News & New Caches 95

One new traditional cache and a couple of new events to report since our last post:

GCAA10B Buddy Boy 2 by Teamtart Traditional D2/T1.5

Events

GCAB60H CITO, A487 South, Quick Pick by 9 Usual Suspects D1/T4

When: Sunday 23rd July 2023
Where: Lab-by, Caernarfon By-pass
Time: 11-12pm

We stopped here looking for a hide for a new cache after doing a maintenance run on some 9US caches. We were horrified by the state of this lay-by. It is not some where we would want to encourage geocachers to stop and search for a well hidden cache. We had already removed 2 bags and a carrier bag full of bottles, cans and general litter from the lay-by on the other carriageway. Why can’t people be responsible and take their litter home with them? Please note there is a very steep bank involved in this litter pick. Parking is limited at the published coordinates, if anyone could car share it would be appreciated.
Note: This not a souvenir event

GCAB6AZ 9 Usual Suspects – Nosh & Natter 59 by 9 usual Suspect D1/T1

For this months N&N we will be visiting The Cube a kebab/burger van at Brynrefail, a quick catch up before we head off for Piratemania. Our last event here was way back in April 2017. Let’s hope for a dry, warm, sunny evening!

When: Wednesday 26th July 2023
Where: The Cube, Brynrefail, Llanberis
Time: 6.00pm to 7.30pm or when the last person leaves

Please note the earlier start time.

Wheel of Challenge, Streak Star!

Bryan, lostnwet, contacted us about a problem with the latest challenge, Streak Star:

‘Not too sure ad lab caches count towards your streak for this next challenge???
Ian (Browni) has ad lab finds for the first 2 days but he didn’t get the souvenir [:(]
I think “Geocaching.com” may be broken though!!!
We and Kevin (Snakes77) both have ordinary finds on the first two days and we’ve both got a new souvenir [:P] Check out our profiles and you’ll see we’ve both been given “Project Ape Cache Finders” souvenirs ? (Personally I’m not complaining as I can’t afford a trip to Brazil for that one) [;-)]’.

Geocaching has tweeted:

‘The issue with the souvenirs not awarding for Wheel of Challenges: Streak Star has been resolved. We will retroactively award souvenirs to players who should have received them and hope to release this fix soon. Thank you for your patience as we continue to work on this.’

But no mention of the ‘Project Ape Cache Finders’ souvenir which still shows on some Geocachers profiles.

And Finally……

We have the above caches left on the display table at our Maker’s Magic event……. please contact us to claim them or they might get released into the wild!

News & New Caches 94

Nine new caches, 7 traditionals, a multi and an earthcache have been published since our last post:

GCA9NZC Bright Eyes Revived by 9 Usual Suspects Traditional D2/T3.5
GCA9RBX Fly Over by 9 Usual Suspects Traditional D3.5/T1
GCA9WT2 The Gateway to Talysarn Hall by 9 Usual Suspects Traditional D3/T1.5
GCAAC90 Take a Break, Look at that View! by 9 Usual Suspects Traditional D3/T2.5
GCAADDX Out for Zero by 9 Usual Suspects Traditional D2.5/T2
GCAADZA Cornish Beam Engine House by 9 Usual Suspects Multi D2/T2
GCAAM10 By the steamtrain tracks bye e+l Traditional D1.5/T1.5
GCAAPCB Kyle’s Cache by Destructo405 Traditional D2/T2.5
GCAA66P Coedydd Beddgelert a Cheunant Aberglaslyn by The Magna Defender Earthcache D3/T3

Wheel of Challenge, Streak Star!

The Wheel of Challenge, ‘Out and About’, finished on Sunday 2nd July. There is no break as the next challenge, Streak Star! started on Monday 3rd July and finishes on Sunday 6th August. For this challenge it is all about how long you can keep a daily find streak going. There are 3 souvenirs available.

