A small but select group met at the Bouth Big fields for work on simplification.
Warm up was putting out a few controls.
First they were given a complete map with all the controls and a map with all detail except the control circle whited out. Using a star format they were told to draw on the blank map just enough detail to locate the control, then they ran that leg. After doing a couple of these, they were told to write a narrative for how to find the control, then run the leg.
The drawing proved harder for most people. It also identified what features were being used and how some were not seeing contour features as handrails. The narrative worked much better for all of the runners. It seems that they “talk” their way around orienteering courses.
It is very difficult to relocate with a map with no detail on it. So this needs to be done in an enclosed area where it is possible to return to the start easily.
Some discussion about route choices happened. This was interesting as a number missed some quite obvious routes, which when pointed out, they thought would have been easier.
The session concluded with control collection and a debrief.
The session was successful, with no need to modify much. Control placement was the only thing that would have improved things as a number of controls were visible on the way to the control.