101 Maps not to run on before you die

[DaveK]

No it was one of Timothy Pont's......

http://maps.nls.uk/pont/

Now, there was someone who knew how to draw an orienteering map.

[Marco Polo]

In defence of Northants orienteering there are at least two excellent areas there - the small but perfectly formed Twywell Hills and Dales (SMOC), and Irchester Country Park (WAOC) which is a little larger.

Just to say that Irchester is a LEIOC area, but agree well worth the trip if you find an event planned for the areas.

The next scheduled event at Irchester is July 1st 2012 - level D. It's worth saying that in previous years Irchester has been very runnable even in mid summer.

[HOCOLITE]

Have read this thread with interest as areas mentioned have evoked memories:
Llyn Elsi Steep but not too bad
Dunalistar The worst place I've been too Bracken and horriblr tussocky hence no JK this year.
Kidnalls not the worst The Delves now abandoned must have been the worst
In our clubs territory must be Kinver Million or Eyemore Woods.

I think in balance I would put up with some brambles but head high bracken all over and knee high tussocks are no no no.

[EddieH]

As I've pointed out before Dunalisair at Easter will bear no relation whatsoever to Dunalister in August.

Braken is particularly irrelevant as Scottish winters truly flatten it unlike in many English areas. Tussocky - not in general and again where it's tougher the grass will be flattened.

A highly technical area yes, and physical (it's Scotland) but it won't be as Hocolite describes.

[madmike]

I would like to add another map to the list of this thread:

Fosso dell'Aspro near to Bracciano north of Rome.

Llyn Elsi is now the 2nd worse, and by a huge distance, area that I have had the misfortune to run on.

I would also like to formally apologise to EBOR as I have described some of their areas as scrotty when I didn't really know what scrotty actually was like until today

Anyway I am now off to an appointment with some tweezers and a large bottle of dettol - I may be gone quite some time

[Becks]

Ha ha! Send them an e mail Mike!

[70plus]

The DEE area of Clocaenog Forest in N Wales in the same era was also largely a hands and knees crawl nightmare.

Just seen this thread ... I think you can all sleep soundly without worrying about Clocaenog. I mapped parts of it in the 1970s, but the forest had an attack of spruce beetle in the 80s and large parts were clear felled. I took another look recently and the whole place looks neglected - even some forest roads are overgrown, never mind the rest which is mostly impenetrable.

But about Llyn Elsi - I controlled there in '94, but I don't see Becks in the results nor in the marathon event of 97. I have controlled Gorddinan three times (87,95,00) and each time the tussocks were bigger because sheep were not keeping them down. By now the upper parts will be very unpleasant.

[Freefall]

Dunalistar The worst place I've been too Bracken and horriblr tussocky hence no JK this year.

You have one day left to enter. Eddie H is correct about the vegetation. I should re-iterate area you will run on bears no relation to where you might have been before. The parking area is several kilometres away from where you would have been before and the assembly/finish is adjacent to this. It's good enough for a WRE and we wouldn't risk embarrassment over staging such an event in a poor area. Surprise yourself. The other areas all all rather good too...

[pigweed]

The two must-do maps I'd add are Smallhanger Waste near Plymouth, for the complexity of the mineworkings and Isle Grand in the north of France. Both for novelty value.

Isle Grande, you have to wait for the tide to go out before the first start time as the islands used for some of the control sites are then accessible.

Smallhanger Waste is a must do for anybody that wants a complex technical challenge though unfortuneately your only chance left to enjoy this is to enter this year's Tamar Triple since these mine workings will be closed off and filled in afterwards for a spoil heap for a new quarry.

[EddieH]

Gorddinan I remembeer the first time I was tempted to go there. It was a typical Einar Ligema special - he mapped it (apparently with felt tips ) planned it and didmost of the organisation. I remember he wrote in the flyer that in some parts the area was so rough that "even the sheep don't go there". That was what enticed me to go, but I suspect deterred many many more. In the event the half of the area that wasn't rough was sub 5 minute k stuff so the courses turned out rather short.

[awk]

Foxley and Garnstone. A total bramblefest, and one I have no intention of returning to, especially given the level of entry fees for championships nowadays.

[70plus]

A total bramblefest, and one I have no intention of returning to,

Wentwood, 20 years ago. Do people still run there?

[DJM]

Foxley and Garnstone. A total bramblefest

Did we run in the same terrain? I came back without a scratch ... and I don't use gaiters either!

[awk]

Did we run in the same terrain? I came back without a scratch ... and I don't use gaiters either!

Same for OH - but her course was just an in and out along paths - no opportunity to do much more because of the brambles. I've got deep bramble gouges across my legs up to the upper thigh, and yet, according to the map, the 'worst' terrain I went in was supposedly no worse than slow running. And some of the worst brambles were mapped as white! Any thought that it might just be me was rapidly dismissed by several conversations (some just overheard!) within minutes of finishing.

[madmike]

A total bramblefest, and one I have no intention of returning to,

Wentwood, 20 years ago. Do people still run there?

Wasn't Wentwood a day during Croeso 2008?