Discover Terra Aventura by bike
It’s like a new-generation Pokemon Go, and 100% locally based – so, get into geocaching! Terra Aventura provides a free app that highlights little heritage gems you can discover on cutting-edge treasure hunts using your mobile or other internet-connected device.
The aim is simple – as a family, a group, or by yourself, to have fun making discoveries.
As luck would have it, a fair number of these geocaching activities are located close to the course of La Flow Vélo. So, head off on an epic treasure hunt to add further excitement to your cycling adventure!
How to play Terra Aventura geocaching games?
Terra Aventura sets up geocaching treasure hunts in the great outdoors. The whole Nouvelle-Aquitaine Region is dotted with these games. Head out in search of the geocaches, which shelter poï’z – these little characters, represented on badges, live in the geocaching boxes. The overall aim is to collect as many poï’z as possible. These various imaginary figures sum up the theme of the different trails: Zéfaim for gastronomy; Zouti for crafts; Zarthus for nature; Zabeth for heritage… Careful observation and pooling knowledge will help you answer the riddles set for you along the way. Leading you on outdoor walks, these treasure hunts provide adventures full of discoveries and surprises.
For participants from 7 to 77 years of age, as they say, Terra Aventura is a great intergenerational activity and grandchildren often love being able to explain the concept of geocaching to their grandparents!
In order to be able to play, you need to download the app, then you choose the trail that suits you. You can locate your position on the map and answer the relevant riddles to get the GPS coordinates for each next stage of the game. The further you advance along the trail, the more discoveries you make. The more discoveries, the more fun!
Terra Aventura and La Flow Vélo
You can unearth poï’z figures in several spots along La Flow Vélo. So, on your great cycling trip, combine a fun geocaching game with making further heritage discoveries. The activity provides a great mix of sports, culture and fun! Here, get a little taste of four geocaching trails you can try in the Charentes...
Fouras (Charente-Maritime)
A 3km-long trail, 2hrs of searching… the challenge is yours! At the western end of La Flow Vélo, begin or end your cycling adventure with a highly enjoyable geocaching treasure hunt. Voted No.1 among geocaching trails in Charente-Maritime, winning favourite heart votes from many families, this adventure features Mélusine, a pretty mermaid who has a terrible tendency to get a bit too close to the coast… Take care of this gentle creature whom you need to ensure remains hidden, otherwise she risks being caught by malevolent figures. Find answers to the many clues to unearth the treasure. Solving the riddles, players are guided by the tale to discover the history of the town and its natural surroundings, led on a voyage from fresh water to sea water. Along the trail, enjoy floral displays accompanied by the sea breeze. Also explore the typical old quarters in the old town and admire the special fishing nets (carrelets) hanging high above the southern beach when not in use, while the highlight is the view from Fouras’s Fort Vauban across to Fort Boyard and other islands out to sea, notably Aix and Madame.
Saint-Simon (Charente)
Count a little over 3hrs to complete this 16km-long trail, to be undertaken by bike, a good challenge for those of you up for it. It’ll prove a favourite with many, a geocaching game that offers lots of different angles on the Charentais’s tourist heritage. From the Abbaye de Bassac to the Mur des Gabarriers, going via the Charente River, participants on this Terra Aventura trail will enjoy contemplating nature as well as heritage. The riddles to solve help you cross the millennia, as players are taken from the time of the dinosaurs of Angeac-Charente to a dock where gabarre traditional boats were built in the 19th century. So, find your bearings on this cycling adventure through regional history!
Tonnay Charente (Charente-Maritime)
Everyone to the bridge! Set aside one to two hours for this 2km-long trail. This geocaching game means taking a break not far from Rochefort, going from Tonnay-Charente’s church of Saint-Etienne to the Chai Girard, going via the Villa Art Nouveau and the Château de Rochechouart, plus the place’s unmissable suspension bridge. This gentle trail offers quite some surprises. The poï'z will even teach you something about the secrets of how the local wines and spirits are made. Little ones will be impressed by all they can discover too.
Port d'Envaux (Charente-Maritime)
On this 6km-long, 3hr outing, head out in search of stone sculptures at Les Lapidiales. Expect to make some striking artistic discoveries along the way. After admiring the boats in the charming little port, this fun tour takes you on to quarries from which special pierre de Crazannes stone was long quarried. Sculptors still work this stone, producing startling results.
Will you be up to the challenge?
Nontron (Dordogne)
This geocaching trail around the capital of the Périgord Vert covers 3km and takes 1hr to 2hrs. Nontron is renowned for its knife-making; on this tour, you can certainly try sharpening your mind! This treasure hunt leads children to learn about traditional crafts and the precious local know-how in Nontron. From the Pôle Expérimental des Métiers d'Art de Nontron et du Périgord-Limousin, via the Château de Nontron (being renovated at time of writing) and the town’s Maison Renaissance, the game offers you a great opportunity to wander around town admiring its architectural heritage.
