COMBLEY
GREAT WOOD- SUNDAY 18th
OCTOBER 2005
PLANNER'S
REPORT.
Parking and access at Combley can be difficult. The
Planner's options being the use of Havenstreet Steam Railway, with a walk up
the road, or the better option at Lynn Farm, at the top end of the woods. Mr
Brown the farmer very kindly let us use his field and farmyard for access and
we are most grateful.
Combley
Great Wood is particularly suitable for orienteering with generally small paths
and good areas of runnable forest. In the Planner's opinion it is one of our
best venues, although only just large enough for the longer courses.
Undergrowth in late summer is much less prominent than in other woods, although
brambles can be found by the unwary!
The
woods were dry in September, making planning more straightforward. Numerous
orienteering features are available, giving a good variety of sites with
several deep gullies, interesting streams and subtle depressions. We saw
Buzzards, Jays and a Squirrel during two quiet, pleasant planning outings.
The
long courses were set up the day before the event, with string and yellow put
down on the day. The ever present risk of mischief makers tampering with the
control kites did not materialise.
Competitor
numbers were reasonable, although only 5 entries tried the Green course, which
at 4.4k was not really long. Perhaps more regulars should step up from their
usual grades. Nearly all competitors completed their course, even though we had
newcomers competing on Orange and Light Green. The Planner appreciated a word
or two of thanks as an event will take many hours of effort to put on. Indeed
we need more members to become involved in planning an event, which is a
rewarding and enjoyable challenge.
Congratulations
to Matt Shorter (M15) who performed well on Orange and Charis Jones (W13) who
easily won Yellow, despite later getting lost on String!
Thanks
to Anne Ralph who took on the planning and setting out of the String course and
to the Mackett Family who late kindly wound in 1.5k of string.