Sunday 24th October 2021

Report by Jo Gleig

Distance- Depends on route you can do in 3 hours but with time penalties (points deducted) if you finish late.

The third Navigation Score Event in the series was very local, starting from near Totley pavilion and covering Totley Moor, White Edge Moor, Burbage and Longshaw. Jane Huws and I have done a few of these as a pair, but partly for the above reason, and partly so that Jane didn’t have to keep turning round exasperatedly waiting for me to pant up a hill, we opted to do this one separately. (Also, last time we ‘lost’ each other and wasted time finding each other again)

Starting times are spread out, between 8.00 and 10.00, the organisers brought this in as a Covid precaution, but have realised it works well, and is much more relaxed than a mass start, and it also stops everyone following each other, so they are keeping it on.

As we were a bit early, they let us start before our allocated times, – I headed off up Moss Road to the moor. In retrospect this was a Bad Decision, but every time you do one of these events it always seems like it’s a lesson for next time! The first control (106) was supposedly on a Small Crag, maybe about 300 metres off the path, and quite a few people seemed to be looking for it in the same vicinity, (including Jane) but it didn’t seem to want to be found, so we both moved on. However, rather than sticking to the plan of going back to Moss Rd path, we ended up at the cairn and trig, and went a convoluted way to the next control at a ruin, By which time Jane was nowhere in sight, as expected.

Anyway, I wont recount every move, suffice to say, Longshaw was a nice change from the heather, I bravely passed lots of cows (usually they make me a bit nervous, but I was desperate to find the orange flag, so didn’t give them a second thought). Then through Padley and up to Burbage, lots of people running in the opposite direction was a bit of a clue I hadn’t gone the most efficient route!

There were loads of controls on Burbage, Higger Tor etc, not too far apart, but I didn’t have time to look for them, as I needed to head back over Blacka plantation. Later, looking properly at the map (and other people’s routes), I wished I had just concentrated on Houndkirk and Burbage. SPECIALLY, when I read the results email which said:

Several competitors suggested that Control 106 was incorrectly placed on a boulder and not on the minor crag. Inspection of the control site confirmed that the control was misplaced on a boulder to the north east of the crag. We apologise for this error and hope it didn’t significantly spoil anyone’s day.

Anyway, this doesn’t usually happen, they are very well organised events, you can go as a pair, and go as fast or as slowly as you want, as long as you are back in 3 hours (did in it 2hrs 56 mins), so if anyone hasn’t done one before they are really good fun.

Jane was a tiny bit over 3 hrs, and had done a few Burbage controls, but wasted a lot of time looking in a small depression (which gave her a large depression), and decided she will patiently wait for me next time, and we will revert back to a pair!

The race was won by Richard Robinson (unattached) with 580 points.  First woman was our own Rachel Thorley with 435 points.

5 Striders ran.  Their results were as follows –