Virtual Caches In France

[+Coordin8z]

I am going to France this summer and I see that there are not that many geocaches for such a large country.

I am familiar with the area where I shall be staying and thought that it would be nice to set a few virtuals. I am not able to set regular caches because living in UK I am not able to service them if there is a problem.

Can anyone foresee any problems with the setting of virtual caches or even multicaches with a final virtual cache?

[+IntotheWoods]

I forsee a major problem--they won't be approved . I tried several times to get what I thought was a great multi-virtual cache in a Paris park approved and each time it was turned down. It's not just in France, however, pretty much NO virtuals are getting approved anywhere these days--there needs to be a box with a logbook. If you do decide to leave a traditional cache or two, make sure you have someone to maintain the cache in your absence, otherwise that too will be denied.

 

Hope this helps,

IntotheWoods

[+boulist44]

"If you do decide to leave a traditional cache or two, make sure you have someone to maintain the cache in your absence, otherwise that too will be denied."

 

Anyone considering placing a cache in the Loire Atlantique or Southern Brittany Regions. I would be happy to to carry out any maintenance on your behalf. Just contact me.

[+Coordin8z]

Thanks for your comments and offers.

Do you know who approves the French caches. It might be worth approaching them directly.

[+erik88l-r]

Do you know who approves the French caches. It might be worth approaching them directly.

 

Go ahead, take your best shot!

 

Before you do, though, please read the geocaching guidelines. There's a section on vacation caches and a section on virtual caches, in particular.

 

In the case of vacation caches, we ask that you be able to maintain any cache you place, whether it is a physical cache, a webcam, a virtual, etc. Obviously you won't be "maintaining" a virtual cache as you would a physical caches but the site has been burned in the past by virts that have been moved, trails closed, access blocked, etc., but no one local who could deal with it. The worst case I can recall was the closing of a trail to a virtual cache due to eagle nesting in the area. The cache "owner" was not there to assess the situation and change his cache hunt starting point. An e-mail from the park authorities was needed to correct the situation.

 

If you don't live in the area and want to place a cache find someone local who is aware of your cache location and able to check on it if needed. This can be another geocacher, a hotel operator, dive shop owner, guide, etc. It doesn't matter, as long as that person can respond to an e-mail or call from you and check on a cache reportedly in need of maintenance. If he or she can put in a new log book if it's full, or perform similar minor maintenance, that's all we ask. The frustration occurs when visitors abandon a cache thinking they are doing the geocaching world a favor by placing it.

By the way, it was the geocachers of the state of Hawaii complaining about having to maintain "honeymoon caches" that led to the rule.

 

With regard to virtuals, it's very easy. If you (or a local geocacher familiar with the area) can place a physical cache there please do not submit a virtual. There are many places of interest one finds while on vacation, but creating "virtual caches" out of them is not the thing to do. The cache reviewers are constantly faced with having to respectfully decline to post the Eiffel Tower, the Pyramids, a great scenic view, a neat historical marker, etc. as 'virtual caches" "placed" while on vacation. Come on, please take the time to meet the locals and coordinate with one to place a physical cache at your special spot.

 

Thanks!

 

erik - geocaching.com admin

Edited April 8, 2004 by erik88l-r

[+sTeamTraen]

Most of the caches in Alsace have been placed by vacationers, it seems - I think I'm the only active active maintainer who lives in Alsace, for 15 caches (maybe maronnier with Kemberg is an exception).

 

So please don't get too "keen" on refusing vacation caches around here, or we would lose 2/3 of the caches in a region where they are already thin on the ground (I'm tryin' ! I'm tryin' !). If you zoom out from here you can more or less draw the French-German border - it's where the cache density drops by 95% !

Edited April 30, 2004 by nickbrown

[+KVOM]

I will be heading to France in a month and would be interested in placing some regular caches. As I have 3 brothers-in-law there, plus other friends, I'm going to ask them to volunteer to do any maintenance required. If the French approver sees this I'd appreciate an email with his/her opinion prior to my setting out.

 

I'll be around Chatellerault, Poitiers, and Loches.