4th/21
http://www.devonorienteering.co.uk/results-archive...Lost about 8 mins - but 20(!) mins behind Ben Chesters?! Wow.
It was very foggy and raining and ludicrously windy. Cags were 'advisory'. I took this advice. It was pretty warm whilst running but I wouldn't have wanted to be stuck out there without one.
http://www.devonoc.routegadget.co.uk/rg2/#105&...All paths were streams or unfindable in the fog - hence some extremely tentative route choices. Luckily the map is pretty good.
Reasonably happy with first 9 controls - tried to ignore everything other than the contours and that worked well (although not as well as it would have if the visibility had been more than 15m). Maybe 1:30 lost on 10; didn't aim off well enough so didn't know whether to turn L or R - picked wrong. Unfortunately the other features on the map (which I'm sure were there) didn't help me since I couldn't see them.
12 was a bad leg - I didn't follow my original plan of going round some paths ALWAYS FOLLOW YOUR ORIGINAL PLAN because the terrain looked a bit runnable (it wasn't) and also the AP was worse from that direction; everything was vaguer. Akin to yesterday actaully navigated to within 10m of the control but had no confidence - thought I was in the rocky, tree-y depression on the map (admittedly this view was supported by the rocks and trees in the depression) but actually was in the right place. Relocated from a cow (I don't recommend this). 3 mins.
13-16 fine, ignored a massive re-entrant on 17 trying to go to fast (downhill) which cost me another 2 mins. Then 30s on 20 standing next to the right boulder (but control on other side) and a min on 24 (punishment for no AP; but still not sure what the best thing to use was)
Good to get the practice for next year's OMM - I like Dartmoor. Quite a lot was nicely runnable. Although rocky. Need to start taping right ankle for forest O as it was a bit dodgy.