from Christine G
I have finally found a Brexit benefit in the form of two stamps on the same page of my passport. 14.03.26 Calais 15.03.26 Douvres. I kind of like the stamps, my European travel went unstamped for years and now its back!
Keith and I were selected to compete in the ‘Interland Cup’, an annual competition between 6 orienteering teams from Belgium, France, the Netherlands, Luxembourg and the team selected by the English Orienteering Council (please see their website for more details).
As the ‘stamps’ reveal it was a one day affair with an afternoon training opportunity the afternoon we arrived. Each team has two runners for age classes from W/M14 to W60/M60 with some reserves who also run but don’t count but gain valuable international experience. This year there were 12 new England ‘caps’, celebrated with a little round stitched badge – also quite nice, I fixed a hole in my O ‘bits’ bag with mine.
Éperlecques, if you care to search it, and the ‘Blockhaus’ in particular is a WWII bunker. Our training area was next to that and it was quite sobering to be running through and around very large circular depressions and pits made by bombs. It was also a lovely undulating forest despite the whippy nature of the trees and occasional grasping bramble! And there was sun!
The competition area at Tournehem – East part, by contrast was more or less carpeted with brambles but helpfully dissected by paths and rides with very few depressions of any sort. Despite the greenness of the map screen, it was fast running and easy navigation.
Our team performed well, with 4 overall class winners. A miscount gave the trophy and cardboard boxes of winners waffles to the Belgians. A careful independently verified recount (both team Manager, John Duckworth and Barry Elkington exclaiming at the same moment ‘208!!!’ (points) after some focussed heads down counting in the
cafe at Calais ferry terminal, followed by ‘WE won!’ (by 5 points).
Communications confirmed the new count but the waffles were gone! Zut!
Never mind, despite our formidable driver having ‘booted it’ to Calais terminal we couldn’t slide onto the hoped earlier crossing. Blighty welcomed us back with heavy rain allowing use of the waterproof I’d packed and then a cancelled train to St Pancras enabled the use of the wrong ticket on the later train. Ultimately Keith and I enjoyed an Italian meal having missed the last train oop north and engaged the back-up plan in the form of a FLIX bus from Victoria. Never to be repeated. Christine K was waiting for us outside Booths and I got to unfold my weary aching squidged up legs in bed around 6am.
Would I do this all again? Hell yeah, what’s not to like?
Did I learn anything? Yes → there is yet another time wasting brain frying truly frustrating brain -rejuvenating mobile tool thingy out there for us nerdy geek types → its called Squaredle.app, do it in your browser and start on a Monday if you like yourself or a weekend if you don’t.
Have fun everyone!!
Results are here.
Border Liners Orienteering Club 