Edinburgh Southern Orienteering Club

FVO’s ‘FAB at 40’ weekendRannoch Forest, 24/25 August 2013

A few ESOC members enjoyed a weekend of quality orienteering presented by Forth Valley Orienteers to celebrate their 40th anniversary.

Many will remember Rannoch Forest from the Scottish Championships in 2010. It’s an interesting area with plenty of variation – some open parts, some bracken, some thick parts, and areas of young trees, with lots of contour and rock detail in places, and often fairly rough underfoot. The ‘Fab at 40’ weekend was based at the Forestry Commission car park at Carie, beside the Kilvrecht campsite on the south side of Loch Rannoch, west of Kinloch Rannoch.
The events were informal, with punching starts, and the start and finish were close by, so it was delightfully hassle-free. The Kilvrecht campsite has minimal facilities (no hot water or electricity) but is spacious and attractive, with soft grass and not too many midges; those that stayed there had a very relaxing time.

Saturday’s event was a Middle Distance race. Courses looped through the forest to the east of the campsite, then crossed two rivers (via bridges) and returned further west. It was reasonably dry underfoot. The weather was warm, though overcast with a few short showers.
ESOC results were:
Black (10 competitors) – Andrew Lindsay 4th
Blue (26) – Rona Lindsay 10th, Crawford Lindsay 12th, Roger Garnett 15th, Roger Scrutton 19th
Green (22) – Alastair Lessells 4th, Sally Lindsay 5th

On Saturday evening, there was an enjoyable barbecue and social at the registration area, with birthday cake, whisky toasts, and an interesting speech from Roger Goddard (FVO president) about the history of the club.

Sunday 25 August dawned warm and sunny for the Long Distance race. Most courses stayed west of the rivers (except Black, which went everywhere). Many found the vegetation mapping confusing in places, and there were some long times and retirals.
ESOC results were:
Black (8 competitors) – Andrew Lindsay 6th
Blue (31) – Crawford Lindsay 4th, Roger Scrutton 16th, Roger Garnett 19th
Green (28) – Rona Lindsay 2nd, Sally Lindsay 7th, Alastair Lessells 8th

Results, Routegadget and other details are on the Rannoch – Middle Distance and Rannoch – Long Distance results pages of the FVO website.

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