Tag: Geocaching Souvenirs

News & New Caches 177

We have one new cache and and event for your diary:

GCB3YT3 Sit amongst the Daffs! by MonHunter Traditional D1.5/T1.5

GCAXGMC 2025 Community Celebration Event EHDoT Great Orme by evanshorndean Event D1/T2
Where: Great Orme, Llandudno
When: Wednesday 9th July, 2025
Time: 4pm to 6pm
EvansHornDean are holidaying in the area and would like to meet up with local and visiting cachers to discuss our fascinating hobby.

Event Reminders

GCB34QK CITO 2025 Season 1 by 9 Usual Suspects CITO D1/T3
When: Saturday 8th March 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.
Please arrive promptly to ensure you attend the safety briefing. The event will last for 1.5 hours finishing at 3.30pm and then we will have cake and a brew!

GCB34RZ 9 Usual Suspects Cake and a Brew by 9 Usual Suspects Event D1/T1
When: Saturday 8th March 20254
Where: Old Bridge, Parc Dre, Caernarfon
Time: 3.30pm to 4pm

Piratemania Camping

GCB0V77 Piratemania 17 Sudeley Castle – SAILING WEST

Camping is now open for those Pirates that would like a berth, you can find camping at this link:

Event Review

GCB34PF CITO, A487 North, Another Quick Pick by 9 Usual Suspects CITO D1/T4.5

Well we could have done without the wind, but at least it was dry. In an ideal world we would not have to do litter picks as everyone would take responsibility for their rubbish not throw it out their cars, but until then we will try and take care of our local environment. From this lay-by we collected 10 bags of general litter plus an array of bazaar items including a wall light, storage box, Radox shower gel, a pint lager glass, lid of a motorcycle top box, clothing including underwear, a pillow, pipe insulation, a tyre and road signs.
Here are a few pictures of our day:

March Equinox Souvenir

From March 20th to 23rd, 2025, find one geocache, Event Cache, or Adventure Lab® Location to earn the March Equinox Souvenir.

The artwork for this souvenir is inspired by the birds, crowned cranes, whose migratory patterns represent seasonal change.

Northern Hemisphere:
The Red-crowned crane represents harmony and the balance of life.

Southern Hemisphere:
The Grey crowned crane represents change and a renewal of life.

Festival of the Sea: Flint

This festival is outside our area but may be of interest to some of our readers.
The UK’s first Festival of the Sea celebrating all things marine in this beautiful coastal town of Flint.

Celebrate the sea around Flintshire at Flint Castle with activities and stands. This free family-friendly festival will have plenty for people of all ages and abilities. No booking is required, simply turn up on the day, some activities and workshops will be limited to a certain number. To make sure of a place sign up to any specific events on the day.

All activities, workshops and stalls are free to attend thanks to sponsorship by the Welsh Government Coastal Capacity Fund.

Attendees include: RNLI, The Royal Navy, Flintshire Coast Park, Keep Wales Tidy, Mold Pastic Reduction, Seawatch Foundation, Nature Keen, Kirsty Hall, Natural Resources Wales, and Rainbow Biz.

GCB3F98 Pi Day Party

GCB3F98 Pi Day Party

When: Saturday 15th March, 2025
Where: Plas Gwernoer, Nantlle LL54 6BB
Time: 3.14pm to 5.14pm or when the last person leaves

The tradition to celebrate Pi Day began in the United States and has since gained worldwide recognition. We will be celebrating by sampling many different types of pies.

Sadly the 14th March falls on a Friday so we will be having our event 24 hours late!

News & New Caches 176

Another quiet week for geocaching with no new caches or Ad Labs published in our area since our last post.

Event Reminders

We have two CITO events this week and on Saturday, an after CITO event where we will be offering refreshments to all our hard working volunteers. By attending either CITO events you will earn the following souvenir:

GCB34PF CITO, A487 North, Another Quick Pick by 9 Usual Suspects CITO D1/T4.5
When: Wednesday 5th March 2025
Where: A487 North Lay by
Time: 11am to 12pm

GCB34QK CITO 2025 Season 1 by 9 Usual Suspects CITO D1/T3
When: Saturday 8th March 2025
Where: The Old Bridge, Morfa Parc, Caernarfon
Time: 2pm – 3.30pm

GCB34RZ 9 Usual Suspects Cake and a Brew by 9 Usual Suspects Event D1/T1
When: Saturday 8th March 20254
Where: Old Bridge, Parc Dre, Caernarfon
Time: 3.30pm to 4pm

Pancake Day, Shrove Tuesday

Today is Pancake Day, or Shrove Tuesday, it is the traditional feast day before the start of Lent on Ash Wednesday. In the Christian calendar Lent, the 40 days leading up to Easter, was traditionally a time of fasting and by some is still observed today. The name Shrove Tuesday derives from Anglo-Saxon when Christians who went to confession the Tuesday before Lent were “shriven”, absolved from their sins.

