As the hot, dry summer draws to a cooler, more unsettled end a number of weekend events have drawn BL members east, north and south.
The annual White Rose event was held over the bank holiday weekend (28th to 31st August) in Scarborough. It started with a mass start night event (which none of the BL members took part in). Then on Saturday there was a Middle event in Raincliffe Woods; it could be described as a steep wooded slope with lots of paths and patches of dense brambles, but that definitely sells it short. In practice it provided surprisingly tricky and enjoyable thanks to very good planning. Sunday was an Classic distance urban event in north Scarborough; again it was more interesting than expected with a labyrinth of paths round gravestones in a cemetery, a woodland ravine, the ornamental gardens of a park and for the longer courses the complex paths of the North Bay cliffs. The planners made the most of the interesting bits allowing very little let up in concentration.
Monday was a “parkland sprint” in the South Bay area but again the description undersells it. A maze of meandering paths make their way down the cliffs with steep flights of steps cutting across them. Also on the slope is an Italian sunken garden, a rose garden and pavilion buildings built into the hillside, not to mention the seafront and beach. Not often do you get 100m of ascent in a 2.1km “park” course. Great fun!
Best results of the weekend came from Stella (1st overall in W70) and Judy (1st overall in W75)
Results and Routegadget here
The following weekend (5th/ 6th September) offered a choice – head north to the INVOC (Inverness) Eagle Weekend, or south to the Northern Champs weekend near Halifax organised by EPOC.
The Eagle weekend provided huge variety, with an Urban in NW Inverness, a Middle in wooded, low dunes near Nairn and a (very) Classic at Glen Affric. The last of these is the one that will remain longest in the memory – Glen Affric is a beautiful, virtually pathless area of ancient Caledonian pine forest. The orienteering is very testing both navigationally and physically with many finishers commenting that even though they’d hardly run any of it they were shattered, though of course the young elite types could be seen bounding through the knee[deep heather and tussocks like deer. It probably fair to say that the small BL contingent were there more for the experience than for top placings.
Results and Routegadget here
The Northern Champs weekend was made up of the championship event on the Saturday and a Middle Distance on the Sunday, both on Langfield Common. The area is described as “classic south Pennine terrain, with intricate gritstone features, deep cloughs and open moorland”. Two BL members made the podium for the Northern Champs – Keith 3rd in M65 and Christine 3rd in W70
Results and Routegadget here
Now as autumn approaches, the last remain “summer” event (astronomically even if not meteorologically) is the annual “Coast and Islands” week. This year it’s on Coll, an island 12 miles long and 4 miles wide to the northwest of Mull. Six BL members are among the 200 or so orienteers who will more than double the island’s normal population. Look out for website updates
Border Liners Orienteering Club 