• Hurrah!

  • Lots of clarts in the rain

  • A control on the ridge wasn't hard to spot

  • Binsey - small fell with great views in good weather - but not today

  • Thick woods

  • Setmurthey Woods near Cockermouth

I’m dreaming of a damp Christmas

The Christmas weather in the NW UK has been up to 33 degrees warmer than last year (when it went down to -18) and horribly wet and miserable. But one has tried to get out from time to time.

On Boxing Day I accidentally arrived at the start of an orienteering course shortly before entry closed, so felt obliged to have a go.

Setmurthy Woods near Cockermouth

This flummoxed me a bit because it was the first time I had come across an orienteering map without consecutively numbered controls and/or a route marked. But I recalled R & R mentioning having to plan their route before starting a race. Though I did not have a biro to hand or the comfort of a tent in which to sit and think, at least this memory gave me a clue! When I’d had enough of wandering about the woods I emerged from the trees onto a track… and realised I had no idea where I was – but then remembered that I could use my map and compass to navigate as well as orienteer, so that was all right!

Thick woods

This experience was not enough to put me right off, because a couple of days later I braved the wet miserableness again and made another attempt to orienteer on Binsey (northern fells).

Binsey - small fell with great views in good weather - but not today

At least there was daylight, if murky daylight, so it was often possible to spot a control when one was within ten or twenty yards; cheating a bit really?

A control on the ridge wasn't hard to spot

It was a pretty muddy outing though as half the controls were in bogs.

Lots of clarts in the rain

But eventually the welcome sign:

Hurrah!
Still smiling!

5 thoughts on “I’m dreaming of a damp Christmas”

  1. How did the first o event work? Are the numbers by the controls the points awarded for each one? or did you have to visit as many ones as possible, then twos, and then threes? I like the high and lows event too – bet it was damp!

  2. Looks fun, and not many people?

    On the Rab MM, the big give-away for the controls were the hordes of people gathered round, unless like R&R you went for the controls so far away that only a few could get to them. 🙂 🙂

    1. There seemed to be a reasonable turnout but there were lots of knolls etc., which limited the line of sight, not to mention the poor general vis for much of the time.

      Are you trying to make a MM sound enticing??

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