Countdown to the Geolympix! 10am Sunday July 22nd 2012

[Simply Paul]

Exactly a year from the posting of this topic - 10am Sunday July 22nd 2012 - the GEOLYMPIX event will open in Oxford Town Hall, Oxford, UK. As the hub event for a Summer Festival of Caching in the area, it's being promoted as an International Celebration of Geocaching. Features include:

• Convenient central location
• Historic venue and surroundings
• Full programme of supporting events including CITO and Camping
• Caching challenges, competitions and awards
• GeoKid and GeoDog friendly
• Sales stands and organisations
• Geocoins, games, talks, debates and more
• All profits to charity

Challenges will include:

• 26-mile, 5-ring caching route (being set by Lord of the Cachers, no less!)
• Unique traffic-free cycle series
• Boating and other Geolympix caches
• 11 Icons in 11 Hours challenge
• Complete your D/T Grid locally
• Win the Cache of Dreams

The official launch party is being held on July 29th this year - a couple of days before the Welsh Mega, just 1.1 miles down the coast. The Geolympix team will be at both events to explain what we have in store for visitors. It'd be great to see you there and at the GEOLYMPIX itself!

Much more information at Geolympix.com
Follow Geolympix on Twitter: @Geolympix

Geolympix : Be Outstanding in the Field!

[Simply Paul]

August update: To help us reach a wider international audience - a key intention - we want to add pages of basic information to the Geolympix web site in Welsh, Gaelic, French, German, Dutch, Spanish, Portuguese, Polish, Greek, Turkish, Russian, Hungarian, Czech, Catalan, Swedish, Danish, Finnish, Italian, Arabic, Chinese (Putonghua/Guoyu/Huayu/Mandarin and Cantonese), Japanese, etc. If anyone can help please email me through my profile or contact the team via the site. We've German, Dutch and Russian covered so far. Still looking for help with the others though. Anyone know any Welsh-speaking forum users who'd be able to help?

The event has now been offered up for review (we've taken well over 200 pre-registrations already and it's less than a year away) and The Geolympix website is being updated with photos from Mega Wales, links to local caches set in every month since January 2001 - for Caching Calendar fillers - a bit about Mega Piratemania and other news...

Our main news is there will be an 'international road-show' series of events counting down to the Geolympix. The first is GC30Y6J - Countdown to the Geolympix #11 - Oxford. This is being held in the venue where we first proposed the Geolympix concept to Jeremy Irish. September's event is being planned for Southampton, October will be in Berlin and November's set for New York. The Geolympix is intended to be an international event so needs to be promoted internationally. The good news is the trips aren't being paid for from Geolympix funds; they're being arranged around other travel plans. We intend to cover the length and breadth of the UK so anyone who didn't make it to our launch event or Mega Wales in Swansea last week can still get a freebie and some more information about the programme of events being put together.

[Simply Paul]

Bump!

We're always keen to hear feedback on our plans. The addition of the 'fill your Cache Year/Month Set grid' Geolympix Challenege came from a comment we received. So if you have any suggestions, please let us know.

A reminder about tonight's event in Oxford too: Countdown to the Geolympix #11 - Oxford, where we'll be talking about some of the new Geolympix features and unveiling details of the first Geolympix side event: GC32000 (not yet reviewed).

The Geolympix: Be Outstanding in the Field!

[Simply Paul]

Latest Update:

The next Countdown to the Geolympix event will be in Berlin on September the 29th - location TBC. This replaces the Southampton meet due to transport issues for metal bijou. Don't worry, we'll get back to the south coast some other time between October and July next year.

The Geolympix website has been updated with, amongst other things, news of Geolympix T-shirts, baseball caps, mugs and bags - but most importantly - the lanyards which are due shortly.

Click for a larger image.

Ideal for hanging your GPS, PDA, mobile phone or compact camera from your neck to keep it safe but accessible, they'll also help turn the Geolympix Geocoins into unique wearable trackables!

Width: 20mm. Length: 450mm. Safety break: On the side to avoid 'neck-chaffing'. Connection: 'Mobile-phone' style loop. Construction: Durable Nylon with metal split-ring.

Prices:
£1 each, or
£10 for 11 (10 to sell on at £1 each plus one for your trouble), or
£100 for 111 (10 packs of 11 to sell on at £10 each, plus one for your trouble)

Another exciting development is an early draft of our Geolympix Geocoin design, which was unveiled on the site last night.

Click for a larger image.

The final design hasn't been confirmed - for example, the bronze finish may be too dark to use translucent enamel on it - but these should give an idea of the direction we've gone in. The Geolympix Geocoins will be available in a choice of Gold, Silver and Bronze finishes, all with a Geolympix icon and trackable on Geocaching.com. Features include a pre-drilled hole as a part of the design, meaning they can be worn as a 'wearable trackable' (perfect for use with a Geolympix Lanyard) and large, clear tracking number. A high-quality, hefty 6cm diameter coin - with a unique feature around the edge to be announced! Click on an image, above, to see a larger version of it.

