Ditchling Village walk

South Ashdown Blue course

Chailey South SOG Blue course

Ditchling Beacon bimble

Lakeside bimble

WalkO in a chilly Friston Forest.

Today I was aiming to walk straight, practise a little bit of compass work and have a lovely day in the forest whilst trying to walk the minimum distance round the course.

Got a little confused on way to #3 about which paths were paths but I should have trusted the compass and kept walking although the ground was a little bit bitey.

From that control I managed to walk the line happily although I was a bit doubtful on a couple of controls where leaf cover definitely stole some of the identity of the earthwall #8 and shallow depression #10 but I walked straight to the controls.

A few paths utilised to avoid some very heavy jungle but mainly walking on a bearing with a couple of smiles as I was overtaken twice by a couple of wayward runners (I have been in their shoes so many times!)

All going well until the obvious mishap on walking onto #17, slightly off the bearing but see a flag so approach the flag thinking it MUST be my control, couldn't possibly have two controls here in the back end of nowhere, check control code hoping to see #119.  Noooooooo.  Control code #123!  Right move back and get on bearing again, distraction again!  Ten steps further I re-check control description to discover that code for #17 should be #123.  Back I go, tail between legs to dib!  Even at walking pace my legs are moving faster than my brain!

I think normally from #17 I would have legged it up the ride but today I was going straight.  Totally not a winning line and I came off my line when I found a far more attractive (but not the right direction) track in the trees but got myself back online until I spilled out on the main track.  A little uncertain whereabouts along the track I'd finally arrived but fortunately close enough to the clearing to walk pretty much straight to the control.

A little wobble coming out of #18 but soon on the homeward straight ready to feel the full force of Garry Greensprint whosh past on his way to fastest finish control leg.

Beautiful day in the forest and reasonably successful with straight lining.  About 6.85km on a planners 6.0km route and according to Strava I was only stationary for 29 seconds.


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LITTLEdave Cumins

Friston West SOG Blue course

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Ditchling Village walk

South Ashdown Blue course

Chailey South SOG Blue course

Ditchling Beacon bimble

Lakeside bimble

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