SOL double header

[andypat]

I know theres been a bit of discussion on the SOA site about the pros and cons of a SOL on a Saturday and a Sunday when we are used to 7 distinct events, but i have to say i really enjoyed the weekend. Two challenging but very different areas at Coull, near Aboyne, and Forvie on the coast with the complex sand dunes.

Coull was a fantastic place to run with really good visibility pine forest and surprisingly good underfoot with the brashings cleared. Forvie today very tough running (I thought)and challenging (enjoyably so) on the navigation front.

I'd be interested to hear how some of the faster runners managed on the terrain? I landed on my face at least half a dozen times and three of these were a foot down hidden holes - poss rabbit holes as there were a few. Probably lucky I am a bit velocitally challenged or maybe done something serious to myself.

Overall preferred Coull as simply couldnt get running on Forvie but suspect I'd be in the minority on that?

[mappingmum]

I landed on my face at least half a dozen times

Me too - but only 3 times.

I thought the stuff on the SOA website was a storm in a tea cup. A lot the arguments against a double header weekend were tenuous and could have equally been used to support the opposite view point.

Interesting marsh on the way to 1. I wish I had gone round.

Good weekend. Very tricky orienteering. Lots of things to improve on, the most important being NOTto leave your compass in the car.

[andypat]

Me too about the marsh!

[graeme]

I think it is helpful to have a public discussion about new developments.

Personally, I thought it was a really good weekend, I thoroughly enjoyed both days, and may well not have bothered for either as a stand-alone. The reasons for a double header in this case seem well-made. This seemed to be the general viewpoint, though I heard some whinging about the map on day 2 (veg and paths).

Interesting marsh on the way to 1. I wish I had gone round.

Yes, it was a bit harsh on people who hadn't been there before, because you had to commit before seeing the allegedly crossible marsh. It really should have been mentioned in the details (along with the non-standard contour interval, the fact that the map was two years out of date in which time the vegetation and some of the major tracks have become completely useless for navigation).

[superstartradesman]

I didn't go to Coull (nothing to do with memories of a horrendous M11 course at Deeside '83) but Forvie was great fun, although really tough going.

And Routegadget confirmed afterwards that I wasn't completely to blame for messing up #9 on Blue. The most prominent hill round there looks like it is missing an index contour

[andypat]

You are right about the missing index countour SST. Although i tend to have the opposite problem in that sort of terrain. My brain thinks anything with an index contour should be substantially bigger than it sometimes is on the ground. Whereas it may only be 2m higher than the surrounding area!

[graeme]

The best mappers seem to be aware of this, note how around the index contours Jon uses a lot of form lines for small knolls, which elsewhere on the map are more often full contours. This removes the problem that an index contour knoll appears "bigger".

Whereas it may only be 2m higher than the surrounding area!

Might be only 2cm...

[Bin Man Pete]

In case anybody's interested, the Forvie map has 2m contour intervals becasue it is based on a (quite old) PG plot made by (I think) Glasgow University for non-O purposes but came into SOA (and then Gramp's) possession. The decision was (rightly I think given the cost of a new plot at 2.5m) to use the existing plot. Hope this didn't spoil anyone's day.

I must say having run on Sunday and spent a lot of time this last year planning on a sand-dune area mapped at 2.5m, I can't say it really made any difference to me.

Comments about the veg/paths are accepted albeit that the latter was alluded to in the final details for the event but then who ever reads them (threads passim)?

[Scott]

There's nothing wrong with having an unusual contour interval occasionally, as anybody who's ever run on Brill will attest .