News & New Caches 171

Again another very quiet week in North Wales for geocachers with no new caches or Adventure labs to report. Just an event reminder.

Event Reminder

Our first N&N of 2025 and we are back at Snowdonia Parc, Waunfawr.

GCB22EV 9 Usual Suspects – Nosh & Natter 74 by 9 Usual Suspects D1/T1
When: Thursday 30th January, 2025
Where: Parc Snowdonia, Waunfawr, Caernarfon, Gwynedd LL55 4AQ
Time: 7pm to 9pm or when the last person leaves

New Locationless Cache for 2025

GCA2025 Where’s 25? – Locationless Cache by Geocaching HQ D1/T1.5

As part of Geocachings 25th anniversary celebrations HQ have published this Locationless cache. The cache will be available to log throughout 2025 by posting a picture of a ’25’ found somewhere in the real world.

Here are the logging requirements:

Include one (1) photo of yourself or a personal item next to an already-existing 25. Ideally, the 25 should be something that others may visit if they know the location coordinates.
The 25 can stand on its own or not. It can be a numeral or spelled out. It can be in any language or ancient numbering systems. Get creative!
In the spirit of the original Locationless Caches, you are encouraged to include the coordinates where you found the 25 in your online log.

Logs that do not include a photo will be deleted. The cache page will be archived and locked on January 1st, 2026

2025 Cache Hiding Themes

Firstly we must apologise for being totally unaware that there was a ‘Cache Hiding Theme’ for every month in 2024.

By introducing themed caches Geocaching HQ aim to inspire geocachers to hide and find caches that showcase the creativity, innovation, and sense of adventure that make geocaching special.
The 2025 themes are:

Frogs January 28th – March 5th, 2025
Back to Nature March 26th – June 5th, 2025
Hidden Gems June 25th – September 5th, 2025
Blast from the Past (25 Years of Geocaching) October 1st – December 5th, 2025

Ways to participate:

Hide a frog-themed geocache between January 28th and March 5th, 2025. Nominate your cache by completing this form.
Find a frog-themed geocache between January 28th and March 5th, 2025. Nominate the cache you found by completing this form.
Share on Instagram: Post photos and tag @geocaching. Use the hashtag #GeoHT25 for a chance to be featured on our Instagram Stories.

Every three months Geocaching will feature geocaches from that quarter’s theme on the Geocaching Blog and their social media. As yet no souvenirs have been announced for taking part as either a hider or finder.

News & New Caches 169

Just 3 new events to report since our last post:

GCB23HF Boar on Tour Visits North Wales by severn_UK_Mega_2025 D1/T1.5
When: Friday 7th February, 2025
Where: The Palladium, 7 Gloddaeth Street, Llandudno LL30 2DD (Wetherspoons)
Time: 6.30pm to 8pm

GCB22FR 9US & Severn UK Mega Team present Ski Saturday by 9 Usual Suspects D1/T2
When: Saturday 8th February, 2025
Where: Plas Gwernoer, Nantlle LL54 6BB
Time: 2pm to 5pm or when the last person leaves

Piratemania UK 2025

GCB0V77 Piratemania 17 Sudeley Castle – SAILING WEST
When: 26th July, 2025
Where: Sudeley Castle, Winchcombe, Cheltenham GL54 5JD
Time: 10am to 10pm
Cost: £5 adult, £1 child Only payable for Day visitors

This year Piratemania is berthing somewhere in the 1,200 acre grounds of beautiful Sudeley Castle, a Grade 1 listed privately owned castle close to the medieval market town of Winchcombe.

The castle and gardens have featured in many films and is famous for being the home of Katherine Parr, the last and surviving wife of King Henry VIII. Her elaborate tomb can be seen in St Mary’s church in the castle grounds. A little know fact about Katherine is she was married 4 times, her 3rd marriage being to Henry, this is a record for a Queen of England.

Currently we are waiting for details for camping, an announcement is expected around Easter.

Is This The Best Geocaching Challenge Ever?

GCAJFR0 České pivo, České zlato! / Czech beer, Czech gold! by Seedcorp Virtual D5/T1

While planning a trip to Prague later in the year this cache came to my attention initially for the 5 difficulty rating. As most geocachers are aware many of 9US regular event attendees enjoy a pint of good beer. To claim this virtual cache 50 breweries/micro breweries have to be visited, a challenge we are excepting. The 50 breweries can be any where in the world, but must include the brewery at the cache page coordinates. Is this just an excuse for more P&P stops? Probably.
Join us on this quest and look out for forth coming events at our local breweries. Let’s start with this months N&N at Snowdonia Parc, Waunfawr, not just a pub but a microbrewery. Here is a link to the beers they brew Snowdonia Parc Real Ales

News & New Caches 168

Download Ai Generated, Happy New Year, 2025. Royalty-Free Stock Illustration Image - Pixabay

Happy New Year everyone!