Easy Souvenir is awarded after completing a two day find streak.
Medium Souvenir is awarded after completing a seven day find streak.
Hard Souvenir is awarded after completing a twenty eight day streak.

We presume all cache types, events and Adventure Lab stages count as a find.

This souvenir is not connected to the leaderboard. Premium members can keep track of streaks statistics in the Geocaching® mobile app and also see detailed statistics including streaks on the website.

The next challenge will be announced on the 1st August.

Events Reviews & News

GCA5MYF CITO 2023 Season 1, Let’s Make Spaces for Wildlife by 9 Usual Suspects

Do you remember the seed bombs we made at this event? The above photos are from Ali showing her success including a bumble bee feeding on the borage flowers.

GCA9NXV 9 Usual Suspects – Nosh & Natter 58

All I can say is ‘All the best-laid plans of mice and men often go awry’……… When we put this event in for review the weather was fab. Sunday we checked with the chip shop who confirmed they would be open, luckily Jen also checked and tipped us off that they were going to be closed. Only one thing for it, dig out the BBQ! The morning weather looked very much against us, grey drizzle that by lunchtime had deteriorated to heavy rain and strong wind. But once again the weather god took pity on us and gave us a lovely sunny evening with some amazing cloud formations. Thank you to everyone for attending and making another memorable 9US event.

GCA8D3G Maker Magic: 9US Get Creative….. by 9 Usual Suspects

Custom Cache Display *Photo Andy, YnysMonBirders*

We spent most of the week leading up to this event looking at weather forecasts, Saturdays weather varied from dry & sunny to heavy rain & strong winds. We decided to go with just one tent, squeeze everything into the bar and covered area. A very BIG THANK YOU to Richard & Elaine for answering our call for help in setting up on Friday, especially their assistance in putting the tent up in the rain!

What a fun day it turned out to be with lots of geochat and the usual banter. The makers table and the 3D printing demonstrations proved very popular. After the BBQ it was not long before Mike started the games.

Knife throwing is definitely a new one for 9US! The bar stayed open till late………. amazingly there was not too many headaches Sunday morning!

I must apologise to everyone who wasted there time looking for the 2 caches that had gone missing before they were published. I will try and get them replaced this week.

We would like to Thank everyone for sharing their original caches, can’t wait for Bess’s Friends cleverly constructed caches to go ‘live’, all the contributions of food and drink, the team of washer uppers and everyone who supported us by buying raffle tickets. Lastly Thank everyone for attending without your support there would be no events.

Other Bits

I apologise for the event to Ballast Island not happening, we hope to reschedule later in the year.

A date for your diary, our Halloween Party will be Friday 3rd November from 6pm until the last person leaves.

News & New Caches 93

Just 3 new earthcaches have been published since our last post:

Premium Member Only
GCAA1JW Syncline or Anticline? by The Magna Defender Earthcache D3.5/T3.5
GCAA1GE Go With the Flow. by The Magna Defender Earthcache D2.5/T1.5
GCAA66R Criccieth Castle Columns by The Magna Defender Earthcache D2/T2.5

Event Reminders

GCA9NXV 9 Usual Suspects – Nosh & Natter 58 by 9 Usual Suspects

When: Wednesday 28th June
Where: Car Park Dinas Dinlle
Time: 6.30pm to 8.30pm or when the last person leaves

For this months N&N we are doing something a little bit different by holding the event outside on the picnic benches at Dinas Dinlle. Either bring your own picnic or grab fish and chips from the highly recommended Surfer Chippy. (We have confirmed that they will be open.)

Let’s hope for a lovely sunny warm evening!

Please note the earlier start time of 6.30pm

Maker Magic

GCA8D3G Maker Magic: 9US Get Creative…..

Where: Plas Gwernoer, Nantlle. LL54 6BB
When: 1st July 2023
Time: 2.00pm-6pm (the bar will remain open until the last person leaves!)

We are planning another fun afternoon of creativity with plenty of laughs and geochat.