The Geolympix: Be Outstanding in the Field!

[Sven]

Anyone know a local cheap hotel?

[Simply Paul]

Book ahead with Travelodge for a room around £10-£19. Almost cheaper than you can camp in high season. There's also a Holiday Inn Express and a Premier Inn. We'll be adding links to the site shortly.

[Simply Paul]

The Geolympix Lanyards are now in stock! Ideal for hanging your GPS, PDA, mobile phone or compact camera from your neck to keep it safe but accessible, they'll also help turn the Geolympix Geocoins into wearable trackables. Practical, stylish and hard-wearing, they make excellent gifts, swap items (trading value: £1. Trade up or trade even!) and useful additions to any cacher's equipment list.

Width: 20mm. Length: 450mm. Safety break: On the side to avoid 'neck-chaffing'.
Connection: 'Mobile-phone' style loop. Construction: Durable Nylon with metal split-ring.

Updated prices (due to how they arrived packaged):
£1 each, or
£20 for 21 (20 to sell on at £1 each plus one for your trouble), or
£100 for 106 (5 packs of 21 to sell on at £20 each, plus one for your trouble)

In other news, GC33BY1 - Countdown to the Geolympix #10 - Berlin has been approved for Thursday September 29th at Restaurant Scheune, Eichkampstraße 155, 14055 Berlin. See you there?

CttG9-London will follow in October, being organised by goldpot in Greenwich. CttG8 is still expected to be in New York in November and CttG7 is being set-up by Dorsetgal in Poole for December. Geolympix T-shirts, hats etc will be available at all these events to help fund the Summer Festival of Caching we have planned. All profits to charity.

Stay tuned for more information! Following us on Twitter - @Geolympix - or visiting the Geolympix website will also keep you informed.

[Simply Paul]

GC32G52 - Countdown to the Geolympix #9 - London by goldpot is all set for 2pm-6pm on Saturday October 15th at The Cutty Sark Tavern in Greenwich, very close to the Prime Meridian. There will be freebies!

In other news, the Geolympix Geocoins have been put up for tender, planning for a GeoDog side event is in progress, a Caching Challenge series is in development and, to save confusion, we're considering renaming the Geolympix challenges (such as 11 Icons In 11 Hours and Fill Your D/T Grid) to Games. Or Adventures. Or..? (Suggestions welcomed!)

[Simply Paul]

If you missed the news on the Geolympix website, we're giving away a new eTrex 20 with OS Explorer 25k BirdsEye Select map voucher worth a total of £200 and two Garmin Chirp Geocaching beacons worth £19.99 each at the meet. These additional prizes have been supplied by new Geolympix Sponsor GPS Training.

Fresh keyrings from Base of Tree have also arrived, so attendees to GC32G52 - Countdown to the Geolympix #9 - London by goldpot can be sure of freebies! It's on from 2pm-6pm on Saturday October 15th at The Cutty Sark Tavern in Greenwich, right on the WGS84 Prime Meridian. Hope to see you there

[Simply Paul]

We're delighted to announce Diamond Farm as our primary campsite for the Geolympix. There's a second campsite close-by too, in case Diamond Farm fills up. To avoid a clash with Piratemania there's no dedicated Camping Event planned but there will be an evening meet at a nearby pub next to the canal instead, helping keep the event open to all. More information is being added to Geolympix.com today, so please take a look soon!

[Simply Paul]

November Geolympix News!

Two further Countdown events have been listed. Following events in Oxford, Berlin and London, November's will be on the waterfront in Manhattan. GC36ATZ - Countdown to the Geolympix #8 - New York from 7pm on Monday November 28th at the CBC Brewery in NYC.

After this the events return to the UK with Dorsetgal's GC375V9 - Countdown to the Geolympix #7 - Poole from 11am til 2pm on Saturday December 10th - The Quay, 21 The Quay, Poole, Dorset, BH15 1HJ.

Pre-Registration now stands at over 400 so we'll be approaching Groundspeak about listing the event both earlier than the usual 6 month guideline and as a Mega. Thank you to everyone who's been so supportive. We're really looking forward to welcoming you to the Geolympix, Oxford and to the UK in some cases

Camping: For those wishing to stay near Oxford for the weekend Geolympix programme, or the full week (Friday-Thursday) under canvas or in a caravan or campervan, we recommend the Diamond Farm Camping & Caravan Park, Islip Road, Bletchingdon, OX5 3DR. Please mention Geocaching or the Geolympix when booking to be put with the caching group. They have power points for both 'vans and tents, plus a bar, heated pool, childrens' play area, on-site shop and games room, etc. There are lots more sites near the Geolympix when Diamond Park gets full. Greenhill Leisure Park is close-by and there's a list of other sites on our website. To avoid Day Visitor Charges and other issues - including clashing with PirateMania V - the planned camping event will be relocated to a large near-by venue, with free access for all.

