GRAMP District Event - Forvie

Forvie lies on the coast to the north of Aberdeen and is a National Nature Reserve managed by Scottish Natural Heritage. Permission to use such a sensitive area for todays event was, in part, due to a Monitoring Report (produced by the Scottish Orienteering Association) which provides event organisers with guidelines on how to minimise the environmental impact of their courses on the area. The efforts of all concerned gave access to a beautiful area with fantastic contour detail, which; on a wonderfully warm autumn day, provided one of the most memorable events of the year!

I ran the Blue (second longest!) course which was 6.6k with 15 controls.

Results.
Splits.
RouteGadget.


Map with my course.



Map with my route.

MAROC District Event - Inchmarnoch

Deeside was at its autumnal best, with the golden leaves of the birches contrasting wonderfully with the dark green of the scots pine needles. The event used Inchmarnoch on the south side of the River Dee for some courses and Cambus O'May (to the north of the Dee) for others. Both are wonderful areas - rough, tough and technical!

I ran the Brown course which was in Inchmarnoch and which was 7.4k with 220m of climb and 16 controls. It was also the first half of a Long O which, following a 2k run along a cycle path, concluded with the Blue course on Cambus O'May.

Results.
Splits.
RouteGadget.

Map with my course.



Map with my route.

BASOC Middle Distance and District Events - Inshriach South

SATURDAY, OCTOBER 06, 2007 - Middle Distance Event - Inshriach South

Inshriach South is pine forest on an area of complex moraine and with fine autumnal weather, is a fantastic place to spend a weekend!

The middle distance course was 4.8k with 13 controls.

Results.
Splits.
RouteGadget.

Map with my course.



Map with my route.





SUNDAY, OCTOBER 07, 2007 - District Event - Inshriach

I ran the Brown course (with a contour only map) which was 7.7k with 275m of climb and 20 controls.

Results.
Splits.
RouteGadget.

Map with my course.



Map with my route.

FVO SOL 6 - Dumyat

Wallace Monument with Dumyat behind.



Jon Cross and Mark Holliday (both FVO) at the pre-start.



Trevor Hoey planned some really good courses that made the most of Dumyat, a small hill on the western fringe of the Ochils. The courses were physical, but posed some good technical challenges which caught quite a few people out! The settings for both start and finish were at the top of crags in Yellowcraig Wood and gave fantastic views. Good weather also helped contribute to a really enjoyable event.

M50L was 7.1k with 350m of climb and 19 controls.

Results.
WinSplits.
RouteGadget.

Map with my course.



Map with my route.

TAY 11 Person Relay - Kinnoull Hill Woodland Park

This years 11 Person Relay took place at Kinnoull Hill on the outskirts of Perth and was won by Edinburgh University. I ran third leg for FVO which was (a Green course) 4.6k with 205m of climb and 16 controls.

Relay results.
Results.
Splits.

Map with my course.



Map with my route.

INVOC District Event - Dallaschyle

Dallaschyle is located east of Inverness, near Cawdor Castle; and was used for the World Championships in 1999. Unfortunately, recent felling has adversely affected the area; but it still provides good and in places, very technical, orienteering. I ran the Brown course which was 8.0k with 250m of climb and 23 controls, and which was won by Ewan McCarthy of BASOC.

Results.
Splits.

Map with my course.



Map with my route.

BASOC District Event - Inveruglas

Inveruglas is south west of, and overlaps with, Inshriach West - Day 3 of Spey 2007 - STV video taken that day. Visibility is low throughout and the area is quite hard going, especially after all the rain that has fallen in the last 48 hours! I ran the Brown course which was 8.0k with 265m of climb and 17 controls. I missed out number 7, only realising as I neared number 9, but was too tired (- after a hard weeks training checking paths at work!) to go back for it.

Results.
Splits.
RouteGadget.

Map with my course.



Map with my route.

MAROC SOL 5 - Birsemore Hill

View from the car park.



Birsemore Hill is a new orienteering area - "the best new area in Britain in 2007" according to mapper Jon Musgrave. Planner, Sarah Dunn, made the most of the area and produced some really interesting and technically demanding courses.

M50L was 6.9k with 350m of climb and 20 controls.

Results.
Splits.
RouteGadget.

Map with my course.



Map with my route.

GRAMP District Event - Crathes

Crathes Castle.



Former training partner, Doug Guy, planned some really good courses with legs of varying length, changes of direction, route choice and tricky, but fair, control sites.

I ran the Brown course which was 8.1k with 160m of climb and 20 controls. Found the forest quite rough and really struggled to find a rhythm.

Results.
Splits.
RouteGadget.

Map with my course.



Map with my route.

Jamie Stevenson Trophy - Faskally

The Jamie Stevenson Trophy is an inter-club competition for Scottish juniors. This years competition was held in the woodlands at Faskally, near Pitlochry. FVO juniors performed admirably, just beating MAROC by a single point, to take the trophy.

I ran around the Green (longest) course after the juniors had run and took 37 minutes for the 4.0k course with 22 controls.

Results.
Splits.
RouteGadget.

Map with my course.



Map with my route.

Training - Moor of Alvie and Speybank

The view from Speybank looking towards Inshriach and the Cairngorms.





Moor of Alve and Speybank is a delightful mix of pine forest and birch woodland growing on moraines. I drove to Speyside to look at some ski boots and bindings (Scarpa Terminator X and Rottefella NTN) that I'm thinking about buying for next season and decided to go for an easy training run whilst there - the first for a week because of a cold!

I ran 6.2k with 18 controls.

Map with course.