Chris Curtis Web Site

There was rain overnight and it was still raining when I set out. The temperature and wind had a real feel of autumn. Cold, wet, muddy and a physically tough forest – that’s proper orienteering!

I like Sheffield Forest. It feels as if it is rarely visited, with lots of bracken and brambles in places and a wide variety of woodland, with well-grown plantations and more tangled older areas and even a sense of “landscape garden” in a few places. There are lots of streams, in deeply incised valleys and there are even genuine rock outcrops – almost unheard of here in Sussex. I remembered it being quite physical both in and out of the valleys and running through the forest itself.

The green course was well planned to use the terrain. There were lots of route choices and always diving back onto paths and tracks was not going to be successful and in some cases was clearly daft. That said, there were a couple of legs when I should have done that and did not! The forest was wet, though the rain stopped before we started running, and I was soaked very quickly. The terrain was fairly open, but the bracken has not died back yet and was very hard going at times, even though I stayed out of the areas where thick undergrowth was marked. Recent forestry also left some areas covered in cut branches (brashings) though had also removed quite a lot of bramble. The feeling of running well off the paths through dark, almost gloomy, forest while rain dripped from the trees and almost believing that I was the only person out there was a classic orienteering experience.

My run was reasonably clean though not a “classic”. I lost a lot of time on one control again – number 7. I headed straight for it but the going was much tougher than the map suggested and it was hard to keep on line. I emerged onto a clear path, but was not quite clear at first how far along it I was. I finally spotted an area of “green” (thick forest) that should have led me to the control but it was hard to see where the green stopped and the open forest began. A couple of loops round the area found the control – which was quite low and beneath low-growing trees – but my navigation felt very sloppy. I also made a bad choice going along the fence by the lakes towards control 10 and 11. Although my navigation was secure, it was impossible to go through there with any speed – I should have gone on the paths and headed back in.

It took 75 minutes – much slower than my average, but faster than the last times I have run here. The physical terrain and challenging courses brought all times down so I was 21st. According to my gps I was really motoring when I had the chance – comparing myself with others I was less consistent, mainly where my navigation was sloppy or where I made the wrong route choice and found myself caught up in tough terrain. Still, I beat pretty much everyone in the field on at least one leg (including the winner) which suggests that the potential is there and the fitness training is bearing fruit – I just have to get every control right!

I enjoyed it – I got back covered in mud, water and blood from hundreds of scratches but I felt I had conquered a challenge – that’s what it is all about.