Shrove Tuesday always falls 47 days before Easter Sunday, so the date varies from year to year and falls between February 3 and March 9. In 2025 Shrove Tuesday will fall on March 4th.

Shrove Tuesday was the last opportunity to use up eggs and fats before embarking on the Lenten fast and pancakes are the perfect way of using up these ingredients. A pancake is a thin, flat cake, made of batter and fried in a frying pan. A traditional English pancake is very thin and is served immediately.

The pancake has a very long history and featured in cookery books as far back as 1439. The tradition of tossing or flipping them is almost as old. In the UK pancake races often form a part of the Shrove Tuesday celebrations.

Every year a famous pancake race takes place at Olney in Buckinghamshire. According to tradition, in 1445 a woman of Olney heard the shriving bell while she was making pancakes and ran to the church in her apron, still clutching her frying pan. The Olney pancake race is now world famous. Competitors have to be local housewives and they must wear an apron and a hat or scarf. Each contestant has a frying pan containing a hot pancake. She must toss it three times during the race. The first woman to complete the course at the church door has to serve her pancake to the shriven bell ringer and be kissed by him to be declared the winner.

How will you have your pancakes? In our house it will be with lemon juice and sugar.

News & New Caches 175

We have no new caches, events or Ad Labs to report but some local attractions do have free entry on Saturday to celebrate St. David’s Day.

Dydd Dewi Sant/Saint Davids Day

As part of St David’s Day celebrations Portmeirion and CADW sites are offering free entry.

Portmeirion Village

File:Portmeirion village square.jpg - Wikimedia Commons

Entry to Portmeirion on St David’s Day, Saturday, 1st March is free.
Explore the picturesque village, take in the stunning scenery, shops and cafes. The village will be open from 9:30am to 5:30pm, and no ticket is needed—simply head to the tollbooth for complimentary entry.

CADW
To celebrate St. David’s day CADW have free access to 130 of their sites across Wales. From castles to abbeys and industrial heritage sites, entry to 19 CADW properties that normally charge admission will be free on St David’s Day but they are asking visitors to consider gifting a donation to Welsh cancer charity, Tenovus. Tenovus is the Welsh Government staff charity of the year.

As part of your St. David’s Day celebrations why not visit a local castle?

Dydd Dewi Sant Daffodils (Castell Caernarfon) 

Saturday 1 March, 10:00 – 16:00

Celebrate Wales’ national flower with Castell Caernarfon’s paper daffodil-making workshop after looking around this middle-aged castle.

St. David’s Day Celebration (Castell Conwy) 

Saturday 1st March, 11:00 – 11:30 and 14:00 – 14:30
In north Wales, to celebrate Dydd Dewi Sant, you can experience the sounds of Côr Meibion Maelgwn Male Voice Choir, as you explore our medieval castle at Castell Conwy for a day of celebrations.

Celebrating St. David’s Day (Denbigh Castle) 

Saturday 1 March, 10:00 – 16:00

Wear your best Welsh traditional dress, or simply a red item for a lively day of music, baked goods and crafts at medieval fortress, Denbigh Castle.

For more details visit CADW website

Geocaching in Your Pajamas Day Souvenir

Pajama Day is a day when people wear pajamas to school or work instead of their regular clothes and is often a way to raise money for charity. 

To earn this souvenir simply log any geocache, Adventure Lab® Location, or attend an Event on Wednesday 16th April, 2025. There is no requirement to post a picture of yourself caching in your pj’s. Note unlike other souvenirs this souvenir is only available for the day, Wednesday 16th April.

Are you going to celebrate Pajama Day by geocaching in your pajamas?

As modelled by Jude100 pajamas and wellies can make the prefect geocaching outfit.

News & New Caches 174

It is so good to see some new caches appearing. Clueless_Goose has been very busy with 3 new Church Micros on Anglesey and a new series of 20 caches following the old Bryngwyn slate railway.