Pete will be running a 3D printing workshop with the usual demonstrations plus taking a look at the advantages and disadvantages of 3D printed containers. In the makers area there will be a wide variety of materials, tools and containers for you to make unique geocaches. Help will be at hand if required. Need some inspiration? Then take a look at the large display of hand crafted containers on display.

As part of the event we will be running a competition for favourite custom local geocaches giving everyone a chance to vote for the winner. Please nominate your chosen caches in your ‘will attend’ logs remembering to quote GC code.

All refreshments are free, with coffee, tea and soft drinks available on a ‘self service’ basis through out the event, later in the day the bar will be open and we will be lighting the BBQ. To help us with planning and catering for the day please could you log ‘will attends’ in advance, include number of persons that will be attending and your nomination for local favourite caches.

We have very basic camping available and space for the odd caravan/motorhome, please message us for details.

Please note we are a working small holding and do have chickens, geese and sheep so no unruly dogs!

As part of our weekend of Maker Magic Celebrations there will be a few new caches going live at 6pm Friday evening………. all with interesting containers.

News & New Caches 92

There are no new caches or Adventure Labs to report since our last post, but we are working on a new series……..

Queen Vic’s Pillar Resurrected Again

GC52GYT QUEEN VIC’S PILLAR RESURRECTED (WBMC 13) by signyred D5/T5

Last Sunday saw this missing cache on the Nantlle ridge replaced. It’s in sight of our house yet I have never found it and I have visited the obelisk many times. Does anyone fancy going as a group and maybe an event here? Please let us know your thoughts through the comments.

The Solstice Souvenir

On June 21, 2023, the Northern Hemisphere will experience the height of summer and the “longest” day of the year, while the very same day will bring the depth of winter to the Southern Hemisphere and the “shortest” day of the year.

In celebration of the June solstice, Geocaching HQ created a souvenir for geocachers. To earn this special souvenir, geocachers must find a total of 21 geocaches, Event Caches, and/or Adventure Lab® Locations between June 18–24, 2023.

Virtual Rewards 4.0

Geocache Arten: Welche Cache Typen gibt es beim Geocaching?

Geocaching HQ has announced Virtual Rewards 4.0, giving another 4,000 lucky cache owners a chance to own a virtual cache.

Unlike prior Virtual Rewards, there’s no need to opt in or apply. Geocachers who meet the following criteria will automatically be eligible for selection on January 17, 2024.

You must have a non-Event geocache published in 2023 that has earned at least 4 Favorite points by December 31, 2023.
You must have created your geocaching account before June 13, 2023.
Prior Virtual Reward recipients are eligible to participate.
Players who opted-in for Virtual Reward 2.0 and 3.0, but did not receive a Virtual Cache will have a higher likelihood to receive a Virtual Reward 4.0

On January 17, 2024, Geocaching HQ will randomly select up to 4,000 eligible geocachers, with geographic distribution, to receive one Virtual Cache. Recipients will have one year to create their Virtual Cache page and submit it for review (January 17, 2024–January 17, 2025). The caches must comply with Virtual Cache-specific guidelines.

All geocaching community volunteers (reviewers, moderators, and translators) who qualify will receive a Virtual Reward as thanks for giving their time to support the geocaching community.

News & New Caches 91

Several caches and an event to report since our last post, plenty to keep you busy over the weekend.

GCA9BRM Choo Choo! Off to the lake we go! by CheesyPasta Traditional D1.5/T1.5
GCA9BPC Bondys trail #2 by CheesyPasta Traditional D1.5/T2.5
GCA9GND The Sunken Gardens by Glaslyn1 Traditional D2/T2
GCA9BT2 Pandy Hill by CheesyPasta Traditional Traditional D1.5/T1.5

Premium Member Only

GCA9KNY Bath House Ruins View by Qniu25 Traditional D2/T2.5

Event

GCA9NXV 9 Usual Suspects – Nosh & Natter 58 by 9 Usual Suspects

When: Wednesday 28th June
Where: Car Park Dinas Dinlle
Time: 6.30pm to 8.30pm or when the last person leaves

Please note the earlier start time of 6.30pm

Wheel of Challenge, Out and About

Monday saw the start of ‘Out and About’ the latest souvenir challenge, there are three new souvenirs for easy, medium, or hard levels of the challenge. The more days you find a cache the more souvenirs you will earn. As in previous challenges all types of cache count and remember Adventure Lab stages count as a cache, maybe worth doing each stage on a different day……….