Don't forget, the Geolympix Lanyards are selling well, so if you'd like one of the first batch (white on red - future batches will be different) let us know. They're a mere £1 each, or £20 for 21 (20 to sell on at £1 each plus one for your trouble), or £100 for 106 (5 packs of 21 to sell on at £20 each, plus one for your trouble). They're soon to be joined on the Geolympix Shop page by some Solly-Approved(tm) caching tech, including watertight micro containers, Geolympix Torches, hand mirrors and tweezers for those pesky nanos and over-filled micros. A fresh batch of T-shirts is due soon too as the first two have sold out - thanks again to everyone who is helping make the Geolympix a success.

Geolympix Geocoins: A supplier has been selected and sample coins will be ordered shortly. We've also identified a potential supplier of the Geolympix Puzzle Trading Tokens so will have more news on these soon.

Please stay tuned for more information! Following us on Twitter - @Geolympix - or visiting the Geolympix website will also keep you informed.

[Simply Paul]

NYC for GC36ATZ - Countdown to the Geolympix #8 - New York was great fun, but it's back to Blighty with a bang for Dorsetgal & Geodog's GC375V9 - Countdown to the Geolympix #7 - Poole in Dorset tomorrow. It's on from 11am til 2pm on Saturday December 10th at The Quay, 21 The Quay, Poole, Dorset, BH15 1HJ. A lovely spot overlooking the sea. If you're in the area we'd love to see you. Will this be the day we break the magic 500 pre-registations? We'll have Geolympix Keyrings to give away and Lanyards and other goodies for sale. It's almost Christmas. Treat yourself! :socool:

[Simply Paul]

Latest Geolympix news:

GC3B109 - Countdown to the Geolympix #6 - Oxford Mk2 is back where it all began in September 2010, at the Longwall in Oxford, on January 31st from 7pm. And yes, the parking is free. We'll have lanyards and other Geolympix products, being sold to support this not-for-profit Mega event, plus freebies, Geolympix Geoff (our mascot), info on the event and more. If you're in the area we'd love you to join us.

The Geolympix Goodies range has expanded, with £10 Geolympix head torches (3w luxion - handpicked by Drsolly himself) joining great 'caching mirrors, handy £2 tweezers, walking poles and small (£2) and large (£3) Bison-tube-type cache containers - these will all be added to the Geolympix web site Shop page by the weekend, along with some other planned products - Coins included!

Pre-registration stands at over 550 and will end when the Geocaching.com Geolympix cache page goes live on January 22nd - a huge thank you to everyone who showed their support, helped with our planning and gave us extra leverage with Groundspeak. Without knowing there's a lot of enthusiasm for the event we couldn't have gone ahead with it, so it's really appreciated that so many people have offered both their interest and their support.

Be a Geolympix Champion! With the closing of the pre-reg scheme, we'll be launching a programme for cachers to get the most out of the Geolympix, with ideas of how to help promote the Summer Festival of Caching in Oxford, details of the Cache of Dreams and other prizes, adding to the Geolympix event programme and some exciting news from Groundspeak...

Further news on the Marathon Caching Series (26 miles, 5 rings, 200 caches?), the D/T Grid caches (1 of every 81 D/T ratings within 10 miles/16Km of the Geolympix) and cycling and boating series will follow soon, along with info on the satellite events we have planned - including the Trad (webcam-flash flash-mob) and CITO, helping make the '11 icons in 11 hours' challenge possible. The camping event (now an off-site gathering), GeoDog and others will also follow between now and Sunday July 22nd, when we hope to welcome you to the beautiful surroundings of Oxford Town Hall for a wonderful day - and week - of geocaching fun! :socool:

[Simply Paul]

On behalf of the Geolympix Team I am very proud to announce the publication of GC22T2T - GEOLYMPIX : OXFORD 2012 as well as the first of the satellite events, GC32000 - Geolympix Banbury Cross Webcam-Flash Flash-Mob. With publication of the Geolympix event, the pre-registration programme has closed with a final number of 561 people expressing their intention to attend the meet- a full six months ahead of it! I know the Geolympix Team would like to thank each and every one of you for your enthusiasm and promise to deliver a great series of events, puzzles, caches, prizes, people, competitions, challenges and general caching goodness for you!

We look forward to welcoming you to Oxford and the Geolympix on Sunday July 22nd 2012 at the Oxford Town Hall.

If you've already pre-registered, please add your Will Attend log to the cache page too, along with how many people from your caching account are expected to come to the Geolympix. It'll help us keep track of expected numbers. Thank you.

[Simply Paul]

Latest Geolympix news:

GC3CB46 - Countdown to the Geolympix #5 - Bristol has been reviewed and approved in double-quick time by Lindinis; thank you. It's on at The Lamb & Flag, Cribbs Causeway, outside of Bristol (easy to get to from all directions thanks to the motorways) on Monday February 27th, from 7pm. Lots of free parking and there's a Harvester on site too. We'll have lanyards and other Geolympix products, being sold to support this not-for-profit Mega event, plus freebies, Geolympix Geoff (our mascot), info on the event and more. If you're in the area or passing through on your way home, it'd be great if you could join us. Details of the roadshow event in Edindburgh on March the 7th will follow.