GCB3BGF Church Micro 15348…Heneglwys by Clueless_Goose Traditional D2/T1.5
GCB3BG7 Church Micro 15347…Coedana by Clueless_Goose Traditional D1.5/T1.5
GCB3B9E Church Micro 15346…Llannerch-y-Medd by Clueless_Goose Traditional D3/T2

BST – Bryngwyn Slate Trail

A series of 15 caches following the trackbed of the former North Wales Narrow Gauge Railways ‘Bryngwyn Branch’ – now a community owned footpath. The railway once served the slate quarries surrounding Moel Tryfan, as well as passengers from Rhostryfan and Bryngwyn Stations. The line carried slate and passengers down to Caernarfon and beyond, but closed with the decline of the slate industry in the early 20th century. The rails were lifted during the 1940s for the war effort, though some interesting features still remain en route.

For the full experience you can step off the WHR train at Tryfan Junction, complete the series, and return for the journey back. By car, parking is easiest at Rhostryfan former station, allowing you to split the series into two halves. It is also possible to park on the verge at Tryfan Junction or up by the Drumhead right at the other end of the line.

The walk to Bryngwyn is easy-going with only a gentle (undetectable) uphill gradient. The permissive footpath along the trackbed ends abruptly at Bryngwyn Farm, where the final cache (15) is hidden, but if desired, you can roughly follow the remaining trackbed along lanes and the old Bryngwyn Incline to the ‘Drumhead’, where the railway once diverged into several private tramways serving the individual slate quarries. There are three SideTracked caches along the track, plus two additional bonus caches for those willing to follow the trackbed all the way from the end of the footpath to the Drumhead. All in all that’s 20 caches, some simple, others more challenging…


GCB34XH REALLY SideTracked – Bryngwyn by Clueless_Goose Traditional D2/T1.5
GCB3CGP REALLY SideTracked – Rhostryfan by Clueless_Goose Traditional D2/T1.5
GCB3F5A REALLY SideTracked – Tryfan Junction by Clueless_Goose Traditional D3.5/T1.5
GCB3CED BST 1 – Rhaeadru by Clueless_Goose Traditional D1.5/T2.5
GCB3EME BST 2 – Twnel by Clueless_Goose Traditional D3/T2
GCB3F98 BST 3 – Mwsogl by Clueless_Goose Traditional D3.5/T2
GCB3ETN BST 4 – Giât by Clueless_Goose Traditional D2/T2
GCB3F9E BST 5 – Golygfa Llanddwyn by Clueless_Goose Traditional D2/T2
GCB3F9K BST 6 – Iorwg by Clueless_Goose Traditional D3.5/T2.5
GCB3F9V BST 7 – Pentref by Clueless_Goose Traditional D2.5/T1.5
GCB3CGG BST 8 – Giât Moch by Clueless_Goose Traditional D2.5/T2
GCB3FB3 BST 9 – Ffens by Clueless_Goose Traditional D3/T2
GCB3CG8 BST 10 – Steil by Clueless_Goose Traditional D3.5/T2
GCB3CG3 BST 11 – Onnen by Clueless_Goose Traditional D2.5/T3.5
GCB3CFT BST 12 – Pry Copyn by Clueless_Goose Traditional D3/T3
GCB3FBA BST 13 – Gwely by Clueless_Goose Traditional D2/T2
GCB3CFH BST 14 – Postyn by Clueless_Goose Traditional D2/T2
GCB3CFB BST 15 – Arwyddbost by Clueless_Goose Traditional D3.5/T1.5
GCB3CEY BST +1 – Inclên Bryngwyn by Clueless_Goose Traditional D2/T2.5
GCB353C BST +2 – Y ‘Drumhead’ by Clueless_Goose Traditional D2.5/T2

Event
GCB3F98 Pi Day Party by 9 Usual Suspects
When: Saturday 15th March, 2025
Where: Plas Gwernoer, Nantlle LL54 6BB
Time: 3.14pm to 5.14pm or when the last person leaves

This event is part of 9 Usual Suspect 10th anniversary celebrations, 10 years ago ‘A Slice of Pie’ was one of our first events.

Join us for a P, P & P! The plan is to have as many different types of pie as possible for us all to sample, I think we can do better than our first attempt. There will also be a new Mystery Cache appearing very close to this event enabling us all to get the Pi Day souvenir. See below:

Pi Day 2025 Souvenir

Pi Day is an annual celebration of the mathematical constant π (pi), observed on March 14th because the date (3/14) corresponds to the first three significant digits of π (3.14). The tradition began in the United States and has since gained worldwide recognition.