Earn the easy souvenir for this month by logging a find on five different days.
Earn the medium souvenir for this month by logging a find on ten different days.
Earn the hard souvenir for this month by logging a find on 20 different days.

The next challenge will be announced on Tuesday 27th June.

News & New Caches 90

There have been no new caches or Adventure Labs published since our last post.

This event is out of our area but as Suli is a regular attendee at our events we feel it deserves to be mentioned here. Shame it is on a Monday evening.

GCA9BR5 A Ten Year Celebration with the Hitman (2013-2023) by Hitman D1/T1

9 Usual Suspects Re-visit Ynys Enlli

GCA5EAK 9 Usual Suspects Re-visit Ynys Enlli Event by 9 Usual Suspects

Firstly we would like to Thank everyone who attended and making another fun 9US adventure.

After a week of very good weather and a good forecast for the weekend we were shocked when Pete picked up the message to confirm our sailing that there was some doubt in it taking place. There was high winds forecast for the afternoon, the 9.30 crossing was going ahead as planned but we had to call back at 8am when a more accurate assessment of the weather could be made. With FfiLli travelling on the 9.30 boat the event would have at least one attendee! At 8.02am we gathered around Petes phone to hear that we were in luck the boat was sailing as planned but to be prepared for ‘very wet crossings’.

The weather made for some ‘interesting’ crossings, especially the return journey where I think we all got very wet apart from Captain Colin and Bryan who managed to secure the only dry standing spot on the boat!

The highlight of the outward journey was getting close to the puffins, guillemots and other sea birds. On our arrival we headed to the cafe to set up the event, here we found the other 3 attendees who had arrived on the earlier boats enjoying the offerings of the cafe. During our four hour stay there was lots of comings and goings from our base at the cafe as everyone called in for refreshments as they explored the island, found the Ad Labs and caches. The breezy sunshine ensured we all dried very quickly.

For our return journey the breeze had developed into quite a strong wind making for some choppy seas and lots of spray soaking us all. Once in the shelter of the mainland the sea calmed and the boat stopped bouncing as the waves subsided. On our way out we had all commented on the large sea cave not ever expecting to get close let alone enter, but now on flat water, in we went. Amazing rock formations and such clear water, what a treat!

After thanking and paying Captain Colin we all headed up the hill to the carpark before finishing the cake and heading home. Just a fabulous day out.

Souvenir Challenges

Mays Wheel of Challenges finishes on Monday June 4th, so there is only a few days left to gain the 1,000 points to earn both souvenirs.

Junes Wheel of Challenges starts on Monday 5th June and runs until Sunday 2nd July. This challenge is all about seeing how many days you can get outside and find a geocache. There are three new souvenirs for easy, medium, or hard levels of the challenge.

Earn the easy souvenir for this month by logging a find on five different days. Earn the medium souvenir for this month by logging a find on ten different days. Earn the hard souvenir for this month by logging a find on 20 different days.

News & New Caches 89

Just one new traditional cache and couple of event reminders/updates.

GCA8Y30 Passing by the barrier by MagpieNorthWales Traditional D1/T1

Event Reminders

GCA5EAK 9 Usual Suspects Re-visit Ynys Enlli Event
When: Sunday 28th May 2023
Time: 12pm-4pm
Where: Café Tŷ Pellaf Farm, Ynys Enlli
I have just looked at the weather forecast, it looks perfect, so we are very confident there will be no problems with our ferry crossings. We will put an ‘announcement’ on the event page just to confirm our sailing. Don’t forget cameras, sunscreen and hats! See you Sunday.