The Geolympix Goodies range has expanded, with the addition of Team Hippo's £1 'British Slug Survey card' - A very useful bit of kit for deflecting the curious muggle, based on a drsolly technique and realised in laminated plastic - plus a £8 Geolympix George (Geoff's Australian cousin) plush toy joining the £10 3watt luxion 'Geolympix (head) Torches', lanyards, handy caching mirrors, nano/splinter-friendly £2 tweezers and walking poles, plus small (£2) and large (£3) Bison-tube-type cache containers - these have all be added to the Geolympix website Shop page. A new range of Geolympix T-shirts from £10 has been added too - see the bottom of this post for some images. Since the original design has sold out, a large new order has been placed for these 2nd generation versions.

The 11in11 Challenge - never before attempted in the UK, as far as we can tell - continues to draw interest with the news that outforthehunt has agreed to bring YOSM (Ye Ole Survey Monuments - an unusual, historic moving Virtual cache) to Oxford for the Geolympix, meaning locals who've cleared out all near-by Virtuals will still be able to get 11 icons in 11 hours. Other Geolympix challenges include completing your D/T Grid in the Oxford area.

Further news: Sustrans, the National Cycle Network people, have approved a Geolympix cycle series to be set close to Oxford, forming a part of the Challenges associated with the event. These will be kept operational after the event as a part of the Geolympix legacy, hopefully making Oxford a prime target for any cacher looking for a variety of caching experiences, from the 26 mile Marathon series to caches requiring a boat (or punt) along the Thames in Oxford to find them.

Geolympix Guests of Honour Alan g (the UK's longest serving active cacher), drsolly (the UK's leading cache finder by numbers), Dan & Pid (stars of Inside Out, the BBC TV programme which introduced many to caching, have agreed to come out of retirement to attend), plus fellow Inside Out stars - and T&J Bear specialists! - Tim and June have all said they'll be there. More guests (but not the surprise ones!) to be announced. We're also specifically inviting all Reviewers and Forum Moda to attend. Your public want to meet you! (In a good way )


Plans for the GeoDog, CITO (7pm, Sunday July 22nd, after the Geolympix. Groundspeak's event Stacking rule has been explained by a very helpful La Lunatica and won't apply), Marathon hub and other events are preceding well and details of these should be announced soon.

New T-Shirt designs available in S, M, L, XL & XXL sizes (click for a larger image):

Geolympix Champion t-shirt, with Geolympix Geocoin images.
Geolympix Champion t-shirt, with QR codes for smartphones.
Geolympix Keep Calm and Cache On t-shirt (also available in white).
Geolympix Logo t-shirt (also available in black).
Geolympix t-shirt with Union Flag/Gold G version of the logo (also available in white).
Follow the Arrow! t-shirt (also available in black).
Small original logo t-shirt (also available in white).
Small flag logo t-shirt (also available in black).
Small arrow t-shirt (also available in white).
Outstanding in the Field! t-shirt with Original Geolympix logo (also available with flag logo).

Full details on the Geolympix website.

[Simply Paul]

Latest Geolympix news:

GC39RWF - Countdown to the Geolympix #5 - Edinburgh is on very shortly. It's at Maggie Dickson's Pub, 92 Grassmarket, Edinburgh, EH1 2JR - a historic pub with a colourful history just below the castle, to its south side - on Wednesday March 7th, from 6.30pm. We'll have lanyards and other Geolympix products, being sold to support this not-for-profit Mega event, plus freebies - inc. keyrings - info on the event and more. If you're in the area we'd love to meet you. Details of the next roadshow event, #3 in April, will follow shortly.

Confirmed! We're very pleased to welcome Geotees, The GAGB, GeoCoinShop.de and GPS-Training to the Geolympix, with BaseOfTree.com penciled in too. There will also be a Geolympix stand with goodies and other stands are to be announced. Graculus is expected to join us, and we're hoping several other Reviewers will attend in their official capacity. Incognito ones, off duty and free to mingle, are welcome too of course!

Welcome to the Geolympix Team, Go Catch from Oxford and Hefron, who's helping with the Marathon Series planning. They join metal bijou, Dorsetgal and Geodog, goldpot, drsolly, Lord of the Cachers, Purple_Pineapple and me, Simply Paul.

Other news: We're now taking orders for the Geolympix Geocoins as funding for them is in place! Please take a look at the Geolympix site for further details. Prices are yet to be confirmed but expect approx. £12 each.

Around 255 cachers have already logged a Will Attend, with well over 4 1/2 months left to go, which is brilliant! As a reminded to all the people who registered their interest in the event by pre-registering, please log a Will Attend too if you're still planning to join us for a great day (or week) caching in and around Oxford. Thanks. Also, tell your friends!

