Dick Keighley summed up the week: "...Currently sitting in my B & B in Cromarty waiting for the rain to stop, which it appears to be doing, having spent the morning writing up minutes of the BOF TrailO Committee, which we held in the bar tent at the 6 Days campsite, thus saving BOF hundreds of pounds in travelling expenses, conference rooms booking fees etc.
... It was a splendid week, despite two wet days (Day 1 Lossie - torrential rain. I didn't get out of my tent all morning & didn't go to the event, discretion being the better part of valour) and Day 4 (heavy drizzle etc), Otherwise weather splendid last week (and indeed this).
There were around 20 WIM orienteers who took part, including 2 Warrens, 4 Frenchs, 3 Branfords, Nikki Crawford, Richard Brightman, 2 Smiths, 2 Crosses, Keith Henderson, Steve M, Jo Pickering & Becca Ellis & Sue Hands. I think that Keith Henderson and Barbara Warren were our most successful performers.
Jane & Frazer Smith, and Jo Pickering, Becca Ellis and Steve Mallison joined me on the excellent campsite, otherwise everyone else seemed to have rented houses, cottages etc. The Warrens had a huge modern house, shared with Alison and Andy, to which we were all invited after Thursdays event..."
View photographs by Chris Branford and Stephen Mallison on Flickr
If only...!
Another week in Scotland - Moray 2013
We had a wonderful week at the Scottish 6 days. Instead of the steep slopes, thick brashings,deep marshes and high craggy mountains which we usually encounter, the week was predominantly on runnable lightly wooded sand dunes.
There were 20 entries from WIM. The club tent was pitched alongside the run in almost every day, greatly appreciated and a source of encouraging yells on the approach to the finish. The first question to returning runners was invariably 'How did you get on?' and I found myself repeatedly saying 'O.K. But too slow, and it would have been better IF ONLY!
Day 1 at Lossie – IF ONLY I had really remembered that the map was 1:7500.
Day 2 at Carse of Adersier – IF ONLY I had realised that the greeny blue patch on the map surrounding the knoll I wanted was a marsh, not woodland.
Day 3 at Culbin – Complex contours towards the end of the course were no problem.
IF ONLY I hadn't overshot the easy ones near the start.
Day 4 at Loch of Boath – It rained and I'm sure that there was a snag somewhere-
IF ONLY I could remember!
Day 5 at RoseIsle – IF ONLY I had noticed that there was a bridge over a very deep ditch less than 100m from the start and hadn't slavishly stuck to the compass bearing ending up looking at the flag only 5 m away but on the other side of, for me, an uncrossable ditch.
A long way round brought glimpses of the sea as some compensation and the delicious wild raspberries were too tempting to ignore!
Day 6 at Coulmony – There was a giant TV screen in the assembly area showing scenes from the forest and my route took me straight past the tower with the TV crew and cameras. IF ONLY I hadn't tried to avoid the filming I wouldn't have messed up an obvious re-entrant nearby.
Assorted other IF ONLY situations include IF ONLY I hadn't fallen over so often, IF ONLY I could run a bit more, IF ONLY I had concentrated on the map instead of admiring the scenery, IF ONLY I hadn't lost so much sleep watching deer in the garden at 3 or 4 am etc.
Many WIM members were well placed in large and competitive classes and in particular I congratulate Keith Henderson who was 3rd overall in M70L. It might sound impressive to say that I came second overall until you know that there were only 4 of us in W75S. At the prize giving Keith and I were given mugs with 'Moray 2013' on them and sticks of rock with Moray 2013 all the way through. (I presume!)
Age and health permitting I expect to take part in 'Highland 2015' in the company of many WIM's and I hope none of us will need to say 'IF ONLY..........'
Barbara Warren
Day 5
Day 2 - Carse of Ardersier
Photos by Wendy Carlyle
A Scottish Summer - Moray 2013
Picture yourself on a white sandy beach backed by fragrant pine woods, a calm azure sea reflects a cloudless sky with distant blue mountains on the horizon. Is it a desert island,the south of France or the Med? No, this is the Moray Firth coast east of Inverness and you are actually running a leg on course 20 on day 5 of Moray 2013.
This year some 20 WIMs made the 600 mile trip north to spend a week competing with almost 3000 other orienteers from all over the world in the bi-annual Scottish 6 Day event. Barbara and I have been to all but one of these events since they started in 1977 which has meant a regular holiday in some magnificent locations in many parts of Scotland.
One of the special attractions this year was that 4 of the days were to be on the wooded dunes that fringe the south side of the Moray Firth and we were not disappointed.
Highly detailed 1:7500 maps showed masses of brown wiggly lines but happily relatively little dark green or undergrowth. The other two days were on more 'normal' Scottish terrain with wooded hills, rocks,crags but not too many brashings.
The event infrastructure was first rate. A large campsite was provided at Brodie Castle,for a detailed report talk to Dick, Jo or Becca. The car parks were invariably in flat firm fields and event information was always on hand with a daily 'News Sheet' given out as you arrived at the car park. Assembly was never far from the cars and it was great to walk round soaking up the atmosphere and hearing many foreign languages as people pitched their club tents and created a sea of waving multicoloured banners round the finish run in and event admin. The News sheet had a personal column and WIM featured on two days with Barbara and I celebrating our Golden Wedding and Chris and Lynn their 40th anniversary during the week.
The club tent and banner were a natural daily focus with animated pre and post race conversations the norm. We had runners in a wide range of classes from M/W 21 to M/W 75 as well as Colour Coded and a very creative and attractive String Course and I believe that everyone felt that they had been thoroughly tested during the week.
