Overall not a particularly good event for us, but a good learning exercise and a fun day!
The first regularity was pre-plot taking us out to a pleasant break at Three Choirs for coffee. We had no problems with this.
Handout 1 was reasonably straightforward, but we managed to miss out one spot height so got a fail for a missed control and also a missed passage check. Taking the message at the drivers briefing into account we knew we needed to find a white somewhere, but didn’t spot it first time through. It was only when we reached it that we realised where we needed to be. We lost a bit of time up the white and it was a bit of a scramble to make up time to the next control, but we just managed it.
Handout 2 after lunch was a pig. In common with a lot of others we spent some time at the start trying to figure the herringbone out; and failed. However in making our way to the start of the tulip section, some of it started to fall into place and we found our way round most of the correct route. Unfortunately we got one loop wrong and there was our second fail of the day.
At the end of this section we missed the via instruction at 722264 so took the shortest route past the greenhouses. About 2/3 of the way along here the road was flooded. It didn’t look right, but navigator insisted and Brian Hodgkins and David Bland immediately behind us were adamant that we should carry on – of course they couldn’t see what we could see. We got through – just – and arrived at the test venue the only 3 muddy cars. The tide mark in the TR was 4 cm up the door INSIDE! We discovered at the end that others had visited the same place but had decided that discretion was required.
The final section held no surprises but we did miss another passage check somewhere. The roads in the forest were a little busier than elsewhere so some moderns must have got a little fed up with 26 mph average.
We finished the day with tests at R.P Joinery and the finish venue.
A good day out despite the problems.