The Geolympix GeoDog event is set for Saturday July 21st at one of Oxford's many parks - probably Shootover Park. We're just awaiting conformation from Oxford City Council on this. We also have a good proposed site for the CITO event on the evening of the Geolympix, a Pub Quiz night planned, a possible location for the Night Cache event (with an unusual twist) and a clear target for the Marathon event and series. Exciting times at Geolympix HQ.

Further news coming soon!

[Simply Paul]

March Geolympix update - Less than four months to go!

metal-bijou's GC3F67X - Countdown to the Geolympix #3 - Lewknor has just been reviewed and approved - thanks Southerntrekker - and is set for Tuesday April the 17th at junction 6 of the M40, south-east of Oxford. As with all our roadshow events, there will be a chance to pick up some Geolympix freebies, goodies, info and enthusiasm. Details of the next roadshow event, #2 in May, will follow shortly.

As a bonus, there is also my GC3ENM9 - Night of the Living Egg not far away on the evening of Easter Saturday - April 7th. It's a night cache meet with an optional Easter Egg Hunt, with a difference...

Orders for the Geolympix Geocoins are coming in quickly and our initial order is 250 Gold, 120 Silver and 100 Bronze (plus 30 'specials') so if you'd like one ore more please take a look at the Geolympix shop page for further details. We've also expanded our range of Geolympix Goodies(tm) being sold to help support this not-for-profit event.

337-ish cachers across 188 logs have logged their plans to attend but with 561 pre-reg's we know there are lots more people to come. If you're planning to attend but haven't yet posted a Will Attend, please do so. If you're not planning to come, please let us know what we can do to change your mind!

The current event plan:
Friday July 21st - Pub Quiz Night (location TBC).
Saturday July 22nd - Geodog Event (day time) plus evening pub-do for campers.
Sunday July 23rd - WebcamFlash FlashMob, Geolympix and evening CITO events.
Monday July 24th - Marathon series walk and event.
Tuesday July 25th - Night Caching event (location TBC).
Wednesday July 26th - Further event/s to be announced.
A Thursday event in London is also on the drawing board.

Attempting the 11 Icons in 11 Hours challenge? More good news: Wherigos are planned for Oxford & Sustrans have OK'd a series along their Route 57 between Thame & Princes Risborough - The Phoenix Trail. It's on a disused railway line; nice and flat! The caches will also help towards anyone hoping to complete their D/T grid as they won't all be quick and easy 'cycle-by' caches.

With just a third of a year to go, anticipation's building as our plans come together beautifully. The Geolympix team look forward to welcoming you to Oxford & the Geolympix. Are you ready to make some wonderful caching memories?

The Geolympix - Be Outstanding in the Field!

[Simply Paul]

April Geolympix News - 3.5 months to go!

500 Geolympix Geocoins have been ordered from Oak Coins (an ETA will follow soon) and we're taking orders on a First Come First Served basis. If you like the look of them, please get your order in ASAP.

My GC3ENM9 - Night of the Living Egg event is on Easter Saturday night, not far from where two Geolympix series have gone out (it's ideal for 'Pluto'- see below - and some new Earthcaches). You have the Cyclerama series (25+2 bonuses along a disused railway line cycle track) and the Geolympix Solar System series (11 scale size/orbital distance caches).

On April the 17th is Metal Bijou's GC3F67X - Countdown to the Geolympix #3 - Lewknor is close by too, followed by GC3ER18 - BBH#53 aka Jedi SP's Star Wars Day Event on May the 4th (be with you), not far from the Cyclerama series east end. It'll feature an optional Pub Quiz Geolympix Fundraiser.

We welcome the Halloween Hides and Creepy Caches team to the Geolympix. They're planning a Mega meet at Stanwick Lakes, 15 miles north east of Northampton, this Halloween.

We're also expecting the Repeating Mega 2013 team at the Geolympix too, to promote their planned Mega, set for 3rd August 2013 at The Heritage Motor Centre, Gaydon, Warwickshire, CV35 0BJ. This year's Repeating Mega committee has also been invited.

Thanks to Lassitude we've an extra 13 Tim and June bears for our Bearfest(tm) and lastly, congratulations to Geolympix team member(s!) Dorsetgal and Geodog, who's been picked to be an Olympic Torch Bearer for a second time!

The Geolympix - Be Outstanding in the Field!

[Griff Grof]

Wow Making me more excited Won't be able to come to tomorrows event, as it's my mums birthday. Cycle series looks great!

[Simply Paul]

You missed a good one Griff Grof, but we understand the importance of mums' birthdays here at Geolympix HQ

Geolympix news: 95 days to go!

The Geolympix Facebook Group is now open. Please join up for the latest news on what's looking like an amazing event! Also a good place to ask questions. We're also tweeting via @Geolympix on Twitter.

Metal Bijou's Countdown to the Geolympix #3 - Lewknor GC3F67X is on tonight (April 17th) from 7pm. Two new Wherigos have just gone live in the area and there are some fresh EarthCaches too.

