Trail-O

[Jayne]

Is there a list of trail-o events anywhere? After doing the British and another in Porto this weekend (and being injured) I'd like another go. It's frustrating!

[AndyC]

I believe John Crosby is holding a Temp-O coaching session at one of NATO's club nights in June -not that it helps you

[AnneH]

The rest day at Moray 6 Days . Pre-enter at http://www.scottish6days.com/2013

There are very few trailO events in Britain. Following on from WTOC2012 we're trying to get more going in Scotland, to start with as short 'tasters' as an add on to regular events.

[Oldman]

There used to be the ability to search the BOF fixtures list for TrailO, but that feature was removed some time ago, I believe. However, there are very few TrailO events being put on except the major ones (JK, British Champs). Some clubs are experimenting with the idea of having a few TrailO controls en route to the start at FootO events, and others with making TrailO a small part of summer events or activities, but I know no way of finding out whether there are any such events coming up.

Perhaps you should contact Dick Keighley at trailocommitteechair@britishorienteering.org.uk to see if he can help further.

[yted]

Top class trail O at the White Rose around the wonderful Gilling Castle (Sunday only as there's a wedding there on the Saturday!).

[Copepod]

By chance, I had my first ever experience of trying trail-O last night, at a WAOC club night. Not that you'd have known from club website that it was offered at Wandlebury Country Park on 15th May - see http://www.waoc.org.uk/n.humphries/waoc/clubnights.php (until yesterday, it just mentioned score courses). Fortunately, I'm on club email list, so decided to turn up.

As I wrote to members of WAOC runners email group: "Trail-O last night at Wandlebury was worth doing - a well organised introduction, with hand outs to read and opportunity to ask questions of Anne Braggins, Bruce Marshal and another man I didn't know were loitering along the trail to help if you asked at the 6 decision points, answer / explantion sheet given afterwards. Still, not very energetic (I know that's the point), so was glad that I cycled both ways. I didn't want to do score in my workplace (well, one of my workplaces), so good to have a new experience instead. However, I'll be sticking with running / foot orienteering for many years yet, I hope "

Previously, my only knowledge of trail-O was seeing a course being used at a NATO event at Gibside Estate, Gateshead, 26 Nov 2006, when I did a Green - there are some advantages to saving & filing maps!

[AndyC]

Unfortunately we have access difficulties at Gibside (they don't want anyone to leave the paths -rather limits to TD2 ish) so that one is unlikely to be repeated (and I was there in 2006)

[Copepod]

Shame about Gibside - presumably National Trust restrictions on going off paths?

That was a good event - but then all areas in NE are good compared to what we have in East Anglia. However, we make the best of what we have. It made me appreciate my year working based at Newcastle Uni / fieldwork mainly with Gateshead residents all the more, and it was good to be able to car share with NUOC members to events outside city.

Surely NT would allow trail-O at Gibside again, though, as only people placing flags need to leave paths? But I guess it's difficult to attract enough people unless you can offer a full range of TDs as well as trail-O.

[AndyC]

and the fact the map would need significant update -difficult to do without Foot-O to justify the costs.
From memory they also wanted orienteers to either be NT members or pay the standard admission fee on top of the orienteering cost - ends up very expensive for a Level D event

I actually had a chat with an NT official at the Facilities Show yesterday in which access costs were mentioned

[Copepod]

Guess it depends on whether the admission fee is for all grounds.

In WAOC land, Wimpole Park is an NT property, but there's no entry fee for most of the grounds, and the areas which do have entry fees are formal gardens, so marked as "settlement" and not used for orienteering. Similarly, no need for entry fees for Hatfield Forest in SOS and Ickworth Park in SUFFOC. Always good to get a lift with a NT member to save parking costs

[Ravinous]

See latest issue of CompassSport just out for an idea that Southdowns ran on a club night to get some TrailO into their calendar.
I am disgusted (of TW) that the BOF fixtures calendar has tick boxes for most things (MTBO, Refreshments, Dogs, ....) but not Trail-O. However, it does say Wheelchair friendly so I would imagine TrailO events are likely to be Wheelchair friendly...
But if BOF is the governing body of British TrailO it should certainly be promoting it more with it's own tick box!

If you fancy Swedish TrailO (called PreO and perhaps the biggest calendar for the discipline in the world), go to Eventor (the Swedish Fixture list - click on English) and choose TrailO under discipline. They have 60 odd ranking events a year plus smaller ones. http://eventor.orientering.se/Events?st ... ines=Trail
Understandably, they have some of the most successful Trail Orienteers in the World.
You can do it at O-ringen but they don't make it easy to do the FootO as well.

[charles2]

I was at the WAOC clubnight too and it was good to have another go at Trail-O, thanks Anne & Bruce.

The only other Trail-O I have done is a permanent course (administered by NT) at Tarn Hows in the Lake District. If you are ever there go ask the NT person in the car park for a map (two levels of difficulty A, B, C only and A, B, C & Z). It makes the walk round the tarn even more interesting.

Any other permanent Trail-O courses around?

[andy]

As a fairly keen orienteer (who is more an orienteer than a runner) I would LOVE to try trailO but it's simply not integrated into events anywhere near well enough. SOA have done very well with a few events having a 'preO' attached, but even then it's not been marketed well enough to get many people excited about it. BOF/TrailO are missing a trick here by not trying to capture its biggest potential market.

[Jayne]

Andy,

It'd never replace running around for me but if you've got a geeky maths brain and like puzzles I've found you can be quite good at it (at least so far!) plus it's frustrating and therefore, for me, addictive.

Just need to get it to help my actual orienteering.

Jayne

[Sloop]

There are 3 permanent Trail-O courses in Greater Manchester.
Bowlee, Strinesdale and Dove Stone.
See www.gmoa.org.uk