Geocaching - a Modern Day Treasure Hunt!

Are you looking for a cheap activity to entertain the kids this holiday?  Then why not try Geocaching?

Some of you may never have heard of geocaching before but once you try it, I'm sure you'll agree, it's something that you and all the family will enjoy doing together.  The game is played by millions, with caches hidden all over the world.  And there’s a good chance there’s a geocache hidden somewhere that you pass by everyday!!

It’s a kind of treasure hunt played with a Global Positioning Device (GPS) - (you can also get an app for your smartphone) using clues and GPS coordinates from sites like geocaching.com, to find stashes that have been hidden by other participants. Often they choose locations of particular interest, maybe it has a beautiful view to offer or is of historical importance. Once the GPS gets you close, the search begins, looking for containers like plastic boxes and film canisters that are carefully hidden. These found objects contain a log of all the people who’ve discovered them, and many also hold trinkets to exchange. Geocachers are expected to either leave the contents of the cache or trade items in it with something of similar or higher value, before returning the cache to its original hiding place

Try zooming in/out on the map to see if there is one near you! -  I bet you didn't realise there were so many!!

Here you can find the co-ordinates to all those hidden in Donegal

For more information on the activity/sport and how to get started:

www.geocaching.com/guide/default.aspx

www.geocachingireland.com

www.geocaching.com

For an alternative type of hunting that doesn't require a GPS, check out our article on Letterboxing.

Let us know how you get on with your own treasure hunt!