Kingdom of Fife Orienteers

STAG's famous annual Three Parks event(s) reappeared in the calendar again this year and didn't disappoint. It's good to have short sharp runs round parks - about 12/13 mins winning times for the first two and double for the third - it's very easy to make mistakes in open ground with people running all over the place, but the real challenge is negotiating the routes by car between the events, especially if your car Satnav has not been updated for the changes to road systems.

Race 1 this year was a revisit to Glasgow Green, though sadly at the moment the People's Palace is closed for renovation and the Winter Gardens also - usually a good place to keep warm. The weather was very cold, but no rain/sleet/wind and the running very quick. This is a well used area, so not too many secrets to take you off track. Race 2 was a new location at Alexandra Park, not used in the past as being too small with the golf course. That is now closed and so it has become a realistic location. Four bowling greens have been reduced to one, with the others turned into a grass tennis court, a putting green and mini football area. Good use of flat surfaces for a day’s entertainment. The pavilion has great toilets which was good news with plenty hot water. This area is hilly with rows of trees, bushes and copses between the old fairways which makes the runner concentrate on how many have been crossed and they are not 180 deg out.  

Race 3 returned to the delights of a well kent Drumpellier Country Park with its runnable woodland and plantations as well as a bit of heather and peat bog thrown in for good measure. The single tree in this last-mentioned area is a permanent control site on every course I have done there. It's very hard work through the ground to get there when you can see it from so far away.

The series was well organised and put on by the worthies of STAG and everyone enjoys the format and the day out. Glasgow has some fantastic parks and this event on the first weekend of December each year is a good excuse to visit them.

Oh, how did I do? Well not very quick these days, so navigation is paramount to keeping the times down. So, no mistakes at all which is always a plus.

Advert - if you do want to do a STAG series, then the club runs a SCORE event series in January - three this coming January which will be another excuse for visiting places you haven't been to before. Great fun and marvellous company and there is always an option for a twist to the event if you want a real challenge, e.g. visit all the even numbered controls before the odd ones. Makes good use of smallish areas. Perhaps we can get a KFO car full through each weekend? Details should be coming up on STAGs website shortly.