11 Icons in 11 Hours challenge news: With the addition of outforthehunt's YOSM (Ye Ole Survey Monuments; a rare, historic moving virtual cache) to Oxford for the Geolympix, we're also very pleased to announce The Wombles' GC4C35 "Cuckoo Cache (could be anywhere)" will be in town too. This unusual moving 5/1 Puzzle cache is from April 2002.

Win a Geolympix Geocoin by designing it yourself!:

Edit the above image to add your own base metal and enamel colours and email it to us (team@geolympix.com Subject:[GEOCOIN DESIGN] please) - if we pick your design to be one of our special versions - in addition to Gold, Silver and Bronze - you'll get one made just for you too!

[Simply Paul]

May update: 69 days to go!

We've received the following exciting news from Groundspeak: "If your event reaches 500 will attend logs, we will make the event a Mega in advance." - So please get those Will Attend logs in on the Geolympix event page and let's seal the deal!

Upcoming Countdown to the Geolympix events: Later this month we have GC3K4GV - Countdown to the Geolympix #2 - Banbury at The Inn, Greatworth, Banbury, Oxon, OX17 2DT from 6pm on Sunday May 27th and then GC3K4G9 - Countdown to the Geolympix #1 - Exeter at The Cat and Fiddle, Clyst St Mary, Nr Exeter, Devon EX5 1DP from 6pm on Friday June 15th.

Geocoin, Pathtag and Geolympix Puzzle Tokens (PuzTokx) are pre-selling well and final negotiations over satellite event venues are being made. The D/T Grid-filling plans are coming together, with the help of local cachers, and the 26 mile Geolympix Marathon Series is back on track. The 11 Icons in 11 Hours Geolympix Challenge remains the feature drawing the most interest, with two 'test' Wherigos placed out of town by metal bijou, who is also working on a couple much closer to Oxford itself; ideal for the 11in11 challenge. A new EarthCache or two are also planned, along with fresh trads, puzzles, multis, letterboxes and a passing visit by moving Virtual Ye Ole Survey Monuments.

The Oxford 2012 Geolympix - Be Outstanding in the Field!

[Griff Grof]

This just keeps on getting better

That's great news from Groundspeak, having it hit Mega status beforehand would definitely attract even more visitors

I've been keeping track of the Geolympix since 2010, I was even at the event it was first proposed, and as the team would agree, the time really has flown by since then Really, really, really looking forward to attending it, and having a go at the 11/11 challenge - but then again, I'll be completing all the challenges over the course of the event week

See you all there! In 69 days!

[Simply Paul]

From drsolly on 'the other forum':

"You can have a look now at the geocoins for the Geolympix.



Note the hole at the top. That means that you can thread a [lanyard] through and wear it round your neck..."

There is a 'hidden' feature which you might just be able to spot on this poor quality photo. Better images with notes on changes to colours will follow.

Prices are expected to be £12 per 60mm x 4mm coin, £23 for two or £33 for all three, in Gold, Silver and Bronze finishes. Trackable on Geocaching.com, with its own icon. Stock expected in June. Please preorder via the Geolympix home page.

[Simply Paul]

That's great news from Groundspeak, having it hit Mega status beforehand would definitely attract even more visitors

Well Griff, I'm very happy to report it's happened; we've gone MEGA! A huge thank you to Lacky Sandy for hitting the button, metal bijou for 'sending the paperwork in' and to everyone who logged a Will Attend to help make it possible. Please do turn up. Bring a friend. Be Outstanding in the Field! Let's make the Oxford 2012 Geolympix even better than last year's Geolympviii :P

[Griff Grof]

Yay - thank you, Sandy. That's really, really good

See you all in just over a month!

[Simply Paul]

Just 24 days to go!

Quite apart from going Mega, we've lots of Geolympix news.

1.2 miles south of the main event, starting at 6.45pm we have our CITO meet: GC3P05Y - Geolympix 2012 CITO - Giving Something Back. The ideal way to finish a busy day finding 11 cache types/icons in under 11 hours, perhaps?

The final Geolympix satellite events are poised to go live, but in the meantime the following have also been added to the programme:

5 miles north of the main event, GC3MKQ0 - A Not So BAD Geolympix Event by JollyJax from 7pm on Tuesday 24th July.

20 miles east of the main event, GC3N810 - Geolympix Mega 2012 - The Closing Ceremony by Team Hippo from 7pm on Wednesday 25th July, close to England's oldest remaining cache (and the UK's second oldest)

Almost! 50 miles east of the main event,GC3P2KY - The Mega Geolympix Hand-over Ceremony, London by goldpot from 5pm on Thursday 26th of July. It's the day the Olympic torch arrives in London and the day before the games open.

Other news:

Huge thanks to the cachers in and around Exeter who raised £223.50 to help fun the event at the final roadshow event, Countdown to the Geolympix #1 - Exeter earlier this month. Great to see so many from the wild west plan to attend their closest Mega since Weston-Super-Mare in 2009 too.

The Cache of Dreams is filling up nicely (four Hard Disc Drives from drsolly collected last night) but we'd like to really make it something special to give away at the Geolympix, so we're asking everyone attending to bring some cache-friendly swag to drop into it. One lucky attendee with take the whole lot away with them!

