Discussion: Not acceptable

What, to go into a wood?

there were some PRWs in there, but not many, & I won't be doing it again in a hurry.

If you were in Scotland OK. OK if you just go running as well from my point of view. I do have an issue if you are obviously orienteering especially in an area where NGOC clearly have to work hard to get permissions and in the forest where things are clearly sensitive at the moment. Read that bit on the bottom of the map it's there for a reason. If you want to go for a run on a map there are plenty of less sensitive areas where no-one will pay much notice or worry at all. Virtually anything over in Wales your probably good.

well i didn't know about that.

will robbins always said about "right to roam".

i think the access issue was more with the volume of competitors in the forest of Dean.

having said all that, the number of pheasants I kept surprising made me feel pretty bad about it all (not to mention the number of hides & towers & stuff.....) (all were empty on a sunday - weird), and so i will not be repeating that little excursion. Had i been accosted , I would have said sorry guys I'm lost, I've taken a wrong turning, and played the idiot to get off scot free (& not said I was in a club).

I think you would of looked like you knew very well what you were doing if someone had been up a tower and seen you going through the forest. If you had just been jogging with an OS map then the wrong turn excuse could work.

I have no issue with a right to roam and will happily trespass to support the right but I am not going to do anything that could so obviously cause a loss of permission for a good O area especially when I know things are already sensitive in the area.

It's not the first time and it won't be the last that the Forestry Commission have withdrawn permission for an event. It would be wrong to assume that they are being awkward or anti-orienteering, but we need them more than they need us. We don't move the dial on their footfall numbers and our fees probably don't cover the admin costs. Rather we have to understand their constraints, make requests they find it easy to approve etc. its the long term relationship that's the key. Currently there are several threats, the most significant that caused the cancellations are environmental. Rejection on a numbers basis will depend on time and location. Other forests e.g. New Forest have been similar for the last decade. So what's the difference between a rave, a bloke running through the wood, etc. and a "permitted" orienteering event ….. possibly a newspaper headline...…

Lydney Park is not forestry commission land, its a major privately owned shooting estate. Shooting is big business.....we did use the area for two days of JK2002 and it is a possible answer to where a JK in the FOD might take place. If I remember correctly the pheasant shooting season is over after which they do free shooting for a few weeks - which seems to be basically everything else that moves...….not sure if this includes runners and goshawks but we had very few days when we were allowed to map and plan and the estate manager and his game keeper were pretty rigorous about logging us in and out..... suffice to say its not on my top areas to go training on.

well i'm happy to be on the naughty step & learn from that - i didn't know it was private land when I started running (the gate I went through had no signage on it at all), but I do now. Given shooting is big business, I'm glad I wasn't shot at.

Lesson learned. Of course none of this would have happened if the S Champs had actually happened (plus the NGOC level B middle I'd been looking fwd to....)

I can't see Lydney Park being as good as it was , due to the brambles, IMO. But never say never. Didn't stop SYO using Wharncliffe twice recently (tho I'd give that area a miss from now on, personally)

SYO using Wharncliffe

It's our best area. We can't help the brambles. You have to use what's available and none of us are spoilt for choice (except maybe Scotland).

Should you fancy training on Wharncliffe, the woods are fair game but please keep off the open bit.

We all need to think carefully before doing unofficial training. Especially if we're going to post evidence on the internet ;-)

BTW I've got good memories of Lydney park from JK 2002.

No way would i train on wharncliff! I'd rather head out west & get onto the moors.

Brambles are grim.

But yes, I will be "mindful" in future of this unofficial nonsense. I'm assuming no one from the Lydney Park pheasant murdering-for-sport association is on attackpoint tho? Safe to say?

Sorry, world.

Wharncliffe is a cracking area. If it’s a choice between brambles or open moor, I’d take my chances with the brambles. If the British was at Wharncliffe, I’d be there. It’s on Kilnsey alas, so I’m not. Horses for courses Phil.

I am really, really pleased to hear that you are well and out running, ( and running bloody well) normal folk would have taken up the guitar ?????

Me? Take up the guitar? Surely not!!!! :-) https://youtu.be/U_S4aITmK1o

Claire - Wharncliffe was lovely in 1984 when I was M19! Not keen on the rocks & brambles & unrunnable stuff etc. now i'm old & rather creaky......