Carrickfergus a '˜hotspot' for rare Pokémon

Players of the massively popular mobile game will gather at Carrick Marina car park from 8pm tomorrow evening (Friday).

Organised by a group of experienced members from the Larne area, the meet-up is open to fans from across east Antrim.

“The reason we are having the meet at Carrickfergus is simply down to our experiences of hunting there previously,” said organiser Lee Glenfield.

“Carrickfergus Marina car park is a frequent meet location, with Pokéstops for Lures and due to the amount of drivers we have, music available.”

The event was organised following high demand from users of the recently-established Facebook page, Pokémon Go Carrickfergus.

“We encourage our members to post on the page if they catch a rare Pokémon,” said Lee. “Carrickfergus has been the hotspot for this on numerous occasions, so if a member posts a rare catch in the Carrick area, we will certainly go hunting for it.

“It’s a great location due to Pokéstops located quite close together, including Gyms for battling. Carrick Castle has been brilliant for this.”

And the area seems to be something of a breeding ground for lesser-spotted Pokémon, including Magmar, Jynx, and Electrode.

“We actually have never had a quiet night hunting in Carrick,” Lee added. “We have caught several rare types right outside the castle, such as a Gyarados. This was very exciting and the response was fantastic when discussed in the group.

“I personally didn’t know anyone at all in the group prior to the Facebook page launch. We are now all great friends, out daily enjoying the game.

“[Friday] will be a social meet with much more than just Pokémon for all ages to enjoy. We have played football, music, and even order the occasional pizza to our meet location.”

Meanwhile, more and more people of all ages are joining the meets after hearing about the group’s successful hunts. “The demand was there and we felt it would be the perfect opportunity for everyone to get in on the action,” Lee said.

“We have been expanding and meeting a lot of great people, and working behind the scenes to give our members a great night out of Pokémon and fun. It is of course down to all our administrators Rachel, Andy, Scott and myself - without all of them this simply wouldn’t be a possibility.

“We have moderators from nearly every part of County Antrim just so everyone feels involved, with many ideas put forward and helping us to give Pokémon lovers of all ages a fantastic experience.”