Do you have a cunning or cool cache? We're having a competition to find the best. Please bring yours along for the display table and the one which gets the most votes by visitors will win its owner something nice.

We've a great collection of stuff for the raffle - including a Garmin Etrex 30 with extra kit and two Chirps, no less, plus a lot of other excellent prizes - but can always use more. If you can bring something nice with you on the day to be given away as a raffle prize, that would be really wonderful of you.

If you're planning to help at the Geolympix, you've got your own fast-track registration desk. Stewards etc will have different coloured badges too, to help visitors identify them. Thanks again for your offer of help - it makes the Geolympix possible.

The final contents of the Geolympix Champions' Packs has been decided and details - and confirmed prices - will be released soon. We just need a better ETA from our T-shirt printer.

Lots of goodies for the raffle have been collected from Dorsetgal as she was promoting the event in her area and has received a lot of donations. Log caches, ammo cans, camo bags... the list goes on!

We've confirmed attendance by a couple of reviewers but we'd like to see more of you, 'on duty' or not. Chris/MrB/Graculus has also kindly agreed to host a Reviewer Q&A session on the court room and is ready to be cross examined. He's also giving a talk on paperless caching.

Things are looking good for the Marathon series; locations have been researched and quality containers obtained. It's a little way from Oxford but in a very special area we felt deserved the five ring route. Lots of hills, but lots of pubs along the way too

Loads more stuff going on (did I mention the Nordic Geolf, Marble Vs. Micro game, pathtag swap zone, on-site Geodog Hotel - now with music - or that UK Cache Mag now has a stand?) so please keep an eye on the event page, website, Facebook or Twitter for updates and info.

The Geolympix - Be Outstanding in the Field!

[Simply Paul]

Two more Geolympix satellite events to report:

Released earlier today, my Pub Quiz event is on Friday the 20th, in the function room upstairs at The Mitre (seats 80) on Oxford High Street, just around the corner from the Town Hall, home to the Geolympix Mega itself. The pub is a Beefeater Grill too, so good food is available. Starting at 7pm, the quiz kicks off at 8pm and you can play to win goodies (£1 per person, to help pay for the Geolympix) or just join in for fun, for free. See GC3PKE4 for more details. It'd be great to start the Geolympix programme in style so please come along!

Also published recently, haforn's Geolympix 2012 - Post-Marathon Pub Event GC3PMN5. The Marathon series is 'in the area', which if you know it, is really lovely. So much so that Little Britain, Goodnight Mister Tom, The Vicar of Dibley and Chitty Chitty Bang Bang were filmed there, as was Went The Day Well, Midsomer Murders and a myriad other films and TV programmes. It's pretty amazing there wasn't a walking series in the area already really. It's quite hilly, but there are a good selection of pubs around the route to help motivate visitors up hills.

A little look at the day:

9.00 Oxford Town Hall opens for the Geolympix Team, Volunteers and Exhibitors to set-up.

10.00 Public doors open with registration desks fully staffed - there's a fast-track desk for volunteers, guests-of-honour, team members and stewards too, to help speed-up getting them inside to help.

10.30 Welcome speech, prizes for our Pre-Reg and Will Attend log winners, etc.

10.45 Various talks and debates in the Court Room (exit the main hall and turn left) begin and run pretty much all day.

12.00 Release of the FTF cache details for our FTFrenzy™

3.15 Announcements of raffle, Cache of Dreams and various game winners, thank-yous and goodbyes (or rather, see you at the CITO event 11-in-11ers speech)

4.00 Event officially closes and the logbook collected.

5.00 We have to be out of the building, having cleared it, so we hope volunteers will still be helping.

Hope to see you there

The Geolympix - Truly Outstanding in the Field

[Simply Paul]

Just 10 days to go!
We've update both the website and event page with new info, including the stands attending, the timetable for the event and the full programme of satellite events, listed below. You can also stay up-to-date and ask your questions via our Twitter feed @Geolympix and Facebook Group.

Events list:

GC3PKE4 SP's Geolympix Pub Quiz Event - 7pm-11pm Friday 20th July 2012 - Hosted by Simply Paul. Kicking off the programme with a classic pub quiz in central Oxford.

GC3E0GT Your GeoDog is a Mega Mutt! Event - 1pm-4pm Saturday 21st July 2012 - Hosted by Dorsetgal & Geodog. Saturday afternoon fun n games for our four-legged caching friends.

GC3BCN6 Carry on Optional Camping! Event - 6pm-11pm Saturday 21st July 2012. A canal-side pub, close to the two most used Geolympix camp sites, with optional board game playing.

GC32000 Webcam Flash Flashmob Event - 8am-8.15am Sunday 22nd July 2012 - Hosted by Simply Paul. The big day starts with the first challenge; joining over 100 others to Flash! (Bring a camera. Please!)

