Country point Ireland – Europe's First beckons

A geocacher who pursues his hobby for a longer period of time cannot avoid the country point Ireland. At some point the desire for “old caches” arises. Many of the caches from the first two years of laying can be obtained from cacher trips on the USA tour, for example. Cachers often look for the oldest cache in new countries. Europe's first geocache that is still active is in Ireland, near Dublin. And it is a frequently visited cache, not only nationally...

The Road to Ireland

You can get from Germany to Ireland quite quickly and cheaply with a low-cost airline. This works in July, August, September as well as in February or October, November or December. If you are somewhat flexible in terms of time and not tied to weekends, you can fly the one-way route for just under 30 EUR per person. Ryanair alone currently flies to Dublin from 9 airports scattered across Germany. In just 2 hours you can reach the island of Ireland and the country of Europe's first.

Arriving in Dublin, any direction in Ireland is possible. You just have to decide whether you want to book a rental car (left-hand traffic!) or use public transport. This means that the possibilities are certainly a little limited, unless you have already clarified transport options with a group in advance.

Europe´s First, GC43

In cacher circles, the place Bray in Ireland is certainly better known than with other people outside of the beautiful island. Bray is a small town by the sea. In the summer months there is a lot going on here, there are numerous restaurants, accommodation options and pubs. In the low season it is quiet here, almost sleepy.

If you come from Dublin, you can reach the place either by rental car or by train. Train tickets are cheap and Bray train station can be reached in less than an hour (both by car and by train). From there, a nice walk leads along the coast, the so-called Cliff Walk. You walk almost a kilometer to the customs hut, where tolls used to be collected. Today you turn just before it to the GC43, which is just a little up the slope.

The cache comes from the second month of laying the caches, from June 2000. After all, the first cache in Europe was laid just a few weeks after the start of geocaching in the USA. The fire spilled over pretty quickly! As of today, most visitors come from Germany, followed by the United Kingdom and the USA.

If you continue walking the Cliff Walk you will come to the beautiful cache “The old Eagle's Nest”, hidden on an old cable car. Great view and lost place feeling! Multi, Letterbox and Where-I-Go are also in the area, so you can spend some time here on the east coast.

Country point Ireland

Of course you can do the country point Ireland with the GC43, but also with many, many caches on the island. You won't find power trails here, but many special, typically Irish places are also equipped with cans. Geocaching can be combined very well with sightseeing.

Geocaching in Ireland's capital

If you want to write about geocaching in Dublin, you can't write about all the caches in and around the capital. Sure to come across the Virtuals, with the old Virtual GCE388, Stiffy by the Liffey being our first stop in town. With laying date March 2003 it really belongs to the older caches. It's about a conspicuous sight in Dublin, a kind of metal needle in the middle of the city. The Spire is 123 m high and is surrounded by a kind of wide pedestrian walkway.

In Dublin itself there are other virtuals of the older or newer category. In addition to numerous Tradis and multinationals, some earth caches also invite you to visit. And as always, a visit here is not only worth the visit because of the cache! Of course there are also numerous mysteries in Dublin. Starting with the Master of Mystery edition - Dublin Edition, as well as a whole "row" on the map of exciting puzzles. Some travel preparation is then required in this regard.

Although the city's webcam is currently disabled and causing problems, it continues to attract cachers. Another icon for visiting Ireland is available here.

Many more caches lead the inclined geocacher through this beautiful city. There are always great views from the river and there is no shortage of great buildings and sights. Kindly enough, almost all of them are canned, so that you can easily combine the hobby of geocaching with sightseeing.

In the evening, the end of the day in a typical Irish pub is a must. Maybe combined with an event to get to know cachers nationally? In the district "Temple Bar" you will find enough here.

Mobilität

It is certainly not a problem for an experienced driver to order a rental car from the airport and get in the left-hand traffic. In Dublin itself, however, it is better to leave the car where it is – parking spaces are rare and expensive. But there is a well-developed public transport network that also reaches more distant places by train. In Dublin itself, finding your way around using public transport is not a problem. Another option is - as in many other cities - to let the hip-hop-on-hop-off bus drive you through the city from sight to sight. And – who is surprised? – the hip-hop-on-hop-off in Ireland are green!

The DoDublin card makes it even easier for the visitor: pay once, travel (almost) anywhere. The DoDublin Travel Card is unique in that it offers 72 hours of unlimited travel on the Airlink Express buses, Hop on Hop off Sightseeing buses and also on the public transport buses. The ticket price of currently EUR 35 already includes the ticket for the hip-on hop-off, but also any further journey by public transport. We found this to be a very easy-to-see alternative for a 3-day stay.

Financial

As cheap as you can get flights to this country, the accommodations for the night are expensive. If you don't want to go to a larger dormitory with a shared bathroom, unfortunately the only option is to grab a large wallet. Anyone who now thinks that there is a bargain to be had just outside of Dublin is greatly mistaken. Ireland is really beautiful everywhere, every place has its own peculiarity and speciality - but the Irish know that too. And so affordable hotel rooms are rare. There are (certainly fortunately) no big chains, it's the small, typical hotels and accommodations that make Ireland what it is. But you should look at the total package with flight and transport and hotel - then the visit to the island is certainly worthwhile.

The rental car is also available on the island at “normal conditions”. If you choose the off-season time here, it's good for your wallet.

A visit to the pub and a warm evening meal are also not cheap. But super delicious, very rustic - you pay for the entire ambience. If you enjoy the Irish breakfast in the hotel and buy something from the supermarket for lunch, then you can certainly treat yourself to a delicious dinner.

Conclusion: Ireland will certainly not be a bargain holiday. But definitely an experience! A place for many nature discoveries and for special caches!

Whether it's February or July, August, September, October, November or December: Ireland is always in season! However, July, August and December are the months with the highest rainfall - you just have to reckon with that in Ireland, otherwise it wouldn't be so green here!

Fancy Ireland? Such a trip is also part of the Advent calendar for cacher trips! It goes to Ireland from June 20th to 23rd, 2019 - of course with a visit to the GC43 and with an event in the capital of Ireland. Here you will find the detailed travel description: https://www.cacher-reisen.com