Return to the Nord
In July of 2018, we made our way back across the Channel for another GeoNord Mega Event (GC71DDD), this time held in the coastal city of Dunkirk. As with the year before, the crew consisted of Happy Hunter HP20 and Daughterus Minimus — dependable caching companions and reliable snack consumers. It was a warm, whirlwind weekend of caching with and a little history thrown in for good measure.
A Place to Stay
Our base for the weekend was the Ibis Budget Dunkerque Grand Synthe. Not exactly boutique, but it ticked all the boxes. It was clean, affordable, and located conveniently for both the Mega and the motorways. A little out of the way, but with parking space, decent showers, and no surprises, it made for an ideal caching HQ.
Getting There
We once again made use of the Channel Tunnel, making for a smooth and familiar crossing into France. From Calais it was a straight shot along the A16 to Dunkirk — no drama, just tarmac and tunes. We travelled early on a Friday, which allowed a nearly full day of caching before heading to the hotel.
The Caches
Friday afternoon was spent exploring the fort at Coudekerque-Branche — a quietly impressive spot with winding paths, shaded corners, and just enough overgrown terrain to make things interesting. The caches were well-placed and nicely varied. It was nearly a disaster though, because I somehow managed to delete all the caches from my GPS, and then also realised that I hadn’t brought with me a cable to connect it to the laptop.
Saturday was the main event. The GeoNord site had a good atmosphere as always. It was busy with cachers and packed with lab caches. After a few hours at the event, we changed pace and took a trip inland to Lille. HHHP20 was on a mission to do lots of different cache types in one day outside home country. Lille was the only place we were going to make that. It happened to be Bastille Day, which meant it was busy, and also that the main car parking at the Bastille was closed.
Sunday was reserved for mileage and smileys. We worked our way along the Belgium–France border, ticking off a couple of neatly laid-out drive-by series. Classic back-road caching — quick stops, quiet lanes, and a GPS that barely had time to rest. It was a satisfying way to round off the weekend and fill in some map gaps before pointing the car home. It happened also to be the day of the World Cup Final, and France were playing. That meant that for most of the afternoon and evening the roads were very quiet.
Individual Posts
Here’s the day-by-day write-up of our caching-heavy long weekend to Dunkirk for the 2018 GeoNord Mega Event.