GC22T2T The Geolympix : Oxford 2012 - 10am-4pm Sunday July 2012 - By the Geolympix Team. The most talked about Mega in the World (estimated) begins at 10am; please join us in being Outstanding in the Field!

GC3P05Y 11th of 11 CITO 'Giving Something Back' Event - From 6.45pm Sunday 22nd July 2012. Your chance to leave Oxford prettier than you found it with a litter-picking stroll in a lovely area near the river.

GC3PMN5 Post-Marathon Meet - From 6pm Monday 23rd July 2012 - Hosted by haforn. For the numbers-fans; a five ring, 26.2mile (42.2Km) series has been set, which keeps returning walkers to the middle/car/pub. You'll hate us for the hills but you'll love the views!

GC3PV1E Geolympix Cyclerama: Keep Calm & Cycle On - From 12pm til 3pm on Tuesday 24th July 2012. A pub event close to the route of the Geolympix Cyclerama series along The Phoenix Trail. Traffic-free cyclo-caching.

GC3MKQ0 Not such a BAD Geolympix Event - From 7-11pm on Tuesday 24th July 2012 - Hosted by JollyJax. An addition to the Bicester And District event calendar.

GC3PKGN Geolympix Torch Night Caching Event - From 12am Wednesday 24th July 2012. An unusual night cache event where bringing the biggest torch actually puts you at a disadvantage...

GC3E0H7 Wednesday Wander Event - From 11am-1pm Wednesday 24th July 2012. A relaxing brunch-time event with the chance to walk the footpaths through Blenheim Palace grounds afterwards.

GC3N810 The Closing Ceremony - from 7pm Wednesday 25th July 2012 - Hosted by Team Hippo. Next to England's oldest cache, this hill-top event will feature hill-top larks (football, Frisbee, kites) until the sun sets.

GC3P2KY Handover event in London - From 5-10pm on Thursday 26th of July 2012 - Hosted by goldpot. In London the day the Olympic Torch arrives, this is the spiritual 'passing of the baton' to the larger, better-funded (that means you, tax payers!) event in the UK this year.

[Maple Leaf]

[Simply Paul] Just 10 days to go!
........ and the full programme of satellite events, listed below.

Paul

Feel free to add them to the GAGB calendar - if they are not already in there. I have been so busy at work recently that I haven't been able to keep up with the calendar updates.

[Simply Paul]

Thanks ML. I will if I get the chance but I've been a little tied up of late myself
If any other kindly volunteer were to step in in the meantime, you'll make yourself a friend.

[Simply Paul]

Well, that was fun! Who attended? What did you do? What did you think? Feedback is always appreciated. Thanks!

[Griff Grof]

I attended with my dad, and we both had a great time

I wrote a blog entry about it, and the part of the Marathon series we did the next day, here: Geolympix Mega 2012 and part of GMS series

I really wanted to attend more of the events planned, but only got a chance to do the three on the Mega day, and the Post-marathon meet - the others looked great, and wished I could have been there :socool:

On the day, I managed to complete the 11 in 11 challenge, even after a long delay with the Wherigo (sent us back up the hill we came down, and in wrong directions a few times) and so only managed to spend around an hour at the Mega; which was a shame, because I'd liked to have met Bryan (who I believe attended) again, he had left by the time we arrived - I first met him at "An Oxford Gathering" in 2010, my first event, and the event where the Geolympix concept was proposed - that event feels like yesterday, how time passes!

Then the next day, we set off with another cacher, and managed to complete three out of the five marathon rings - not too bad, considering the heat A super area, we took hundreds of amazing photos, saw lots of red kites - it with just brilliant, and a true celebration of our wonderful country(side) - we'll be back to finish it off!

I think to have appreciated the full Geolympix experience, you'd needed to have attended and taken part in all the events and challenges - but that's nearly impossible, but the magic of it is that whatever you did as part of the Geolympix, counted for the whole thing - the 11 in 11 was my particular highlight, and it was wonderful to share the accomplishment with so many others who too managed it - this event did seem to have a much more international feel to it, from my perspective, and it managed to bring so many different people together all over one week

To sum up, I think the two days (Marathon and 11 in 11 Mega day) are both in my top three days caching EVER - that's how much I've enjoyed it - my dad had a great time on the marathon too So yes, I think that it's the best event(s) that I've ever attended

Thank you again to you, SP, and the whole team for all your efforts - I don't know of one single person who said it wasn't one of, if not the best Mega they've been to The only possible suggestion that could have made it have more of an Olympic theme, was to have some sort of awarding of "wearable coins" (avoiding the 'm' word ) to the winners of some sort of challenge where there could be distinct winners (for example, you couldn't pick three winners from everyone who did 11 in 11) but perhaps "Fill as many D/T combinations as you can in a day" and prizes for the best three - but, now contradicting myself, the great thing about this event was that everyone was a winner, and everyone was "Outstanding in the field" - I look forward to seeing this simply fantastic concept grow into what it will become - we'll look back on this week, and think "Wow - I attended (or organised in your case, SP) the first one, the start of it all"