TD5 near London?

[David May]

(My) controller's comments for yesterday's Leith Hill event included "Leith Hill wasn’t chosen for the World Cup Middle race for nothing! Now (thanks to the new map) the intricate parts can be used, it has become the only area in the South East having level 5 (the highest) technical difficulty and is, in my view, one of the most technically challenging areas in Britain."

This got me thinking. Up until recently, we've been admitting that there's no TD5 terrain in the South East and this is probably true of the South Central, East Anglia and much of the Midlands (E and W) areas too. So, apart from Leith Hill, where's the next nearest TD5 terrain to London?

David

PS I'm not talking about terrain which has the odd TD5 leg but land which can sustain this level over much of the race.

[awk]

I've never been there, not even seen a map, but somebody once said Woburn Sands was TD5.

I always felt a fair chunk of Epping Forest was TD5: it may not have large swathes of complex contours, but the nature of the area is very much one that satisfies all the other criteria, particularly where the visibility is low.

[Marco Polo]

The world cup on Leith Hill looked to be technically very tough, and I wondered what it was that marked out leith Hill from other areas in the south east with similar geology, vegetation types etc. Looking at the maps, I think it is the former quarried areas on top, and more to the point that they were mapped in an accurate and detailed manner. If they were not, would the possibillities for TD5 legs have been reduced? If that's the case, are there areas SC/SE/EA/ that could benefit from more detailed mapping?

Mark

[SeanC]

I'm not sure how you define TD5, but half of Westerham Chart near Sevenoaks has complex contours caused by old mine workings. The complex area is not as big as at Leith Hill but with electronic punching you can get most of a long course in the complex area.

Incidentally we are having a Regional Event at Westerham on the 6th March.

Most of the technically difficult areas to the South East of London are old mine workings. Most are only small patches, which makes Leith Hill and Westerham unusual.

[distracted]

Looking at the maps, I think it is the former quarried areas on top, and more to the point that they were mapped in an accurate and detailed manner. If they were not, would the possibillities for TD5 legs have been reduced?

I don't think it would have been fair to use the former mine workings if they hadn't been remapped - as a comparison there is an old version (1998) of the Leith Hill map that you can see here - in actual fact I don't think you can compare the two versions. Looks like there is a similar part on the Eastern spur as well - potential to remap that part as well?

[Guest]

But is Leith TD5?

Agree there are complex parts, and the 1:7500 mapping makes it easier to use them.

But:
- very few places are more than perhaps 150m from a path;
- most controls can be found via short-distance compass & pacing from an attack point;
- there are nearly always catching features beyond the control site; and
- errors don't result in large time losses.

TD4.

[mharky]

technical difficulty has got nothing to do with leg distance has it? i thought it was just about how technical it was. and leith is diffinetly TD5

[awk]

But is Leith TD5? Agree there are complex parts, and the 1:7500 mapping makes it easier to use them.
But:
- very few places are more than perhaps 150m from a path;
- most controls can be found via short-distance compass & pacing from an attack point;
- there are nearly always catching features beyond the control site; and
- errors don't result in large time losses.

TD4.

No, definitely TD5. It satisfies that on the complex contour definition alone, which is sufficiently large to have a sustained section rather than just the odd leg.

[Gandralf]

I think we have our Start Weekend on that area in the Spring so it has to be good.

My Mum twisted her ankle and hurt her knee and my brother retired from his course on Sunday.

Off the top of my head I think of Winterfold as a good area but possibly not TD5

[rob f]

I think we have our Start Weekend on that area in the Spring so it has to be good.

My Mum twisted her ankle and hurt her knee and my brother retired from his course on Sunday.

Off the top of my head I think of Winterfold as a good area but possibly not TD5

Sorry no, winterfold i doubt has a TD5 feature. However, it is a pleasure to run at, and offers some intresting route choice options.

And while we rage about TD5, surely that means that large areas of the forest of dean are, e.g the scowles in lydney

[graeme]

No, definitely TD5. It satisfies that on the complex contour definition alone, which is sufficiently large to have a sustained section rather than just the odd leg.

If you only need one definition then any sufficiently badly mapped area is TD5 according to the "Errors can result in large time loss" and "recognition of indistinct features" criteria.

Graeme

[Guest]

But I assume it means errors on the part of the competitior- not the mapper or planner

[NeilC]

Some of the legs within the student accommodation block at Surrey University must have been TD2 according to the guidelines. In the context of the race though, probably some of the most technical orienteering I've done in the SE.