Just a short post to start the New Year, we have just two new earthcaches published since our last post:

GCB1NX9 A Tale of Two Rock Types by Mr MagnaDefender Earthcache D2.5/T3.5
GCB1NXG Criccieth Coastal Engineering by Mr MagnaDefender Earthcache D1/T2

And our 2024 video:

Please like and subscribe to our YouTube chanel.

Let’s hope 2025 will be a great year for us all filled with lots of fun and many geocaching adventures.

HAPPY NEW YEAR

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

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)
In Charles Dickens’s A Christmas Carol, what was the first name of Scrooge?
Ebenezer
What colour are mistletoe berries?
White
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)
In Harry Potter and the Philosophers Stone what did the Dursleys give Harry for Christmas?
A 50p piece
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)
Elvis Presley isn’t going to have a White Christmas, he’s going to have a….?
Blue Christmas
According to the song, what did my true love give to me on the eleventh day of Christmas?
Eleven pipers piping
What fruit is used to make a Christingle?
Orange
Three of Santa’s reindeer’s names begin with the letter “D.” What are those names?
Dasher, Donner & Dancer
If you’re born on Christmas day, what’s your star sign?
Capricorn
What is glühwein?
A German version of mulled wine
When do the 12 days of Christmas start?
Christmas Day
What is the Grinch’s dog called?
Max
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 166

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

GCB11G4 War Memorial #2225 ~ Ysbyty Ifan by two nosy parkers Multi D1.5/T1.5

And just one bad cracker joke:
Why are Christmas trees no good at sewing?
Because they alway drop their needles!

9US Christmas Quiz

A little something to keep you entertained while waiting for the turkey to cook.

Which song includes the lyrics “They’ve got cars big as bars, They’ve got rivers of gold”?
In Charles Dickens’s A Christmas Carol, what was the first name of Scrooge?
What colour are mistletoe berries?
Which song includes the lyrics “It’s Christmas time, there’s no need to be afraid”?
In Harry Potter and the Philosophers Stone what did the Dursleys give Harry for Christmas?
Which single has been number 1 in the charts in 2023 & 2024, but only made number 2 when it was
released in 1984?
Elvis Presley isn’t going to have a White Christmas, he’s going to have a….?
According to the song, what did my true love give to me on the eleventh day of Christmas?
What fruit is used to make a Christingle?
Three of Santa’s reindeer’s names begin with the letter “D.” What are those names?
If you’re born on Christmas day, what’s your star sign?
What is glühwein?
When do the 12 days of Christmas start?
What is the Grinch’s dog called?
How many states in the US have a town called ‘Santa Claus’?

Answers in the next post…..

And Finally

We would like to wish everyone a very Happy Christmas/Nadolig Llawen

News & New Caches 164

We have one new cache to report and our new TB race.

GCB11JR Church Micro 15301…Ysbyty Ifan – St John’s by two nosy parkers Multi D1.5/T1.5

TB Race 2025

As part of 9US 10th anniversary celebrations we are having another TB race. There will be prizes for the furthest travelled, most countries visited and special prizes for any TB that makes it back to our New Years Eve 2025 event. To enter the race you do not have to attend our event at Caernarfon airport on New Years Day but you do have to dip the TB into the event as all distances are to be calculated from this events coordinates.

Race Rules
1) The race will last for one year, starting on 1st January 2025 and finishing on 31st December 2025.
2) The start will be from 9US event GCB16T1, 9 Usual Suspects TB Race Launch all TB’s to be dipped into this event.
3) The TB can be ‘dipped’ by the owner into another cache before it is to be released into the ‘wild’. No hanging on to it and bringing it to next year’s event!
4) A country is as defined by Geocaching.com.
5) TB’s distance to be recorded in KILOMETRES, not miles and start at zero!
6) There is no limit to how many TB’s you can enter.

Any questions contact us. Oh, The judges, Pete, decision is final!

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.

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!

News & New Caches 161

We have no new caches or events published in our area since our last post.

Event Reminders

GCB07G5 CITO 2024 Season 2 by 9 Usual Suspects D1/T3
When: Sunday 24th November
Where: The Old Bridge, Morfa Parc, Caernarfon
Time: 12pm -2pm
Haven’t already got your CITO 2024 Season 2 souvenir? Then come and join us for our 25th CITO event, a litter pick at our regular site in Caernarfon. This may be your last chance to acquire this souvenir as CITO 2024 Season 2 ends on November 30th.

As Storm Bert is set to hit us hard on Saturday we may cancel this event and just meet for a panad and cake. We will assess weather conditions Sunday morning and make an announcement through the cache page if we are canceling.

