After seeing Elaine at Fun As A Gran talking about her family having a fab time geocaching, I decided to go and have another look online. The idea really appeals to me but, the last time I looked a few years ago, there were hardly any caches in France and certainly none near us. It has really taken off though because there were absolutely loads around us this time so I signed us up and we headed off on our first ever geocaching adventure today. We don't have a handheld GPS or a smartphone so I just noted down the instructions and looked up the locations on google maps before setting off. Our first cache site was located at one of the war memorials in Dunkirk.
The hints had said that we had to find a cosy place for a baby bird so we were delighted to finally spot this after walking around the statue twice !
Pierre's face was a real picture when he got to discover the first treasure !
I think I was just as excited as the kids to be honest !
We proudly filled in the log (and I'll go and add it online in a minute).
There was a tiny magnet in the box so we took that and left a heart-shaped keyring in its place. The kids had scurried around the house looking for little treasures to leave before we left ! We popped it back in its place and headed off for our second cache.
This bridge was the next site and I was convinced it would be on or around the big wooden chair that you can just spot on the right bank.
As we wandered across the bridge, we spotted a few engraved padlocks that had been attached - this one was our favourite : a double heart-shaped padlock with Marcus & Sophie forever inscribed on it.
There were quite a few people sitting around on the chair so we headed just to the side, along towards the bank of the canal. I spotted a sign and had a quick look - bingo !
Now this one had a logbook but no surprises inside - awww maybe someone not playing the game properly? - but we put one of our little toys inside anyway. We filled in the log book again and popped it back in its place.
We went looking for another one at the statue of Jean Bart in the main town square but didn't manage to find it. This was in the middle of a busy market though so we'll come back another day when it's quieter. And we failed to find the fourth one too but it's next to the theatre which has been totally renovated so I think the cache markers may be non-existent now or have moved.
We'll definitely be having another go though - it was great fun ! I'm already looking into buying a handheld GPS to make things easier !
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Looks fun. I am going to see if we can find any at the weekend, will be a great walk for the dog
ReplyDeleteI'd love to hear how you get on :)
DeleteI am glad you enjoyed your hunting, and thank you for the mention. It does become very very addictive, we have been out 5 or 6 times this month. It eats up my phone data right enough but worth it. Look forward to hearing how you get on next time with a handheld tracker
ReplyDeleteIt's a fabulous family hobby :)
Deletethanks for linking up
DeleteThis looks like so much fun, I've often wondered about how it works must look into doing it here in our area. #countrykids
ReplyDeletegeocaching.com is a great place to start, sign up for free and search your location to find nearby caches with hints to help you find them
DeleteI've actually just been googling geochaches in our locality, I think we might have a go at one tomorrow (never done one before). Lovely photograph of the bridge, it looks beautiful.
ReplyDeleteNipping over from Country Kids.
ooh let us know how you get on :)
DeleteI think Elaine is inspiring quite a few of us with her geocaching fun. I love the story behind each find here. Disappointing to find one with no treasure but atleast it has not put you off. Thank you for sharing on Country Kids
ReplyDeleteLooking to seeing everyone's geocaching adventures :)
DeleteI am always planning on doing this but i kept on forgetting to tell husband. I just did now and were planning on going next week. excited me! #countrykids
ReplyDeleteooh excellent, have fun !
DeleteI've always wondered about Geo Caching - this looks like fun and I'm going to have to see if we have any locally.
ReplyDeleteLovely post, we did our first bit of geocaching last week, so much fun and I love being able to swap things in the geocaches!! x
ReplyDeleteit's great fun for the kids when you find things :)
DeleteOur family have been doing geocaching for just over a month now and we all enjoy the experience of searching for the cache. My sons face is priceless too when he is rummaging around in the bigger caches to see what he can swap. Some of the smaller caches don't have toys just a log book which is why it is always more exciting when you are looking for a larger cache with the possibility of travel bugs or geocoins inside. It is nice to be able to help them in their journey and to see where they have traveled from. I enjoyed reading your blog entry as I can feel in your words a kindred obsession with this sport and that you get just as excited as I do. I hope that you continue to enjoy geocaching as much as we do with your family x
ReplyDeleteI hadn't read this post for a while - it's funny because we've been back to the theatre one and found it since then, having bought a GPS ! It's a fbulous hobby and we've been on some great adventures, always looking for the next one ! :)
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