernarfon
Time: 2pm – 3.30pm
We will be meeting at the old bridge, Morfa Parc, Caernarfon, on Saturday 4th October 2pm. Our task for the day will be to pick up as much litter as possible starting from the the bridge, around the park then following the River Seiont to Lon Eifion. If we get enough volunteers we will pick the wooded area behind Tesco.

GCBD32K 9US Cake & Brew by 9 Usual Suspects
When: Saturday 4th October 2025
Where: Old Bridge, Parc Dre, Caernarfon
Time: 3.30pm to 4pm
As a Thank You to our hard working volunteers we will be supplying refreshments and a chance to catch up, swap TB’s and enjoy some geochat while having a brew and cake.

9US 10th Anniversary Coins

Last chance to pre-order and save £2!

Celebrate a decade of discovery with the limited edition 9 Usual Suspects 10th Anniversary Geocoin! Crafted from slate. This unique Geocoin features an engraved mountain scene on the obverse, on the reverse the iconic 9 Usual Suspects logo along with a trackable number. The Geocoin is a limited run with just 20 available, it’s a must-have keepsake for collectors and geocachers alike, marking ten unforgettable years of adventures for the 9 Usual Suspects.

Pre-order price is just £12, the coins will normally retail at £14. To order please contact us through the comments or email SlateCoins@9usualsuspects.uk
Coins will be available to purchase and collect from our events.

A couple of new traditional caches, CITO and event have been published since our last post:

GCBD867 Caernarfon a Bontnewydd A487 by ECOBAKE Traditional D2/T1.5
GCBD4DT REALLY SideTracked – Llanberis (SMR) by Clueless_Goose Traditional T1.5/D1.5

New Events

GCBD2G7 CITO 2025 Season 2 by 9 Usual Suspects
When: Saturday 4th October 2025
Where: The Old Bridge, Morfa Parc, Caernarfon
Time: 2pm – 3.30pm
We will be meeting at the old bridge, Morfa Parc, Caernarfon, on Saturday 8th March at 2pm. Our task for the day will be to pick up as much litter as possible starting from the the bridge, around the park then following the River Seiont to Lon Eifion. If we get enough volunteers we will pick the wooded area behind Tesco.

GCBD32K 9US Cake & Brew by 9 Usual Suspects
When: Saturday 4th October 2025
Where: Old Bridge, Parc Dre, Caernarfon
Time: 3.30pm to 4pm
As a Thank You to our hard working volunteers we will be supplying refreshments and a chance to catch up, swap TB’s and enjoy some geochat while having a brew and cake.

Event Reminders

There are several events happening in the next few days:

GCBCTEY 9 Usual Suspects – Nosh & Natter 82 by 9 Usual Suspects
When: Friday 26th September 2025
Where: Parc Snowdonia, Waunfawr, Caernarfon, Gwynedd LL55 4AQ
Time: 7pm to 9pm or when the last person leaves
Please note this event is on Friday not the normal Thursday.
Apologies everyone, I forgot to put this in for review and missed the deadline for Thursday evening.

GCBBXWD SideTracked Railway200 – Pwllheli by GO PUB CACHING
When: Friday 26th September
Where: Pwllheli National Rail Station
Time: 9.30am to 10am

GCBBXYH SideTracked Railway200 – Caernarfon by GO PUB CACHING
When: Saturday 27th September
Where: Welsh Highland Railway, Caernarfon
Time: 12.45pm to 1.15pm

GCBBGQ7 SideTracked Railway200 – Porthmadog Harbour by GO PUB CACHING
When: Saturday 27th September
Where: Welsh Highland Railway & Ffestiniog Railway, Porthmadog
Time: 6.00pm to 6.30pm

GCBC9EC Moley’s Meet up by Moley13 Event D1/T1.5
When: Saturday 27th September
Where: Llangollen Pavillion 
Time: 6pm to 7pm
Moley is going to be in Llangollen for Hidden Earth – UK’s National Caving Conference and is keen to meet up with other geocaching cavers as well as any other geocachers who happen to be in the area. The meeting spot is a group of picnic tables at the side of Llangollen Pavilion. 