Christmas Dinner

GCAZ9WX Christmas Dinner – Nosh & Natter 73 by 9 Usual Suspects D1/T1
Where: Tafarn Yr Afr/Goat Inn, Glandwyfach, Porthmadog LL51 9LJ
When: Friday 29th November
Time: 7-9pm or when the last person leaves
Dress Code: Anything Christmas

Please note all food for this event has to be pre ordered

This is the final call for food orders, we need your choices today, either message us through our geocaching profile, your will attend logs or contact us through the comments.
The Christmas menu is available here.

New Souvenirs

We will be hosting events on both New Years Eve and New Years Day which we hope to have published by our next post.

Llangollen Canal Trip

To answer a few questions that have arisen from our last post. We will be starting at Trevor travelling to Llangollen, it takes just over 2 hours to reach the turnaround point. See map below:

At the moment we have no confirmed dates, we are just gaging interest as we are trying to plan our event calendar for 2025. There are 10 places on a boat, if enough interest we will try to book 2 boats. Boats get booked up along time in advance for weekend hires, so we need to book early to book two boats. Unless we can get a very good deal, current proposed dates are Saturday 22nd or 29th March 2025. Cost will be around £18-£20 per person. Dogs are allowed. Boat hire times are from 9am – 4pm so we would be meeting up around 8.45am at Anglo Welsh boat yard.

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.

There are very few geocaches currently along the canal but we will make every effort to pick any up as we pass.

News & New Caches 160

Just two new caches since our last post:

GCB0B8M War Memorial #2221 ~ Capel Curig by 9 Usual Suspects Traditional D1.5/T1.5

GCB0DGR Mawddach Meander – Iron Bridge by CazzaB80 Traditional D2/T2
An addition to the existing Mawddach Meander series. The series follows the Mawddach river along a cycle path through stunning scenery from Dolgellau to Barmouth. We can highly recommend this series for both cyclists and walkers.

Christmas Dinner Reminder

This is the final call for food orders, we need your choices by 22nd November, either message us through our geocaching profile, your will attend logs or contact us through the comments.
The Christmas menu is available here.

Village Hall Series

There are village halls situated across every county in the United Kingdom and The British Isles. They are at the heart of community life, providing a hub for social activities, classes and services. Village halls are typically used for a variety of public and private functions and events.

The Village Hall Series started in 2013 with the first cache placed by GeoJaxx in Denmead, Hampshire. It has steadily grown in popularity and currently can be found in 78 counties in England, Scotland, Wales, The Channel Islands and the Isle of Man.
For more information about the series visit Village Hall Series

Village Hall Series Profile Badges
Since October 2024 Village Hall Profile Awards are now auto-updating. There are 15 levels available for finders and hiders.

Awards are available in large grid or slimline versions for both finders (in red) or hiders (in yellow)
Large grid style – shows all achieved levels in colour and those you are working towards in grey.
Slimline version – shows only the level you are currently on.
To generate your profile badge visit Village Hall Series Award Badges and fill your details in the simple form and follow the instructions.

Llangollen Canal Boat Trip

Is anyone interested in another boat trip on the Llangollen Canal heading this time into Llangollen?

News & New Caches 159

Two new events have been published since our last post:

GCB03DF Caernarfon yn Rhagfyr (Caernarfon in December) by FfiLli and Blueteddy
When: Monday 2nd December 2024
Where: Tafarn y Porth, 9 Eastgate Street, Caernarfon LL55 1AG (Wetherspoons)
Time: 6pm to 8pm
Two Hampshire cachers are visiting Caernarfon and would like to meet up with local cachers to discuss our fascinating hobby.

Free Public Transport

Do you have a Welsh Concessionary Travel Pass? Did you know you can travel free on some trains in Wales?
You can travel for free between:

Wrexham – Hawarden Bridge (Borderlands Line)
Machynlleth – Pwllheli (Cambrian Coast line) – October to March only
Llandudno – Blaenau Ffestiniog (Conwy Valley line)
Shrewsbury and Llanelli/Swansea (Heart of Wales Line) – October to March only

You’ll need to get a free ticket from the ticket office before you travel. If there is no ticket office or if it’s closed, you can get one from the Conductor on the train.

We can highly recommend a trip on the Cambrian Coast line, we recently travelled from Porthmadog to Machynlleth. The line was completed by 1869, an incredible feat of Victorian engineering following beautiful coastline for most of the journey. The railway line is pretty dramatic; in places it clings to high cliffs and burrows through tunnels hewn from the rock.

Machynlleth is a very pretty town full of character with many independent shops, lots of cafes and restaurants, well worth a visit.

For the geocacher there are currently the following caches and Ad Lab:
GCA1D24 A year at Kew visiting Machynlleth by LizMar2010 Multi D2/T1.5
GCAR3R6 War Memorial #2091 – Machynlleth by MrMagnaDefender Earthcache D4.5/T1
GCAR3QE Machynlleth Clock Tower by MrMagnaDefender Earthcache D2/T1.5
Ad Lab Machynlleth- Ancient Capital of Wales created by Oldquincepie

Here are a few photos from our day out: