Christine was out in Washington at a conference last weekend but that didn’t stop us going orienteering – we recruited her cousin Jayne to act as split-start stand in! She ran first and I took the children round the white course which, given the walk to the start, was about the right length for them (although it would be good to get Emma out on a course without Duncan at some point). They seemed to enjoyed wading along the muddy rides.
I’d failed to guess the start times correctly so was a mere 20 minutes late for the last start time but still wasn’t quite the last to start. I’ve had a cough/cold for the last week or more so wasn’t expecting great things and, in the results, I’m a good 10 minutes off the pace, not helped by almost missing out one control. It was a lovely day to be out running and my thanks go to Jayne for making it possible.
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Last weekend was an orienteering double-header. On the Saturday, SARUM had put on an urban race round Salisbury. We took the train up there which the children enjoyed even if it was a rip off and I had to stand all the way from Romsey. Christine and I had split starts although her parents did arrive part way through. It did mean that the children and I got to sit and have lunch inside whilst the rain passed over! My run was decidedly average – no major blunders and only a couple of 30 second errors but, with 40 controls, the 5 seconds here and 10 seconds there all added. The 8k course length also ballooned to 13k by the time you took in to account all of the impassable routes. In the end, I finished in 10th place and 10 minutes down. You can see my scrappy route on RouteGadget.
On Sunday it was the November Classic, based at Round Hill campsite. We were responsible for the string course and were slightly concerned by the heavy rain falling as we drove to the event. Thankfully the clouds parted and we were treated to blue skies for the morning which, combined with our position adjacent to the finish and assembly, undoubtedly helped with the healthy turnout on our space-themed string course (prizes courtesy of Astrium). I had an enjoyable run (not much technical navigation to be done) on the Brown course with only a couple of errors putting me 30 seconds behind Richard Barrett. Looking at the routes suggests he had a few blunders but likewise I could have easily made up that time on the long leg to 14 if I’d just stuck to the path route. He’s an M40 anyway so I could still claim a SCOA Championship medal! The only downer on the day was that the rain returned before we had everything packed up but we were extremely grateful to the other club members who took the kit away to dry it.
Last weekend it was the CompassSport Cup final over in the Forest of Dean. Southampton had failed to make it to the final but we went and spent the weekend there all the same as a) lots of Christine’s relatives were competing and b) it was her cousin Cath’s birthday. All in all a good excuse to have a bit of a family get together. We were staying at CSMA Whitemead as on previous occasions. With two Wilson children, two Currie children and two Ashton children they could amuse themselves for much of the time.
A few of us went to the warm-up orienteering at adjacent Park End on the Saturday afternoon. It was quite fun although there was a torrential downpour for about the last third of my course. Christine and Ian even ran back to the accommodation as they were too wet to get in the car! On the Sunday, I went for a long run around the forest whilst others went off to the CompassSport Cup final. I’d failed to really plan a route before setting off so it was a bit shorter than intended.
It was sad to leave after lunch on Sunday when the children were having so much fun together but it was probably no bad thing as the heavens opened again soon after.
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We’re on the hook for organising the string course at the November Classic spurred on by the fantastic courses on offer at the Scottish 6-Days. The event will be based at Round Hill campsite in the New Forest and we headed down there today to do some surveying for the map and plan a course. Despite the morning showers we were treated to some beautiful blue skies and, as well as discovering lots of exciting control sites, we filled a few tubs with the end of season blackberries. I also managed to squeeze in an hour’s run so all in all it was a good day out. Let’s hope the day itself is equally enjoyable.
We headed along to the SOC event at Knightwood Oak today which was doubling up as the club’s picnic. I had an enjoyable run round the green course although there’s no denying that the head high bracken impinged on the runability. More so for the children! Having decided the yellow was a little long for them on top of the walk to the start, Christine opted for the score. There was apparently still a fair amount of grumbling from Emma and Duncan. As you can see, Emma had chosen an outfit that wasn’t entirely appropriate for fighting through the undergrowth. Sadly we didn’t get to stay for the picnic either as we’d left ours on the kitchen table! It did mean we had a little more time to pack for our holiday though.
This year’s Scottish 6-Days was around the Moray Firth and, after much juggling of options, we eventually decided to fly up from Luton (near my parents) to Glasgow. This meant that Duncan would finally get to experience flying without the pain of long haul! It also meant we could take in some Scottish scenery, stopping in Stirling on route to our caravan site on the outskirts of Nairn. Christine’s cousin and family were staying in the adjacent caravan so the children would often disappear next door during the week. Unfortunately, due to the weather, we did really get to make the most of the nice sandy beach just 50 metres from the door.
Day 1: I had a reasonable start to the week finishing in 12th in the coastal dunes at Lossie. RouteGadget shows my main blunder was at the 8th control where, having just nipped off the path for each of the earlier controls, I actually had to do some fine navigation. A few smaller blunders towards the end at 16 and 17 where I had fallen in with Roger Goddard (interestingly, RouteGadget seems to show that he slowed down to my pace rather than my gaining from running with him!). It was pretty wet and, post run, I just sat in the car with the children waiting for a decidedly damp Christine to return.
Day 2: This time we headed west along the coast to Carse of Ardersier. I had a good run if a little lonely. Once again, RouteGadget shows a small miss at six and again at 21 although my route choice to 26 left a little to be desired as everyone else I spoke to had spurned the heather in favour of legging it round the path.
