4th August 2022 – Severn Virtual Reward (Worcestershire) GC60CE – cache #6000
A virtual cache for which you need to provide photographs of yourself at each of the 8 stations… well this mainly entailed jumping off the train as it stopped and annoying the guard by not getting back on the train quick enough when he blew his whistle.
It was a hot dry day and the railway was hesitant about using steam engines because of line side fires, in fact we were delayed at one point while the crew helped put out a fire caused by the train coming in the opposite direction, meanwhile the fire brigade were out behind the train extinguishing the fire our engine had caused..

We started at Bridgnorth

Next stop Hampton Loade

Then comes the Country Park Halt

Next Station Highley

Then we stopped as we had line side fires in front of the train – which were extinguished using water from the boiler

… And line side fires behind the train – which were out out by the Fire-Brigade

Next stop Arley, and a contortion to get the station name plate in as we pulled past it

Northwood Halt, a request stop that somebody had requested we stop at, so we all piled off for photographs

Bewdley, and the Severn Valley Railway’s tribute to the Queen’s platinum jubilee

And finally, Kidderminster Station

NOTE : 19/5/2023 – I have recently discovered that this wasn’t actually my 6000th cache as I had missed logging and thus counting a cache at Piratemania in Bakewell (cache #5872(a)), and also one in Huddersfield from Sept 2021 (cache #5641(a)) – so this was actually my 6,002nd, and the real 6,000th was the lab cache by the entrance gate to Apedale. Still it doesn’t really matter I could have easily missed out another couple of caches as we were walking round Apedale if I had have logged and counted caches correctly !

4th August 2022 – Highley Station GC1AZFX – cache #6001
On the trip back from Kidderminster we got off the train at Highley Station and wandered up to the Severn Valley Railway museum where there were engines, and a cafe. There were a set of Lab caches in the country park on the other side of the river so we were heading for them after we had refreshed ourselves, and found the station cache

4th August 2022 – SideTracked – Highley. SVR Kara N Kierons Gateway GC5HJBG – cache #6002
We walked down to the river at the bottom of the valley as we needed to walk along it for a bit to get to the bridge and there were a couple or three caches along the path, this being the first one

4th August 2022 – REALLY SideTracked – Highley.Kara N Kierons 7 tree GC489J7 – cache #6003
The second of these caches was hidden in the roots of a big tree and took a bit of finding

4th August 2022 – STOP! LOOK! LISTEN! GC6E9QR – cache #6004
Further along the path met the railway again and there was a crossing should you wish to go that way (we didn’t) which is where the cache gets its name

4th August 2022 – Severn Valley Country Park Wander Lab Cache – Cross the wild river – cache #6005
Across the bridge to the Country Park

4th August 2022 – Severn Valley Country Park Wander Lab Cache – Bridge and Bucket – cache #6006
Severn Valley Country Park… okay it’s the slag heap from a coal mine, as I said yesterday there is nothing much else you can do with them. The bucket in the title refers to the bucket left that used to take the coal over the river

4th August 2022 – Severn Valley Country Park Wander Lab Cache – Potter’s Loade and the Ferries of Severn Valley – cache #6007

4th August 2022 – #2 Jack Hindmarsh GC30AJ0 – cache #6008
All uphill to here, which meant I was at the back as I was struggling up the hill. This cache was just off the path in a hollowed out log

4th August 2022 – Severn Valley Country Park Wander Lab Cache – The coal truck – cache #6009
At least at the top of the hill there was visitors centre with toilets and ice cream… and an old bit of railway track with a coal truck on it

4th August 2022 – Severn Valley Country Park Entrance GC6E73A – cache #6010
This wasn’t really an entrance you could use as it was an old access road with a locked gate across, but there was a cache

4th August 2022 – Severn Valley Country Park Wander Lab Cache – Country Park Halt (Alveley screens) – cache #6011

Then it was back over the bridge and a walk through the wood to the Country Park Halt request stop, where we requested that the train stop (which happily it did as it was the last train of the day)

4th August 2022 – Beautiful Bridgnorth Lab Cache – Severn Valley Railway – cache #6012
There’s a set of Lab Caches in Bridgnorth, with one of the locations at the station, so it would have been a shame not to grab it even though it was the only one of the set I did

4th August 2022 – Christmas Party! GC9MDY5 – cache #6013
After stopping at a pub on the way home to get a meal I drove back to the Hotel, then had a wander over to the campsite and stuck my nose in at the evenings event, which wasn’t really very Christmassy though they were trying and had put up a Christmas tree