On a lovely winter’s morning over 120 competitors, from the very fit and experienced to total novices enjoyed an excellent event at Beacon Hill on the north edge of Penrith. The event was based at the Golf Club and indoor registration, download, results and refreshments were much appreciated by everyone. Walking through the plush clubhouse dining room and bar in damp socks was slightly disconcerting, but we were made to feel very welcome by the staff, though some of the golfers must have been bemused by the pile of muddy shoes outside their smart entrance hall.
First-time organiser Jo did a really good job and the event ran very smoothly despite a higher than expected attendance and the extra complication of making arrangements with the Golf Club. This is what she said about the experience: “Overall I enjoyed being the organiser, it’s a bit of work to do but very satisfying to see it all come together and everyone enjoying the day“
Courses were well planned by Owain, with Jeff as controller. The technically difficult courses had challenging legs through tough forest with the occasional light relief of a path run, but even then you needed to pay careful attention so that you knew where to head back into the terrain. Easier courses were also well received, and it was nice to see plenty of competitors on the Yellow, Orange and Light Green courses. The last of these is something Owain was very keen to include at a local event as he has spotted the need for a stepping stone between the relatively simple Orange course and the full technical difficulty of a Green.
The next BL Saturday event is at High Stand Plantation near Armathwaite on February 15th, but if you don’t want to wait that long come along to Appleby on 3rd February for a very different sort of event – navigating through the lanes and alleyways of the town in the dark.
Border Liners Orienteering Club 