I was undecided what to do this weekend as I had a throat lurgy which was trying to attack the rest of my body and the weather was looking iffy in parts. I almost opted for the Eden Epic Sportive as I need to get out on my bike, but I just don't have cold weather cycling kit and thought 60 miles would be too much too soon! Instead I opted for orienteering which I thought would get me some fresh air at a more leisurely pace! The Hutton Woods course was more challenging than I, and it seems a few others, had bargained for! Not that I find orienteering in any way easy, it's just a more leisurely pace than a training run for me as I'm always stopping and starting.
To score points in my age category, I had to do the blue course which is technically difficult and was described as challenging underfoot. It was definitely both of these!!
Mother's Day Treats !
The start in the wood set the tone for much of the course. The navigation required was tricky as there were lots of paths and the controls were more hidden than I have previously encountered and also were difficult to physically get to and from. I somehow found 1 and then knew whereabouts 2 was but it was sneakily hidden. Control 3 I struggled with as I didn't know how to tell which part of the bank it was on, but a kind guy pointed me in the correct direction! The controls were hidden so you couldn't very often get a glimpse of them until you were basically at them. Surprisingly I found 4 & 5 easily but 6 threw up a similar challenge to 3. I knew whereabouts it was and what I was looking for but I didn't know how to pin-point it's exact location. After much wandering around in heather, I found it, mainly because other people were looking for it too! In doing so, I had noticed a rather large mound in the distance which was soon confirmed as Little Roseberry as 7, 8 and 9 took me to a familiar place from fell running but not on the same tracks. Control 8 wasn't where I was expecting but 7 & 9 were fine. The long distance back to 10 was something new too and although I don't mind distance, I actually had no clue of the best route to take so I went back up to the gate I came in by and turned left. I thought if I stuck to the path then I would be fine, but no! I still don't know how I ended up so far away. I think I just took a higher path and ended up on the wrong side of some 'fight' and couldn't get back across, so had to run round on the forest road. I must have confused the paths, but even now I don't know which path I missed as they are huge on the map. maybe there were more paths on the ground than on the map?! I struggled with that a couple of times if I got confused as I didn't know which was a defined path on the map and which was not mapped.
Once I found the little wooded area where 10 was, it was still tricky for me to find. Again I didn't know how to pinpoint it, but got it finally. Loads of time wasted but at least I had dibbed! Control 11 I expected to be hidden and it didn't disappoint! Nor did 12! The underfoot conditions were tiring as you were unable to move quickly in the undergrowth and regularly found briars wrapped round your feet. I came back to the road and found 13 quickly ( it actually wasn't hidden from view!) but 14 had me contemplating giving in! Again I knew whereabouts it was but not exactly enough and although I scrambled along the ground where it was, this was hard work, annoying ( more briars and branches !) and not that likely to be successful as I knew the control would be hidden! Luckily as I ran back along the track, I spotted an opening and found it, but it was really hard to get to on a steep slippery bank entangled in roots and branches. Control 15 I found immediately and it was easy to see. Same again with 16, I knew where it was but ended up on the lower path, turned around to run back on the higher path and saw a small brick ruin, amongst the briars of course! Patience was running thin by now. I knew 17 was a well as they had said at registration. Stupidly, I thought this would be a nice big wishing well! I saw a guy on a different course who had a control at the stream junction and had taken a bearing and we bashed through the the branches together and found the moss covered stone that was the well! We agreed that it had been a very hard course as we scrambled on all fours up from the well to the road side and the penultimate control! Even I couldn't miss the finish from there!
Well my nice bit of fresh air had been 2 hours 45 of frustration, but that aside, I am quite pleased with myself having finished. I got all of the controls, ok I made mistakes but that seems to be the way in orienteering, and although I took a long time, I finished what was by far the hardest orienteering course that I have ever done. I'm annoyed with 10 as I just don't understand which path I was on but the lesson learned from that is that I should have gone around the other side ( clockwise) as there was no 'fight' so I could have rectified my mistakes more easily and seen the paths around me. I shall have to ask my orienteering friends how to pin point the controls so that I can do that better in future and save thrashing about in the undergrowth!! You learn something new everyday with this orienteering lark!
