Nord Bound
In June of 2017, I set off for a long weekend in France to attend the GeoNord 2017 Mega Event (GC69XKT), based in the historic town of Saint-Omer. Joining me for the adventure were Happy Hunter HP20 and Daughterus Minimus. With the car loaded and the GPS primed, we crossed the Channel in search of caches, crêpes and beer. It was a caching-focused trip from start to finish. Short, sharp, and full of smilies.
A Place to Stay
Accommodation was the tried-and-tested Ibis Budget Saint Omer. No frills, but solid on the essentials — clean bed, hot shower, and just enough room. It was close enough to town for convenience, and also close enough to the event site (on the airfield) to be no trouble. Budget-friendly and no nonsense, it did exactly what it said on the tin.
Getting There
We travelled via the Channel Tunnel, which meant a quick and easy hop into continental Europe. From Calais it was a straightforward drive down to Saint-Omer on smooth roads. We drove straight there from Calais as it was late on Friday evening.
The Caches
Saturday was all about the GeoNord event. We hit the main event first. It was busy and there was a good selection of stalls, activities and lab caches to be going at. Afterward, we explored a nearby series of Letterbox caches, which offered a creative mix of clues, ink pads, and clever placements that kept us guessing.
Sunday began with an early morning event at La Coupole — the striking former V2 launch site now turned museum. Haunting history, solid hides, and a great backdrop for chatting with other cachers before heading off for a final round of finds. It gave the trip a slightly different tone, but one that stuck with us on the drive home.
Extras
It was a caching weekend, so apart from dinner and a few beers, there wasn’t really anything else we did.
Individual Posts
Here are the individual posts from our weekend at GeoNord in 2017.