To earn earn the Pi Day souvenir find and log any Mystery Cache between Friday 14th March and Sunday 16th March. All non-Premium Mystery Caches are open to everyone throughout the weekend on the Geocaching® app from 11:00:00 UTC on Friday 14th March until 10:00:00 UTC on Monday 17th March, 2025.

Llangollen Canal Boat Trip

We have booked a day boat for Saturday 17th May. Cost is £20 per person, to book a place we need a £10 deposit. We have a few spare places, if you would like to join us please contact us asap.

We will be starting at Trevor travelling to Llangollen, it takes just over 2 hours to reach the turnaround point. See map below:

All day boats are equipped with the following: cutlery, crockery, a kettle, 2 burner hob, fridge, sink and toilet. There’s indoor and outdoor seating on all day boats. We will be stopping for lunch some where en route, probably The Sun (marked on map) where we may hold an event. Dogs are allowed. Boat hire times are from 9am – 4pm so we would be meeting up around 8.45am at Anglo Welsh boat yard.
There are very few geocaches currently along the canal but we will make every effort to pick any up as we pass.

Any questions? Contact us.

News & New Caches 173

We have 4 new events for your diaries:

GCB34NR 9 Usual Suspects – Nosh & Natter 75 by 9 Usual Suspects
When: Thursday 27th February, 2025
Where: Parc Snowdonia, Waunfawr, Caernarfon, Gwynedd LL55 4AQ
Time: 7pm to 9pm or when the last person leaves

GCB34PF CITO, A487 North, Another Quick Pick by 9 Usual Suspects CITO D1/T4.5
When: Wednesday 5th March 2025
Where: A487North Lay by
Time: 11am to 12pm

GCB34QK CITO 2025 Season 1 by 9 Usual Suspects CITO D1/T3
When: Saturday 8th March 2025
Where: The Old Bridge, Morfa Parc, Caernarfon
Time: 2pm – 3.30pm

GCB34RZ 9 Usual Suspects Cake and a Brew by 9 Usual Suspects Event D1/T1
When: Saturday 8th March 20254
Where: Old Bridge, Parc Dre, Caernarfon
Time: 3.30pm to 4pm

75th Nosh and Natter!

This months Nosh & Natter is our 75th! Our first N&N was on Monday 9th May, 2015, at the Antelope Inn, Bangor with 9 attendees. Who then would have dreamt that 10 years later we would still be meeting up once a month. Over the years we have had 66 different geocaching accounts log an attended from all corners of the world. We can’t find any photos of the first event but I have found one from our first Christmas Dinner:

CITO Season 1, 2025

CITO Season 1, 2025 souvenir will be available from Saturday 1st March through to Saturday 31st May, 2025. We have 2 CITO events published for the beginning of March that by attending will earn the souvenir. We are planning more CITO’s later in the season.

Treasure Collections Update

This new feature starts on Monday 17th March.
Collection 1: Geocaching origins
In this collection there are four Treasures inspired by the beginnings of geocaching. To find, simply find and log Traditional Caches.
We are still unsure if there will be a Treasure in every Traditional cache or only hidden in a selected few. Also will the Treasure be visible prior to finding the cache or only revealed on logging.

Collection 2: Celebrating 25 years
To unlock Collection 2, Collection 1 must be completed. This collection has five Treasures that can be found by logging any cache that has a difficulty rating of 1.5 or lower.

The Treasures feature will be available in the Geocaching® app and on Geocaching.com starting 17th March at 17:00 UTC. If you log caches using third-party or Geocaching API partner applications, you will still collect Treasure but it will not be visible in the app. and you will not receive in-app notifications when a Treasure is found. Progress can be viewed on the Geocaching® app and on Geocaching.com.

Event Review

GCB22FR 9US & Severn UK Mega Team present Ski Saturday by 9 Usual Suspects D1/T2

Firstly I must say very big Thank You to mutchie from the Severn UK Mega Team for visiting us, answering all our questions and concerns regarding this years Mega. Our Wii skiing event has become an annual fixture in the 9US calendar. This years event was the downhill, which I thought was one of the easier disciplines but the course proved to be a lot trickier than I remembered. As always the activity on the slopes was very competitive giving rise to lots of banter and laughter. Big thanks to Pete for being time keeper, making sure the technology behaved itself, printing the souvenirs and medals.

