NOTE: THE PHYSICAL CACHE IS NOT AT THE POSTED COORDINATES. HOWEVER, IF YOU WANT TO FIND THE REAL COORDS YOU WILL NEED TO VISIT THIS LOCATION
About the Station
Church Stretton railway station was opened on 20th April 1852 for the newly created Shrewsbury and Hereford railway. Trains on the Welsh Marshes Line and the Heart of Wales line pass through this station. The station (the highest in Shropshire and the highest point in the line between Craven Arms and Shrewsbury at 613ft) is currently run by Arriva Trains Wales. A small plinth on platform one shows its altitude, co-ordinates and real noon (about 11 mins later than Greenwich). Although Church Stretton only has a population of 5,000, it is one of the seventh most used stations in Shropshire. For more information about the station visit its Wikipedia page.
The cache
The cache is a small magnetic key holder which is easily found. It contains a pencil and a log. The cache may be big enough for a small trackable tag but nothing else. There may be nettles and thorns so be careful when retrieving the cache.
How to obtain the coordinates
To obtain the coordinates you will need to visit Church Stretton's railway station (posted coordinates). Once there, you will need to answer the following multiple-choice questions. Next to each possible answer is a number. These numbers need to then be used to work out the final co-ords. You'll find out how down below. The final cache is then about 400m from the station.
The Questions
1. As you walk up to the station, you will see two carved owls by the trees. What initials are carved into them?
a) AR (2)
b) DB (1)
c) BD (8)
d) RA (6)
2. How many seats are in the shelter on platform 1?
a) 5 (3)
b) 4 (9)
c) 6 (8)
d) 7 (6)
3. On the network map, which service has two orange lines next to it on the key?
a) Llandudno to Manchester (1)
b) Cardiff to Swansea (5)
c) Church Stretton to Shrewsbury (8)
d) Hollyhead to Manchester (2)
4. What services run on platform 1?
a) Shrewsbury/Chester (29)
b) Hereford/Swansea (34)
c) Brimingham/Shrewsbury (58)
d) Shrewsbury/Edinburgh (62)
5. Look closely up at the bottom of the bridge from platform one. What is the first letter of the sign on the underside of the bridge?
a) S (8)
b) D (6)
c) E (2)
d) C (5)
When you have answered all the questions use this to find the final coordinates:
N 52° 32. (answer to question 1)(answer to question 2)(answer to question 3)
W002° 48. (answer to question 4)(answer to question 5)
Note: The coordinates have no seconds. There are three digits in the minutes
Happy caching. If anyone has any difficulty with this cache or has any questions, feel free to message me through my geocaching profile