Day 3: Another nearby coastal location, this time Culbin. This was my best run of the week with a 5th place and, perhaps not coincidentally, was my first late start. This meant I got to take the children round an excellent string course which had activities at each control (bean bags in the bucket, blowing bubbles etc.). RouteGadget shows a pretty steady run except for an overshoot at the fourth control.
Rest Day: We spurned all of the orienteering activities and went just up the road to Fort George where the children enjoyed the talk by a redcoat, displays, and just generally running around a working army base (complete with ‘armies’ as Duncan likes to call soldiers). We then had a fun afternoon at a JOK birthday bash.
Day 4: Loch of Boath was billed as ‘classic Highland forest’ which is always a bad sign in my books, particular when combined with another early start. RouteGadget really just shows too many fumbles to highlight any in particular and I came tumbling down to 17th place.
Day 5: Today there was the excitement of parking on a taxiway of what was once RAF Kinloss (now Kinloss Barracks) and I got to partake in another fantastic string course with aeroplane related characters at every control in a fantastically runnable piece of mossy forest. Unfortunately this was the high point of the day at Roseisle as I had a terrible run. Thankfully I forgot my GPS so you can’t see the point at which I found control 14 when I was looking for 9 where I realised I hadn’t been to 8! That cost me around five minutes and there was more time lost just a control later. On top of which, the Inov8s that I had bought to replace my (dis)Integrators left me with a massive blister on my heel. At least things improved again with a trip to the beach at Findhorn.
Day 6: The last day was always going to be a disaster at the point at which we decided that, rather than having a late start, I should use my punching start to get out early so we could make a quick getaway. Coulmony was another ‘classic’ forest with a mix of bilberry, marsh and head high bracken. Interestingly, although RouteGadget shows some noticeable blunders, SplitsBrowser appears to show a pretty straight line so I must have been uniformly bad throughout! The only remarkable thing is that, despite taking 10 mins/k, I still had a 14th place to count towards my best four of the week and a 14th place overall.
Despite having already confirmed her 3rd place on W35L, Christine still managed to pull out a win on the final day! We didn’t stay for the prize giving though, instead setting off West to head down towards Glasgow via Loch Ness, Fort William and Glencoe. Unfortunately the rain had returned in force and we only stopped for a couple of short leg stretches on the way to our B&B. The return flight from Glasgow the following day was pretty uneventful, Emma being engrossed in the in-flight magazine for most of the journey!
All in all, it was a good week with enough sunshine to make you forget the rain and (some) excellent areas. Most importantly, the children enjoyed themselves!
It was the last event of SOC’s Summer Series today, taking place at Royal Victoria Country Park. The temperature was still soaring but there was a pleasant breeze today, amplified by the proximity to the water. Christine went out first and I went round the yellow with the children which was mercifully short and I managed to get Emma and Duncan round without any bribery! At one point we dispatched Emma round one route whilst Duncan and I went the other. Needless to say, when we reached the control, there was no Emma. She’d found yet another of the many paths that don’t appear on the map and, after calling to her, she reappeared rather tearful. We quickly agreed to stay together for the rest of the course, arriving back at the finish at the same time as Christine.
I didn’t have a great run, starting with a poor route to the first control. I’ve had a lingering headache for the past couple of days but thankfully it actually seems to feel better after running. I certainly felt better than the guy I came across lying on the ground groaning. He claimed to be okay but, as I took the wrong road at the next junction, I happened to pass by registration and dispatched someone in his direction. At one point, I nearly repeated an error from a previous event here: running off the map. I just stayed on but did spend a while wading around in a marsh that I needn’t have done! I just about managed to top the results but less than a minute ahead of Christine.
There was a club BBQ afterwards along with the prize giving for the summer series. Despite not having done the requisite five out of eight events the children received certificates and medals which was a nice touch. Kevin seemed keen that no-one should go home empty handed and Christine and I were also awarded medals for some reasons made up on the spur of the moment which I now forget! We then made the most of the venue, doing a tour of the crazy golf (more like hockey when Emma and Duncan are playing), beach and ice cream van. Perhaps not unsurprising that Duncan was asleep before we got home.
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Last week we had the pleasure of another weekend in the company of Andy, Nat and family. We met up at the SOC Summer Series event at Hursley. Nat had first run whilst Andy took the girls round the yellow and I went with Duncan. At least that was the plan. Duncan was quite upset to be going round ‘on his own’ and did his level best to keep up with the others, until they ran in with Nat at the end.
Andy and I then battled it out on the Light Green where I made the most of the home advantage. I don’t run round the site very much and it reminded me how lucky I am to work at such a beautiful location and how I really should make more of it (more play, less work!). Christine joined us after her University open day and we lazed around in the sunshine before relocating to the back garden and the paddling pool.
On the Sunday, Andy and I ran up to Farley Mount where we met up with the others, playing in the woods. The combination of the heat and an abortive attempt at all sleeping in the same room meant that the children’s tempers were a little short but everyone still looked to be having fun. We waved them on their way to Exeter, not knowing when we’ll see them again. Such a shame that there are usually 10,000 miles separating us!
Christine was out in Washington at a conference last weekend but that didn’t stop us going orienteering – we recruited her cousin Jayne to act as split-start stand in! She ran first and I took the children round the white course which, given the walk to the start, was about the right length for them (although it would be good to get Emma out on a course without Duncan at some point). They seemed to enjoyed wading along the muddy rides.
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