SOL 1

[Gross]

Nowt wrong with Loch Ard... many a fun day had there And even remember putting controls out in the 'right place' but the wrong block

[Becks]

My Big Jon, you must be getting soft in your old age!

[Big Jon]

yes Becks, soft ohysically and mentally - I just didn't enjoy following "gaps" in green blocks - a bit too like street O but with the added fun of spruce branches, brashings etc. Not very technical nor nice running.

[DaveR]

I'm clearly going a bit soft as well (although I was never as hard as Jon ).

I go orienteering for fun, and I do not find that long hacking through green forest and brashings fun.

[mappingmum]

White was hard (for white). Tough underfoot for the smaller ones and tough technically for those just starting out solo. But perhaps that is indicative of the area because after thinking that, I searched for better options with dfferent starts and nothing jumped out.

On short green, between controls 4 -> 5 the red line needed either cutting near 5 or offsetting east as the northern bit of the red line obscured the most obvious and direct route option.

Apart from that, it felt like street-O in the forest. Look forward to going back when I will know what to expect.

[campervan]

Thought the white was ok, maybe a bit of a challenge, but the yellow was more like a TD3.
Anyway, the blue course was good. Lots of it was really well planned, with decisions having to be made very early in the legs. It exposed the limitations of my usual technique of set the map on a bearing as you approach the control, exit, and then make up the next leg as you go along.
How much do you good guys plan the next leg before you reach the control?

[andypat]

I enjoyed the event at Auchingarrich although like others I needed a hefty dose of tcp on my wounds afterwards. I did blue and felt it was a stern test of route choice which needed constant concentration. As maps go its a fairly intimidating looking one with all the green and I was one of those who felt maybe a 1:7500 map would have allowed me to see the detail better. I did struggle to find some of the "ways through" and did find myself in the green a few times searching for them.

On the subject of the long orange I had a look at the course on route gadget and I think that course is totally unsuitable for adult novices. In my experience orienteers seem to have an inate tendency to forget how hard this sport actually is (why do we think it is acceptable to have maps with no key these days???). I found this definition of novice online:

"One who is new in any business, profession, or calling; one unacquainted or unskilled; one yet in the rudiments; a beginner"

As the planner has pointed out, TD3 requires some relatively advanced skills which would not necessarily be apparent in the true novice. Someone above has suggested a white or yellow may be taxing enough. Having said that I think the planner has also realised that the long orange at Auchingarrich had some controls which were harder than TD3, and that in some quite daunting terrain.

I think the planner has taken some good points from the DNFs etc which should help going forward. My main concern would be if true novice orienteers continue to be directed to courses which cause them to be out for 2 hours plus, they simply wont come back.

[campervan]

Yep, TCP on the arms here too.
I did look at the Compass-sport van and wondered about putting bramble-bashers on me arms before I went out.
Would recommend it for next time.

[EddieH]

Well BigJon, Loch Ard was once (before the chainsaws got in) my absolute favourite venue

I'm not so keen on deep grass in high visibility larch where you can't see where your feet are going to land.

[angusmunros]

white, yellow and light green were all too difficult for the ages of children that are primarily completing these courses! My children who are 6,8,10 and 13 attempted these courses but found the yellow and light green too hard and failed to complete their courses - this has affected their confidence and they are now reluctant to do these courses by themselves! In future it would be good if when planning courses people could remember who they are aiming the courses at.

[SeanC]

Whilst I sympathise, some good advice someone gave me a while back was that parents should check the maps to check that the standard isn't harder than that normally expected for that colour. Perhaps organisers can make this more common practise by encouraging parents/teachers to check the courses?

Obviously this only works when parents have some orienteering experience themselves.

[greywolf]

I wasn't there, so can only judge from Routegadget, which isn't always entirely accurate (e.g. maybe some of the legs were taped) but the IMHO white / yellow / orange / long orange all look too difficult. As the hardest leg defines the TD of the course I would say the White and Yellow are both TD3 (= Orange) while Orange & Long orange are TD4. I reckon the Long Orange is harder than some alleged TD5 courses elsewhere...

There is a series of excellent guidance notes for planners for these courses on the BOF website ( http://www.britishorienteering.org.uk/d ... ntinfo.php and scroll down to Planners Info)

For White:
The route should be all along tracks and paths (or a taped route), with no route choice, including at the start banner, with a control at every decision point, and avoiding danger points (cliffs, rivers, big deep marshes)

For Yellow:
The route should be all along obvious line features such as tracks, paths, fences, walls, rivers, large ditches and very distinct vegetation boundaries (e.g. forest / open land), (or a taped route) with no route choice, avoiding danger points and no more than 2 decision points per leg, and controls, where not on line features should be clearly visible from them.

Orange
At this level a bit more navigation & route choice is introduced - corner cutting, short cuts through terrain between line features. Contour features can be used as control sites, but not for navigation. The basic shape of the course will normally follow distinct line features, to make relocation easy. Controls should either be on line features, or on prominent point or contour features which can easily be found from an attack point on a line feature close to the control. A route along line features to the attack point should be possible.

Long Orange (what used to be Red) should be at the same technical difficulty as Orange, just longer (d'oh). If planned properly these two courses are suitable for adult novices, with runners doing the longer option.

It is very difficult to keep to level standards when terrain varies so much across the country - but basically if the terrain doesn't allow a white course then don't have one.

Sean C: It's true that parents should take the opportunity to check white and yellow courses (and talk them through with their children if necessary) beforehand, but there's not usually the opportunity with Orange, Lt Green etc. On the other hand, younger children probably shouldn't be sent out on Lt Green unless they are pretty competent orienteers

[graeme]

parents should check the maps to check that the standard isn't harder than that normally expected for that colour.

Implication - parents who haven't been to the forest will have a better idea than the planner and controller who have?

And since SOL1 is preentered, what are you meant to do anyway?

"Sorry kid it looks too hard why don't you just go play in the woods instead?"

[mharky]

Now I'm one for "manning-up" but those courses are seriously rock-hard, I wouldn't have been able to finish any of them, but I was a soft southerner when I was that young...

[SeanC]

Graeme, I'm not suggesting parents checking the map is an alternative to good planning or controlling, but an additional check in case the courses are harder than expected. It's going to happen from time to time. Yes, in the worst case parents might choose to shadow the junior, or take them off the course if that's better than getting demoralised on a course that's too hard.

I thought it was a good tip someone gave me But it's not something I've seen organisers encouraging.

Never been to a SOL. One day hopefully.