My CBHobby

When I met Tony at teacher training college way back in the seventies, I had to learn how to orienteer if I wanted to see him at weekends!  So my choice of hobby for this community 'challenge', other than photography and knitting and walking and cycling is orienteering.

Today is typical of why I enjoy the sport.  We were high on the Yorkshire Dales/Fells at Attermire, above Settle, fabulous limestone country with views that go on and on.  At one point on my navigation from one point to another I looked up to enjoy two of the famous three peaks, Pen-y-Gent and Ingleborough in the landscape (and wished I'd carried my small camera!)

My 4.5k course with 145m of climb took me 64.47mins (the winner took just 38:31) but the time is immaterial.  It's about being out there in stunning countryside; working out my route from control to control; sometimes getting it straight on; at other times encountering problems to solve; then arriving at the finish to discuss how I got on with friends; having a cuppa; comparing splits and heading home tired but energised both.

Tony took today's blip (but with my camera and settings!) of me arriving at a control.  You can see my map with printed course in my right hand and my compass.  I am placing my SI card in to the box on the control kite and that will record my split for the previous leg.  On my arm is my description sheet which tells me what features I am looking for, this one was a crag, one metre high with the control on top.  Each control also has a code number so that I can check I am at the correct one (there were 12 courses set out today, often using different controls or similar controls on different courses).  The easiest course today was for children 10+ years although some younger ones will also have a go.  Very young children do the String Course where they follow a long piece of string from control to control.  We have friends still orienteering in their eighties so it is a great family sport.

And tomorrow we get to do it all over again, at Malham!