Sur la piste des cistes INFORMATION

[+miquet]

Hi, I'm miquet, french geocacher and "cisteur".

 

Every year ther's a lot of mistakes in france and Belgium essentially, due to an other game, inspirated by geocaching, and active since 2002.

 

This game, called "sur la piste des cistes", or shorter, "cistes", is a likely way to find container as ours, but it no needs GPS, only to solve an enigma or riddle.

 

Anyway, there's more than 73 000 cistes, most of them on our territory.

 

I just wanted to ask you to be sure you find out a geocache, because you can distort this game, and most importantly take the risk to put a trackable in one of these cistes.

 

For now, there is no logo for this game, but its creation is ongoing.

 

Be vigilant for the proper functioning of the two games.

 

Link: http://www.cistes.net/index.php (There is an English translation).

 

If someone could translate this text into various European languages, I thank him.

 

Happy geocaching!

Edited August 19, 2010 by miquet

[+Matthew 7:7 Too]

Hi Miquet,

 

Thanks for your post reminding us of the "other" caches in France and Belgium.

 

I came across one of these myself when caching in the medieval city of Provins last June. My GPS was taking me to a location, and when I searched for the cache I found a ciste instead! Luckily the owner was used to the problem and had put a note inside it explaining that it was a ciste, and if I had found it by mistake I should turn around to find the cache I was looking for.

 

I can just about cope with interpreting the French cache instructions, but the prospect of finding a ciste by solving French riddles or puzzles is still beyond me!

 

I'm off the Belgium tomorrow, so I'll watch out for any cistes over there as well.

 

Best Wishes,

 

Chris

[+Bear and Ragged]

There's one/a few around the Cotswolds.

 

A few of the CacheWalkers have found them.

(One whilst looking for somewhere to hide a cache!)

 

Problem is, you have to register with the site to get any details...

[+Haggis Hunter]

Problem is, you have to register with the site to get any details...

Considering that you don't need coordinates to find them then this is no different to GC.com, as you have to register to find the co-ords to a cache.

[+redsox_mark]

Interesting. There is one in the same area as a ring of caches I found last weekend (in Bath).

[+miquet]

Problem is, you have to register with the site to get any details...

 

The main differences are:

 

-Cistes, is essentially a french game, and geocaching a worldwide one. Anyway, today tthere is about 65 000 cistes in France , for 72 000 in the whole world, and only 320 in GB, 55 in Ireland. Mind the european map : http://www.cistes.net/listecarte.php?tc=2&...e%20en%20Europe

 

-You must change a "goodie" and report it on the site (Which is translated in english, the creator was found of London, an meet Richard Branson at his beginning in business).

 

-There's a few travel objects called "bumblebee" (bourdon, in french), not so easily trackable as our coins or TBs.

 

-never put a TB in a ciste, it could be lost as a lot of persons don't know what it is, and could take it as collector with various object they use to find in cistes.

 

I'm not doing any kind of advertising, but as I see every summer the same mistakes in both games, i feel my duty to warn english speaking geofriends.

 

Happy geocaching to you all, and THX for reading.

[+Original A1]

Problem is, you have to register with the site to get any details...

 

The main differences are:

 

-Cistes, is essentially a french game, and geocaching a worldwide one. Anyway, today tthere is about 65 000 cistes in France , for 72 000 in the whole world, and only 320 in GB, 55 in Ireland. Mind the european map : http://www.cistes.net/listecarte.php?tc=2&...e%20en%20Europe

 

-You must change a "goodie" and report it on the site (Which is translated in english, the creator was found of London, an meet Richard Branson at his beginning in business).

 

-There's a few travel objects called "bumblebee" (bourdon, in french), not so easily trackable as our coins or TBs.

 

-never put a TB in a ciste, it could be lost as a lot of persons don't know what it is, and could take it as collector with various object they use to find in cistes.

 

I'm not doing any kind of advertising, but as I see every summer the same mistakes in both games, i feel my duty to warn english speaking geofriends.

 

Happy geocaching to you all, and THX for reading.

Thanks for the warning. I found one near Neuchatel in May when looking for a cache (which I subsequently found too). Just left it where it was, although I think I logged my find on the log book, but never logged it on your site. Sounds fun, but I think GC keeps me busy enough for now!

 

Happy Cisting!

 

[+sTeamTraen]

Cistes are found by solving puzzles, much like letterboxing. Some of the puzzles are hard, and the indication of the basic location tends to be no more accurate than the name of the nearby town. As a result, it's not unusual to find 2 or more cistes within a few feet of each other at the same monument.

 

Cache containers in France are generally of slightly better quality than cistes, and they are less likely to have a plastic bag round them. Also, Cistes do not always have a log book; you prove you were there by logging your exchange on site (exchanging a swag item is as mandatory as signing the log of a cache).

 

And of course, the cistes (pronounced "seest") game has its own theme tune: "Cisteurs are doing it for themselves". (I'll get me coat...)