Geocaching in the style of... Rev W. Awdry
This series came about as a result of the CO asking an AI program if it could describe geocaching in the style of various authors and works of literature. It came up with the text below.
The series can be done as a circular walk of about 6 miles, mainly off road though you will need to cross some busy roads so please be careful with geokids and dogs. Some parking spots are given for various caches around the routes. The paths are mainly flat, though there are some gates and stiles. Terrain rating is based on doing the full series, and the terrain ratings for individual caches may be lower.
In some cases, but not all, an additional hint can be obtained by reading the description, as some of the cache locations match those of the caches found by the protagonists of each work.
Rev W. Awdry
Rev. W Awdry (Wilbert Vere Awdry) was an English clergyman and children’s author best known for creating The Railway Series, which introduced the world to Thomas the Tank Engine. Inspired by his childhood fascination with railways and stories he told his son while the boy was ill, Awdry crafted tales that combined mechanical detail with gentle moral lessons and lively personalities. First published in the 1940s, his books grew into a beloved series that sparked television adaptations and a global franchise. Despite the fame of Thomas and his friends, Awdry remained modest, seeing his stories as celebrations of friendship, responsibility, and the charm of steam railways.
Thomas and the Multicache
It was a clear, cheerful morning on Sodor. The fields glowed green, the rails shone silver, and Thomas hummed happily as he puffed into Dryaw Station.
At the platform, The Fat Controller was speaking with the Stationmaster. Beside them stood two children and their mother, each carrying a notebook and a small gadget.
“Good morning, Thomas,” said The Fat Controller. “Dryaw is hosting something quite special today — a multicache.”
“What’s a multicache?” asked Thomas eagerly.
“It’s a sensible treasure hunt,” replied The Fat Controller. “Searchers follow clues from one place to the next, learning as they go. It encourages careful thinking and tidy behaviour. You must take extra care — visitors will be about.”
“I’ll be very careful!” promised Thomas. He was excited. Treasure hunts sounded fun.
The first clue sent the family along the path beside the line — well back from the rails. They stopped at the old iron footbridge. A small brass tag glinted beneath the steps. The boy read aloud:
“Count the rivets along the first beam. Add that number to the milepost.”
They scribbled notes and smiled.
Thomas watched proudly. “They’re being sensible,” he told his driver.
But not everyone was sensible that morning.
Just then, James puffed in with a flourish. “Treasure hunts!” he sniffed. “Fussing about with tags and numbers. If they want excitement, they should watch me!”
James steamed out again — a bit too fast — and rattled the points. The signalman frowned.
At the next stage, the family reached the station garden. Hidden behind a tidy flowerbed was another clue: the date of the station’s opening, carved on a stone.
“Each clue fits together,” said their mother. “Like coaches in a train.”
Thomas liked that idea very much.
Farther along the branch line, however, James was growing impatient. He hurried past a speed restriction and splashed muddy water across a signpost.
“Hmph!” he said. “What harm can that do?”
Later that afternoon the family reached the final stage — near a quiet siding where wildflowers grew. But the coordinates seemed wrong.
“The pointer says one way,” sighed the girl, “but the path sign is splashed and unreadable.”
When The Fat Controller heard, he came at once. He noticed the mud on the sign — and the marks on the rails.
“James!” he said sternly when the red engine arrived. “Your careless rushing has spoiled the clue and confused our visitors.”
James felt very small. “I… I didn’t think it mattered,” he said.
“It matters a great deal,” The Fat Controller replied. “On Sodor — and on treasure hunts — tidy work and patience keep everyone safe and happy. You will help put things right.”
So James fetched a workman’s train. He waited quietly while the sign was cleaned and the verge made neat. Then he apologized to the children.
With the final clue restored, they soon found the multicache: a waterproof box tucked neatly behind a fence post. Inside lay a logbook, a few small trinkets, and a card reminding seekers to take care and leave things better than they found them.
They signed their names and waved gratefully.
Thomas felt warm with pride.
“It wasn’t really about treasure,” said the girl. “It was about looking carefully.”
The Fat Controller smiled. “Quite so. A good multicache is like a good railway: one sensible step leads to another — and everyone arrives safely.”
James puffed away thoughtfully. He was determined to be patient from now on.
The sun dipped low across Sodor. Signals glowed, rails gleamed, and the engines rested contentedly in their sheds.
And Thomas decided that a day filled with careful thinking, tidy work, and a small, shared adventure was the best treasure of all.
This cache
At the posted coordinates you should find a manhole cover next to the public footpath sign. In the middle there are two rows of text; the top line is Mabcd Befg where abcd and efg are numbers. You will find the cache at N52 32°.(abcd-5540) W001 40°.(efg+854)