GCA8D9R 9 Usual Suspects – Nosh & Natter 57 by 9 Usual Suspects
When: Wednesday 31st May
Where: Anglesey Arms, Harbour Front, Caernarfon LL55 1SG
Time: 7pm to 9pm or when the last person leaves
For this months N&N we are back at the Anglesey Arms, lets hope for a lovely sunset!

Postponed Event

We are postponing our visit to Coed y Brenin as several of the caches are missing and we are not sure when they are to be replaced. As soon as the series is back up and running we will reschedule.

Springwatch 2023 is Local

The BBC’s Springwatch returns to our screens on Monday 29th at 7.30pm and will continue at 8pm from Tuesday 30th May until Thursday 15th June. This year our local wildlife will be featured in two live broadcasts from Gwaith Powdwr Nature Reserve on the 30th and 31st May and Cemlyn Nature Reserve on the 13th June. Plus there will be daily features from wild places around North Wales. If you miss any episodes the series will be available on iPlayer after the live broadcasts.

News & New Caches 88

Just 3 new caches, all around Llangefni, Anglesey, since our last post.

GCA8TE6 Bondys trail by CheesyPasta Traditional D1/T1.5
GCA8VP2 Around the bend by Cheesypasta Traditional D1.5/T1.5
GCA8W2Y If you go down to the woods today…! by Cheesypasta Traditional D1.5/T1.5

Ynys Enlli/Bardsey Island Event Info

GCA5EAK 9 Usual Suspects Re-visit Ynys Enlli Event

The ferry being launched recently.

We had not expected this event to be nearly as popular, we have attendees arriving on 3 different ferry sailings!

As there is little or no phone signal on the island, Pete and I have opened the adventure lab stages enabling access to the questions. For anyone travelling with us on the 11.30am ferry we will give a printed copy of the questions and the above map. The answers can then be logged on your return to the mainland where hopefully we will all get a good phone signal.

Trips are dependent on good weather so please be aware that our crossing may be subject to cancellation at very short notice. Sailings are confirmed around 6.30pm on the evening prior to departure. Once we have confirmation of our sailing is going ahead we will make an announcement on the cache page.

Bearing this in mind payment is made on the day in cash, therefore no deposits are needed.
Fares: Adult £45.00 Child £25.00

Please allow plenty of time for your journey, it is further than you think and if you get stuck behind slow moving traffic there is little chance of over taking on the narrow bendy lanes.

The parking is in the National Trust car park, a small field, N 52° 47.941 W 004° 43.915, Sat Nav LL53 8DA, Grid Ref SH163255, from here there is a 10 minute walk to Porth Meudwy along a rough fisherman’s track. There is no parking at point of departure.

You are advised to wear waterproofs for the crossing. Life jackets are mandatory and will be issued before departure.

There is a café at Tŷ Pellaf farm, run by the Roberts family, which serves a limited variety of drinks, ice cream, snacks and homemade cakes. It is advisable to bring your own basic supplies as the café can sometimes run low on cake!

Dogs are not permitted to visit the island.

The Bardsey Island Trust does not permit the flying of private drones anywhere on the island.

Lastly, don’t forget your camera and binoculars!

A Little Bit of History

Porth Meudwy, meaning ‘hermit’s cove’, is the traditional landing place for boats from Ynys Enlli.

In medieval times the abbey on the Ynys Enlli had many lands and privileges on the mainland. A Court and Exchequer was established at Cwrt, giving the farm its name, where legal and administrative duties were conducted. It is said that the abbott would declare the sentences of those who had been on trial whilst standing on the large stone in the farm courtyard. Records show that hangings took place on the farm, and one of the fields is called Bryn Crogbren, meaning ‘gallows hill’.