Highlights of our day:

News & New Caches 167

We hope everyone had a lovely Christmas. In our area there has been no new caches or Ad Labs published since our last post. But we do have some event reminders.

Event Reminders

GCB0QRK 9 Usual Suspects Say Goodbye to 2024 by 9 Usual Suspects D1/T1.5
When: 31st December, 2024
Where: Anglesey Column Cafe & Information Centre
Time: 11am-12pm
Our last event of 2024 and a chance for a quick catch up before the New Year Celebrations begin. There is no better way to start your celebrations than meeting up with your geocaching friends! Please log will ‘attend logs’ as we need to give the cafe numbers in advance.

GCB0PTH 9US Discover 2025 with a Beach Clean by 9 Usual Suspects CITO D1/T3
When: Wednesday 1st January 2025
Where: Beach Car Park nearest the Airport
Time: 11am to 12pm
Why not blow away those New Year cobwebs and join us for a litter pick along the beautiful beach of Dinas Dinlle?

GCB16T1 9 Usual Suspects TB Race Launch by 9 Usual Suspects D1/T1
When: 1st January, 2025
Where: Airport Cafe, Dinas Dinlle, Caernarfon LL54 5TP
Time: 12.15pm – 1.15pm
An event to launch our 2025 TB Race. TB race rules can be found here. Not entering the TB race? This is a chance to catch up, swap TB’s and enjoy some geochat while watching the airport activity.

New Year Souvenirs

Celebrate the end of the year and the beginning of 2025 by earning two new souvenirs, Logged 2024 and Discovering 2025. To earn the souvenirs find one geocache or Adventure Lab® location, all geocache types count including events.
Logged 2024 is available from 24th to 31st December.
Discovering 2025 is available from 1st to 8th January.

Quiz Answers

  1. Which song includes the lyrics “They’ve got cars big as bars, They’ve got rivers of gold” Fairytale of New York, The Pouges (1987)
  2. In Charles Dickens’s A Christmas Carol, what was the first name of Scrooge?
    Ebenezer
  3. What colour are mistletoe berries?
    White
  4. Which song includes the lyrics “It’s Christmas time, there’s no need to be afraid”
    Do they know it’s Christmas – Band Aid (1984)
  5. In Harry Potter and the Philosophers Stone what did the Dursleys give Harry for Christmas?
    A 50p piece
  6. Which single has been number 1 in the charts in 2023 & 2024, but only made number 2 when it was released in 1984?
    Last Christmas – Wham (It’s been in the charts 21 times over 117 weeks)
  7. Elvis Presley isn’t going to have a White Christmas, he’s going to have a….?
    Blue Christmas
  8. According to the song, what did my true love give to me on the eleventh day of Christmas?
    Eleven pipers piping
  9. What fruit is used to make a Christingle?
    Orange
  10. Three of Santa’s reindeer’s names begin with the letter “D.” What are those names?
    Dasher, Donner & Dancer
  11. If you’re born on Christmas day, what’s your star sign?
    Capricorn
  12. What is glühwein?
    A German version of mulled wine
  13. When do the 12 days of Christmas start?
    Christmas Day
  14. What is the Grinch’s dog called?
    Max
  15. How many states in the US have a town called ‘Santa Claus’?
    Three – Indiana, Arizona and Georgia

Happy New Year

We would like to take this opportunity to Thank everyone for their support and wish you all a very Happy New Year, may 2025 be a year full of fun and adventures.

News & New Caches 165

We have one new event published since our last post. We have lots of dates for 2025, souvenirs and our events.

GCB16T1 9 Usual Suspects TB Race Launch by 9 Usual Suspects D1/T1
When: 1st January, 2025
Where: Airport Cafe, Dinas Dinlle, Caernarfon LL54 5TP
Time: 12.15pm – 1.15pm

An event to launch our 2025 TB Race. Not entering the TB race? This is a chance to catch up, swap TB’s and enjoy some geochat while watching the airport activity.

2024 9US Video

We are currently putting together a video of our 2024 adventures. If you have any pictures or video you would like included please contact us.

Confirmed Souvenirs for 2025

Here are the confirmed souvenirs for 2025 and dates that they are available:

  • Discovering 2025 January 1st-8th
  • Cache In Trash Out®, Season 1: March 1st–May 31st
  • Pi-Day: March 14th
  • March Equinox: March 20th-23rd
  • Pajama Day: April 16th
  • Blue Switch Day: May 2nd-4th
  • June Solstice: June 20th-22nd
  • International Geocaching Day: August 16th
  • Cache In Trash Out®, Season 2: September 1st-November 30th
  • World Postcard Day: October 1st
  • International EarthCache Day: October 10th-12th
  • Adventure Day: October 17th-19th
  • Geocaching International Film Festival (GIFF): November 6th-16th
  • Farewell 2025: December 24th-31st

9US Event Calendar 2025

Please find below our event calendar for 2025. Event dates may change up until publication.

Wednesday 1st January GCB0PTH 9US Discover 2025 with a Beach Clean D1/T3
Wednesday 1st January GCB16T1 9 Usual Suspects TB Race Launch D1/T1
Thursday 30th January Nosh & Natter 74

Saturday 8th February Ski Saturday The Severn Mega will be in attendance
Thursday 27th February Nosh & Natter 75

Saturday 8th March CITO Season 1
Thursday 27th March Nosh & Natter 76

Thursday 24th April Nosh & Natter 77

Saturday 17th May Llangollen Canal Boat Trip
Thursday 29th May Nosh & Natter 78

Saturday 7th June Bardsey Island?
Thursday 26th June Nosh & Natter 79

Wednesday 23rd July Nosh & Natter 80
Thursday 24th-27th July Piratemania
Monday 28th July-3rd August Severn Mega

Saturday 16th August International Geocaching Day, 9US 10th Birthday Party
Thursday 28th August Nosh & Natter 81

Thursday 25th September Nosh & Natter 82

Thursday 30th October Nosh & Natter 83

Saturday 1st November Halloween Party
Sunday 9th November GIFF
Saturday 29th November Nosh & Natter 84, Christmas Dinner

Wednesday 31st December Farewell 2025

Llangollen Canal Boat Trip

Saturday 17th May Llangollen Canal Boat Trip

We will be starting at Trevor travelling to Llangollen, it takes just over 2 hours to reach the turnaround point. See map below:

All day boats are equipped with the following: cutlery, crockery, a kettle, 2 burner hob, fridge, sink and toilet. There’s indoor and outdoor seating on all day boats. We will be stopping for lunch some where en route, probably The Sun (marked on map) where we may hold an event. Dogs are allowed. Boat hire times are from 9am – 4pm so we would be meeting up around 8.45am at Anglo Welsh boat yard.
There are very few geocaches currently along the canal but we will make every effort to pick any up as we pass.

Cost will be around £20 per person. There are 10 places per boat, if enough interest we will try to book 2 boats. To book a place contact us, we will need deposits of £10pp.

Any questions? Contact us.

News & New Caches 163

We have no new caches or events to report since our last post, but plenty of other news.

December Solstice Souvenir

The December solstice marks the shortest day in the Northern Hemisphere and the longest day in the Southern Hemisphere. Geocaching HQ crafted a special souvenir exclusively for geocachers to commemorate the December solstice. Earn this souvenir by finding any geocache, attending any Event, or completing an Adventure Lab® Location from 20th-22nd December, 2024.

2025, A Year of Celebrations

2025 is going to be a very busy year for the social geocacher with a wide range of events taking place. We all are aware that May 2nd 2025 is the 25th anniversary of geocaching with many celebratory events taking place worldwide, but did you know it is also 9 Usual Suspects 10th anniversary? Not only are there Giga, Mega, CITO’s and ordinary events taking place but also Block Parties and Community Celebration Events.

What is a Block Party? Basically it is a Mega Event. Geocaching HQ hosted the original Block Parties in Seattle from 2011 to 2015. Only 5,064 geocachers received the Block Party icon during those years. To enable more people to acquire this icon HQ are giving organisers of Mega or Giga Events the option to choose the Block Party icon for their event.
For an event to qualify as a Block Party the following criteria have to be met:

  • Take place between 1st January, 2025,- 31st December, 2025.
  • Qualify as a Mega-Event or Giga-Event.
  • Have at least 300 Will Attends.
  • Be at least 6 hours long.
  • Highlight celebrating 25 years of geocaching.

At the time of writing there is just one Block Party published for the UK:
GCAK7KC London Calling 2025 by London Calling D1/T1
When: Saturday 3rd May 2025
Where: Central Halls Westminster
Time: 10.30am – 5pm
Admission Charge: £7 in advance, £12 on the door, children under 15 free if accompanied by an adult

What is a Community Celebration Event? An event that all attendees receive a special icon to celebrate significant milestones in geocaching. To earn a Community Celebration Event 2025 credit, simply, host an event and publish a geocache in 2024. All geocachers who qualify will receive a CCE credit to be used from 1st January to 31st December 2025.

9US 10th Birthday Celebrations
We have received our Community Celebration Event credit and will be hosting an event to celebrate 9US’s 10th birthday on International Geocaching Day, Saturday 16th August 2025.

We are currently putting together our event program for 2025. In the past 10 years we have hosted over 170 events and CITO’s, do you have a favourite location or event that you would like to re-visit as part of our celebrations? Or any ideas/locations for an event? Please contact us through comments or message us through 9 Usual Suspects geocaching account.

Christmas Dinner, Event Review

GCAZ9WX Christmas Dinner – Nosh & Natter 73 by 9 Usual Suspects D1/T1

This is the 3rd year we have had our Christmas event at the Goat Inn, Glandwyfach, a perfect location for this event. By having the event on the Friday night we were the only party in the function room. There was a lot of general banter and geochat before the serious part of the evening, eating and drinking began. The food was again excellent, the secret Santa was fun and what can I say about the Welsh Bingo? A lovely evening and a great start to Christmas.
Here are a few pictures:

News & New Caches 162

We have one new cache and three events to report since our last post:

GCB0NY4 Hand-me-down by Clueless_Goose Traditional D1.5/T1.5

Events

GCB0MMV Christmas Stroll up Tryfan by swindon_leys D1/T5
When: 25th December, 2024
Where: Tryfan Summit
Time: 12pm-12.30pm
No plans for Christmas Day? This event could be just what you are looking for.

GCB0QRK 9 Usual Suspects Say Goodbye to 2024 by 9 Usual Suspects D1/T1.5
When: 31st December, 2024
Where: Anglesey Column Cafe & Information Centre
Time: 11am-12pm
Our last event of 2024 and a chance for a quick catch up before the New Year Celebrations begin. There is no better way to start your celebrations than meeting up with your geocaching friends! Please log will ‘attend logs’ as we need to give the cafe numbers in advance.

GCB0PTH 9US Discover 2025 with a Beach Clean by 9 Usual Suspects CITO D1/T3
When: Wednesday 1st January 2025
Where: Beach Car Park nearest the Airport
Time: 11am to 12pm
Why not blow away those New Year cobwebs and join us for a litter pick along the beautiful beach of Dinas Dinlle?
This event will see the start of a new TB race, see below.

2025 TB Race

As part of our 10th anniversary and geocaching’s 25th anniversary we will be having another TB race starting on 1st January 2025 finishing on 31st December 2025. There will be prizes for the furthest traveled and most countries visited. Rules and details in our next post.

TB Race 2021 Update

Do you remember this TB race? The original race was for one year, starting on International Geocaching Day 2021 and finishing on International Geocaching Day 2022, with prizes for the furthest traveled.
We decided to continue the race as a test of endurance with the winner being the last TB in circulation.

6 TB’s took part in the original race there are now 4 still traveling.

HQ Win the Race TB owner lostnwet
Traveled: 136,706km
Current Location: France in the hands of *Mana*
13 Countries Visited: UK, Ireland, France, Canada, USA, Austria, Germany, Luxembourg, Belgium, Netherlands, Sark, Jersey, Guernsey

Racing Dragon owner Ann@Birdbrook
Traveled: 72,903km
Current Location: Czechia in the hands of Pe_Bo
10 Countries Visited: UK, Portugal, Sweden, Netherlands, Germany, New Zealand, Denmark, France, Poland, Czechia

Draco owner Naturesbyte
Traveled: 57,168km
Current Location: Puppy Dog’s TB Hotel, Nevada, USA
10 Countries Visited: UK, Portugal, Netherlands, Germany, Sweden, Denmark, Norway, Hungary, France, USA


Welsh Sea Pottery owner escapefromwork
Traveled: 9,168km
Current Location: RAL [7] Whitby Road, Bristol, UK
2 Countries Visited: UK, Ireland

Halloween Video

GCAZ0QW Come and Monster Mash with 9US by 9 Usual Suspects D1/T1.5

We would like to thank everyone for attending and taking part in our activities. Bet you can’t wait to see what we are planning for next year!