There were 41 courses with 4 start locations so you had to be clued up before starting what could be a walk of up to 2.8k to your start. The actual start procedure was perfectly normal although we all had start times and were wearing race numbers so all too soon it was--'Pick up your map. Make sure that you have the right course' and you were away.
Sand dunes have masses of 'brown' features knolls,pits,depressions,spurs,re-entrants and with clusters of controls together with a large number of other runners. Intense concentration was vital because relocation could be a nightmare!. It was a case of trying to balance speed with your ability to read and interpret the often highly complex map, frequently without the assistance of line features. Occasionally some courses reached the beach but it was mostly running through runnable open pine forest trying to tick off the pattern of parallel sand ridges that are such a feature of much of the area.
The inland 2 days were just as challenging with complex bumps and humps in fairly open forest with few line features. The woodland had a mostly grassy floor and the marshes being well mapped were a godsend in trying to keep on line between controls. One unusual feature of day 6 was a timed crossing of a main road with traffic lights and a time allowance of 5 mins. for just over 100m. It was wise to pause here and regroup before the second part of the course. Eventually you reached the final control and summoned up energy for a 'sprint' up the finish lane to encouraging shouts and cheers from the WIM tent.
The event website listed all times up the finish lane on all days!
Results processing was very efficient and printed copies were quickly displayed to attract an increasingly animated crowd of competitors discussing experiences. Of course modern technology meant that our exploits were known to WIMs who had stayed at home almost before we ourselves knew them.
The 6 Days always has a rest day on Wednesday, but the term 'rest' is for many a misnomer. Wednesday was the day of the Sprint Urban Race in Lossiemouth which was heavily oversubscribed and I know of at least one competitor who travelled to Fort William and climbed Ben Nevis! We went for a scenic drive to relive memories of Grantown on Spey before heading for the sunny and scenic coastal fishing villages where paddling in rock pools was a relaxing option.
One of the WIM traditions at a Scottish 6 Day is to have an informal club get together at someone's holiday house and this year Barbara and I enjoyed having all the WIM contingent to tea at our rather palatial house,which happened to be sited right in the middle of the competition area for day 6. No help at all! It was also only 5 k from the day 4 event and as it was raining everyone enjoyed the indoor luxury of comfortable seats,tea and cakes. Unfortunately one WIM made a 180 deg error on leaving the event car park and arrived for tea just after everyone else had left! Orienteering is sometimes likened to motor rallying on foot so it is quite easy to make a route choice error in a car!
Most of the week was blessed with brilliantly sunny weather (with two exceptions one of which was truly awful) and it was a case of slapping on sun cream before going out on a course for most of the week. All too soon it was the last day and the final placing in the league which had run all week with cumulative results from each day. I think that everyone made a special effort to sprint down the downhill, user friendly finish lane as shown by some very fast splits and also because the organisers were trialling a large screen TV with cameras at the start, in the forest and at the finish.
So the event reached its conclusion with some setting off for the long drive home, whilst other stayed on for the prize giving where WIM had podium places for Keith Henderson 3rd in M70L and Barbara who was second in W75S.
After a night in Elgin we headed west to stay on Skye for 3 nights before taking the easy way home. Drive to Inverness, fly to Bristol and drive home across the Mendips.
In 2 years time the Scottish 6 Days ( Highland 2015) is once again centred round Inverness but also integrated with the World Orienteering Champs which GB last hosted in 1999. I hope that I have whetted you appetite to be there. We certainly hope to be!
John Warren
Sprint at Lossiemouth
Photos by Chris Branford
Frenches 1 and 2 enjoying the RAF exhibits in Lossiemouth
Moray 2013 – String Courses
by Grace and Alice French (Aged 5½ and 2½)
When you are dragging two small children to a Scottish 6 Day you have to encourage them with the prospect of doing an exciting string course, with a prize at the end, each day. Fortunately both girls were excited about coming to Scotland and participating on the string courses, and they have not been disappointed.
Grace (along with her friend Charlotte) wanted to see how quickly they could do them, whilst Alice was much more interested in taking her time and playing with anything and everything along the way.
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Alice was not disappointed on Day 3 and Day 5 where there was so much to keep her occupied, that Grace was waiting for up to 30 minutes at the finish but at least she had a lollipop to keep her happy. The time delay was also compounded by numerous potty stops (potty training started 2 weeks ago)!!
Day 3 at Culbin had a party theme and at each control there was some sort of game or activity to do, Alice would have happily played in the sand with the bucket and spade at Control 1 all afternoon. With much encouragement I persuaded her that we needed to see all the exciting things along the rest of the course that included Darts, Noughts and Crosses, Golf, Hoops and Bubbles.
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Day 5 at Kinloss had a flying theme (understandably) and along the route we bumped into Noddy, Thomas the Tank Engine and Harold the Helicopter, Whinnie the Pooh and a balloon (that popped whilst we were at the control), Dumbo and many more. We were out on the course for 47 mins (almost as long as the Elite Runners), but Alice had fun and was rewarded on her efforts with the much deserved lolly which she quickly devoured. We were also treated to a double low-level fly past of the RAF search and rescue helicopter.
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The last day was themed ‘Room with a Broom’ and was on a particularly hilly position. Grace sped off in front whilst Alice looked at all the pictures and objects at each control site. She walked every course with no complaints and neither child seemed to mind being dragged to 6 orienteering events, but I am sure that will come in a few years time!
Day 6 - Coulmony and Belivat
Congratulations to Keith Henderson, 3rd overall in M70L