Before your visit we recommend taking a look at Bardsey.org for a fascinating look at the Islands history, wildlife and general points of interest.

News & New Caches 87

Just one new cache and a couple of events to report since our last post.

GCA8FE7 Quiet time! by CheesyPasta Traditional D1/T1.5

GCA8D9R 9 Usual Suspects – Nosh & Natter 57 by 9 Usual Suspects
For this months N&N we are back at the Anglesey Arms, lets hope for a lovely sunset!

When: Wednesday 31st May
Where: Anglesey Arms, Harbour Front, Caernarfon LL55 1SG
Time: 7pm to 9pm or when the last person leaves

Magic Maker Souvenir Event

To celebrate custom made geocaches HQ are awarding the Magic Maker Souvenir for anyone that attends or hosts a Magic Maker Event between June 13th to July 3rd 2023. We are please to announce our event has been approved. As part of the event we will be running a competition for favourite custom local geocaches giving everyone a chance to vote for the winner. Please nominate your chosen caches in your ‘will attend’ logs remembering to quote GC code.

GCA8D3G Maker Magic: 9US Get Creative…..

Where: Plas Gwernoer, Nantlle. LL54 6BB
When: 1st July 2023
Time: 2.00pm-6pm (the bar will remain open until the last person leaves!)

North Wales Wildlife Trust

Looking for some inspiration for a wildlife garden? North Wales Wildlife Trust are holding an open day giving everyone the opportunity to explore their wildlife garden in Bangor. Advice from experienced wildlife gardeners will be available all morning. Free, no booking required but please sign in at the office.

When: Monday 15th May
Time: 10:00 – 13:00
Where: Llys Garth, Garth Road, Bangor

News & New Caches 86

We have just one new event for July and an event reminder to report since our last post.

GCA7B67 The Chens on Tour 2023 – Llandanwg by the Chens
When: Saturday 15th July
Where: Y Maes Caffi, Beach Car Park, Llandanwg LL46 2SD
Time: 11-11.30am

The Chens are a couple from Devizes, Wiltshire, and will be touring around Wales in their caravan. They would love to meet up with local and not so local geocachers while staying in LLandanwg.

Event Reminder

Just a quick reminder its N&N tomorrow night.

GCA72GP 9 Usual Suspects – Nosh & Natter 56 by 9 Usual Suspects
When: Wednesday 26th April 2023
Where: Parc Snowdonia, Waunfawr, Caernarfon, Gwynedd LL55 4AQ
Time: 7pm to 9pm or when the last person leaves

Hope to see you there…….

Souvenir Challenges

Wheel of Challenges

Aprils Wheel of Challenges finishes on April 30th, there are only a few days left to reach the maximum cache find score of a 100 to qualify for all 3 souvenirs.
Are you ready to start the next challenge which starts on May 1st?

Mays Wheel of Challenges starts on May 1st and runs to June 4th, there are just 2 souvenirs to earn, easy and hard. To earn the easy souvenir you must earn 100 points, to earn the hard souvenir you must reach 1000 points. To help you keep track of your current point total it will be shown on your leaderboard. Here are this months point values :

Found a cache with 10+ Favorite points	20
Received a Favorite point on an owned geocache	50
Found it*	10

*Log a Found it on any cache type including Adventure Lab® Locations

Blue Switch Day 2023

Prior to 2000, the U.S. military created and deployed satellites to produce accurate location information for military applications. Selective Availability restricted precise GPS data to the U.S. government. On May 2nd, 2000, the U.S. government “flipped the switch” and made accurate GPS available to all. The very next day, May 3rd, the first geocache was hidden.

Earn the Blue Switch Day 2023 souvenir by finding a geocache, Adventure Lab® Location, or by attending an Event between May 1st–3rd.

Time	Type	Height
05:35	low	0.12m
11:08	high	5.45m
17:50	low	0.35m
23:20	high	5.85m

Tag: Gwynedd