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Difficulty:
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Terrain:
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Size: 
(small)
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The cache is a plastic container, situated on the south-east side
of Kidderminster. In order to find it, you do not need to wander
off the path or get your feet wet. Apart from the occasional muddy
spot, the paths are in good condition and buggy-friendly. The
star-rating might well have to be increased by half a point in
summer because of the leaf cover. Please do NOT take either the
'Scampering Bunny' stamp or the ink pad as swops.
Spennells is a large housing estate on the south side of
Kidderminster and although it displays many of the negative
attributes of similar developments elsewhere, a very positive
attribute exists in the form of the nature reserves which have been
established in several places throughout the estate, mainly on the
Northern boundaries. There is an abundance of flora and fauna to be
observed within the reserves, and on-going projects, managed by the
Wyre Forest Countyside Service, ensure that the delicate balance of
this miniature eco-system is preserved. At various times of the
year, an unusual breed of cattle, the Belted Galloway, is
introduced into the more marshy parts of the reserves, as a natural
means of controlling the dense vegetation which has a tendency to
develop here. During the last two years, we have observed more than
40 species of bird from the area immediately adjacent to the cache
site, including kingfishers, buzzards, greater-spotted and green
woodpeckers, tawny owls and spotted flycatchers, to name but a few.
Mammal sightings in the reserve include foxes, badgers, various
bats, muntjac deer and the ubiquitous grey squirrel. Currently the
water-vole (often referred to erroneously as the water-rat) is
attempting to re-establish itself in the streams in the area – look
for a creature which resembles a guinea-pig that can swim extremely
well ! Please report any sightings in your log. This is an easy
cache for all tastes. For those cache ’n’ dash enthusiasts, we
suggest that you park in the lay-by at N52º22.662’ W002º13.560’. 10
minutes should suffice for the round trip. For those who fancy a
longer walk, you can park in the car park adjacent to the playing
fields at N52º22.384’ W002º13.846’. Immediately opposite the
entrance to the car park is a path leading into one section of the
reserve. Follow this path and take the first junction on the right,
(this is one area where the cattle sometimes graze), then follow
the path down across the bridge, round to the left, between the
reserve and the houses, up to Captain’s Pool. Use the GPS to
continue to the cache site, which is about 10 minutes’ walk from
the pool. A shorter alternative is to walk on to the playing field
and just be guided by the GPS ! Please only place inert goods in
the cache, so that if it should be vandalised, there will be no
environmental hazard. Much of the space formerly available in the
cache is now occupied by our personal stamp and ink-pad, but there
is still sufficient room for small swaps and TBs. We would like to
express our thanks to Paul Allen and Colin Cross of the Wyre Forest
Countryside Service who have given permission for the cache to be
placed in the reserve.
Additional Hints
(Decrypt)
Orgjrra gur cngu naq gur fgernz. Oruvaq n snyyra gerr gehax. Va n ubyr ng gur sbbg bs n ynetr gerr yrnavat ng sbegl svir qrterrf.