GCBBXTH SideTracked Railway200 – Porthmadog by GO PUB CACHING
When: Sunday 28th September
Where: National Rail Station, Porthmadog
Time: 10.15am to 10.45am

CADW Open Doors

Every September, Cadw “Opens its Doors”. A selection of Cadw and other historical sites open their doors free of charge, some sites are not normally open to the general public, others may offer free guided tours and experiences.
Here are a couple of our favourite places that are open this weekend:

Barclodiad-y-Gawres
Open Sunday 28th September

Barclodiad-y-Gawres is a partially reconstructed Neolithic burial chamber, famous for its decorated stones. The spectacular, cliff side position of this later Neolithic monument is one of its great attractions and accessing it provides a short pleasant walk.  Barclodiad-y-Gawres means ‘The Giantess’s Apronful’ and is a traditional local name. This is a chance to investigate this unique and important passage tomb which is not generally open to the public.
Free Tours will be at 11am, 1pm and 3pm. Meet at the monument. No booking required.

Harlech Castle
Open Saturday 27th & Sunday 28th September

Join guide, Siân Roberts, and discover the stories behind the stones of this spectacular structure in its stunning setting. We can highly recommend this tour, we held an event here last year followed by Siân’s excellent tour.
Free Tours will be at 11am, 1pm and 3pm. No booking required.

Since our last post two new multis, a couple of new earthcaches plus 3 events have been published:

GCBC4GJ Church Micro 15502… Caernarfon by Math1212 Multi D2.5/T1.5
GCBC0AM SideTracked – Porthmadog by Clueless_Goose Multi D2/T1.5
GCBC12P A Tuff EarthCache by Mr MagnaDefender Earthcache D2.5/T2.5
GCBBZR6 Bwlch Mawr Trig & Lava by Mr MagnaDefender Earthcache D3/T3

Events
GCBC9EC Moley’s Meet up by Moley13 Event D1/T1.5
When: Saturday 27th September
Where: Llangollen Pavillion 
Time: 6pm to 7pm
Moley is going to be in Llangollen for Hidden Earth – UK’s National Caving Conference and is keen to meet up with other geocaching cavers as well as any other geocachers who happen to be in the area. The meeting spot is a group of picnic tables at the side of Llangollen Pavilion. 

Saturday 27th September is a very popular day for events in our area, this is event is the 4th to be published on this date

GCBC2HX Happy Halloween by 9 Usual Suspects Event D1/T1
When: Saturday 25th October
Where: Plas Gwernoer, Nantlle LL54 6BB
Party Starts: 5pm
Party Ends: 8pm or when the last person leaves
Attire:  Optional Halloween Fancy dress
A repeat of last years event with a few extra scary surprises. Wrap up warm, as, weather permitting, we plan to have some outside activities including a pumpkin lantern competition. There will be prizes for adults and children, to enter bring your carved pumpkin on the night. Of course there will be a BBQ and the bar will be open to late.

GCBC20Q GIFF 2025, Geocaching International Film Festival by 9 Usual Suspects Event D1/T1
Where: Talysarn Community Centre, Station Road, Talysarn, Caernarfon LL54 6HL
Date: Sunday 9th November 2025
Doors open: 3.00pm
Film showing starts: 3.15pm approx, duration approx 1 hour.
Venue closes: 5.00pm 
We invite you to join us for Geocachings International Film Festival 2025. More details of films etc will be announced nearer the date. As this venue is not cheap to hire we will be fund raising and looking for volunteers to help with setting up, manning our geocaching shop and very importantly running the kitchen.

Famous Suspects

Recently some of the Usual Suspects have been featured in the Geocaching media.
At a very wet event in Bristol during UK Mega week 3 Usual Suspects were caught on camera by GO PUB CACHING and appear on his YouTube site pubtv. See link below:
https://youtube.com/clip/Ugkxe5pGtX_mgn1-SION02caFer4O-rv6d5z?si=t7youjJ2BSzlOR_l

74Jen and ECOBAKE now have worldwide fame after they were included in a recent post by Geocaching HQ in their blog, LogBook:

Highlights from “Where’s 25? – Locationless Cache”
“We’re more than halfway through 2025, which means that time is running shorter for you to log GCA2025 Where’s 25? – Locationless Cache! This special cache is active only through December 31, 2025 in commemoration of geocaching’s milestone anniversary.
The geocaching community has found “25” all over since the Locationless Cache was published in January. More than 26,000 geocachers have logged a find, and shared more than 32,000 photos of “25” sightings worldwide.”
Here are just a few of the fun examples:

We are now back and catching up after attending the UK Mega events. A nice range of cache types and difficulties have been published in our absence:

GCBAQC4 Walk to the beach by JGibson16062012 Traditional D2/T2
GCBAP8B River below by Theonator8772 Traditional D1/T1
GCBAP78 Ciara’s crash by Theonator8772 Traditional D3/T2
GCBAMGA Stone pole by Jackinnorthwales Traditional D1/T1
GCBAHNZ Bethel, Pont Charlie by Math1212 Traditional D2/T2
GCBAD9Y Dod yn ôl at fy Nghoed by Clueless_Goose Mystery D3.5/T2
GCBA909 The Toy Box by gethv1 Traditional D1/T2

Premium Member Only
GCBAVKR The Bridge, the Beast and the Bounty! by RichieBlod Traditional D1/T1
GCBAMKV Anglesey GeoMon – Orogenic Origins by MrMagnaDefender Earthcache D4/T2.5
GCBAMFB YOSM #1277 Mynydd Bodafon by MrMagnaDefender Earthcache D3.5/T3

Event Reminder
Tomorrow night!
GCBA6JY Come and Join Us at Criccieth by The Creepy Crawlies Event D1/T1
Where: The Lion Hotel, Criccieth
When: Wednesday 6th August, 2025
Time: 6pm-7pm
The Creepy Crawlies will be travelling around Wales for a week on holiday. They would like to meet both local and not so local Geocachers to discuss our fascinating hobby. Also they are fully supporting the UK Mega 2026 Committee and are keen to discuss this event.

9US Birthday Party

GCAW0G4 9 US Celebrate International Geocaching Day by 9 Usual Suspects
Where: Plas Gwernoer, Nantlle
When: Saturday 16th August, 2025
Time: 2pm-6pm (the bar will remain open until the last person leaves!)
Games Start Time: 2.30pm
BBQ: 5pm
Trackable Raffle Draw: 5.30pm
9 Usual Suspects invite you to join them in the beautiful Nantlle Valley to celebrate their 10th Birthday, 25 years of Geocaching and International Geocaching Day, the theme for this years event is ‘An Afternoon of Birthday Fun Games’. We will also be taking a look back at our adventures over the last 10 years.

Please log will attends so that we have a rough idea on numbers for catering and prizes.

Virtual Awards 5.0

Geocaching HQ have announced the next release of 4,000 Virtual Caches as part of their 25th anniversary celebrations. Geocachers who meet the following criteria will automatically be eligible for selection on February 3rd, 2026.

• You must have three non-Event geocaches published in 2025.
• You must have created your geocaching account before July 29, 2025.
• Prior Virtual Reward recipients are eligible to participate.
• Players who opted-in for Virtual Rewards 2.0 and 3.0, and/or who qualified for Virtual Rewards 4.0, but did not receive a Virtual Cache will have a higher likelihood of receiving a Virtual Reward 5.0.

On February 3rd, 2026, Geocaching HQ will randomly select up to 4,000 eligible geocachers to receive one Virtual Cache. Recipients will have one year to create their Virtual Cache page and submit it for review (February 3rd, 2026–February 3rd, 2027). The caches must comply with Virtual Cache-specific guidelines.

Note: An algorithm to help distribute Virtuals will be used favouring countries/areas that do not have many Virtual Caches.

Why not make Virtual Caches available for everyone to hide?
Because today’s active Virtual Caches are rare and generally well-liked, people often forget the problems that led to the Virtual becoming a legacy cache type in 2005.
The Virtual Cache type was initially created to place a cache where physical caches were not permitted or high-traffic areas made a physical cache impractical. While the intent of this cache type was positive, it created significant problems for geocaching community volunteer reviewers and often led to poor cache quality. Some players used Virtual Caches as a shortcut to create basic caches that did not require maintenance. Guidelines were eventually updated to require Virtuals to have special qualities to set them apart from other caches. However, the subjectivity introduced to the review process became difficult for both reviewers and cachers. The decision was finally made for the Virtual to become a legacy cache type to avoid these issues.

GIFF 2025

We have been asked if we are hosting GIFF this year. We intend to host this popular event on Sunday 9th November. We still have to confirm the venue but hope to be returning to Canolfan Talysarn, as soon as the venue is confirmed we will publish the event and further details.