Discussion: Chinley

I doubted it would be suitable, but the assessor had vetoed Longstone (which would have been slightly better IMO) and bracken ruled Longshaw out of contention. September's not the best time of year for a forest championship.

It always seemed like an odd decision to have the race in September as there are so many areas that would have too much undergrowth. Looks like a much better plan next year.

Felt like schedule was determined by Sprint Champs and BMC was an afterthought. Worked out okay last year with Stockhill.

Delighted to see the schedule for next year.

Also delighted to see next year's schedule. I expect Bill will be over here in May as a result ;-)

In Parkino and the Planner's defence I think it's unrealistic to expect that a control in a re-entrant will be so accurately placed that it's safe to take an accurate bearing from it. As a Planner or Controller I would expect that the control is in the right re-entrant and roughly at the right level within the re-entrant, but it's too much to expect that it will precisely match the position shown on the map.
As I approached that control I did notice that the flag was a bit higher than I was expecting. I would have thought that Bill would also notice this and therefore be wary about using it as an attackpoint for the next control.
Anyhow, commiserations Bill. You can't win everything ;-)

Fair point, Chas. I note the centre of the control circle was positioned on the contour line but the re-entrant might have been more obvious further up, between contours, hence the misplacing of the flag. Something for the controller to have mentioned - he asked for plenty of minor corrections.

"but it's too much to expect that it will precisely match the position shown on the map."
"I would have thought that Bill would also notice this and therefore be wary about using it as an attackpoint for the next control."

How else are you supposed to find it exactly? Run and hope? I get it was a pretty easy leg and most of us chancers didn't really look at our compasses much going down the hill but if there are no other features then you have to presume the map and control placement is accurate enough for a compass bearing. This is not in any way intended to excuse Bill - I'm just surprised at this laissez-faire attitude from one who is normally so punctilious.

"How else are you supposed to find it exactly?"

Fair question. I'm assuming you mean the pit and not the re-entrant? I do think it's a bit of a bingo control and maybe best not used (unless the flag is hung high enough to see from some distance). However, my technique would have been head up and use visual back sights from features further down the hill (last control/finish) and across the slope (gate). If the clag had been down, as for early starters, then I'd have been stuffed. Hence my opinion that the site was better not used. Our control on the pit to the south was fine due to it's proximity to the wall.

I knew the re-entrant was too high but I never considered that it was too far which was what the problem was in relation to the pit. Realised afterwards that I'd seen the pit but I didn't recognise it as a pit and it was so far left that there was no way it could have been what I was looking for! In a local event I might have been awake to the possibility but not in the British Champs.

BTW It was eventually a back bearing to the last control that convinced me to look in the pit, though I was also starting to think I must have punched the wrong 24.

Can't say I'm too worried about it as I knew I'd been too slow by then. And it turned out that Al had lost quite a bit of time at 24 as well.

@chas beautiful explanation. I thought of only half those things. Also a nice insight into why Scandinavians can take some time to adjust.

There was no more bingo inthat control than most of the others. The problem was with the start of the leg, not the end. To be honest it never occurred to me there was much wrong with it until you decided to try to explain it away.

Also. I didn’t know the reentrant was too high but It did seem too far ... but I’m not a reliable witness.