Maidenhead In The Rain!

I remember driving to the start wondering not if it will rain, but how wet I would end up this evening? Oh, and could I possibly make it four in a row??!! We got wet alright, but fortunately the rain didn't turn up much of the time and I managed a spritely 2nd place finish.

My bearing at the start had me reading around two hundred and something degrees. It then turned to a hundred and something, finally settling on 123 degrees. Why then did I plot 132?! A gentle run down to Runnymede saw me take a bearing at eight o'clock of 14 degrees well away from my start bearing. No matter, a quick zip down the road for another bearing, but I could not get any sort of null no matter where pointed the receiver. Signal strength and 14 degrees suggested the railway in the middle of the lakes looked a good bet, but how to get on site? I tried the southern station car park - only a path with the dreaded signs, 'Private'. Peter would not hide in there! I tried the northern car park, steel unclimbable fencing all around, even for a seasoned dfer! Back to the other car park and out I get only to see Graham I think it was, and then Mark arrive. I ran down the path for about a minute, but with Peter hiding I could not persuade myself to run in on a footpath clearly marked Private. So, after yet another check of the map I ran over the railway bridge, over the river, and promptly fell over a public footpath sign - had I have looked ten minutes earlier!!

Running in I passed Graham and the signal came up. The signal peaked up on the chain-link fence and suggested a 90 degree right over the railway was in order, but thinking the power lines to my left and fence would likely be radiating nulls & peaks, I continued onward. The signal did indeed peak up as I ran further, and then Peter stopped transmitting! A walkway over the railway looked another good idea, so over I went - Waterloo train approaching, literally - and turned left. Bingo, cover everywhere! Ah but, what a great idea hiding to the north of the railway and have everyone thrashing about the other side in with the lakes.

When eventually the next transmission came on I realised I was on the correct side of the railway but I should have turned right after crossing said thoroughfare, i.e. following the peak in the signal I noted earlier. A brief hack through the thick stuff, avoiding falling into one of the many watercourses, I came across Graham looking very pleased with himself and Mark asking questions like, 'where is he?' Remember good people, all is fair in love, war, & df, so think before asking a fellow dfer where the transmitter operator is hiding! To my right looked to be the proverbial motorway. Sure enough, there was Peter sitting to the side of a tree overlooking the river - which fortunately for Mark on the way in, and me on the way out - had a tiny footbridge crossing it over to the so-called private footpath.

So that's it, my run of good fortune had come to an end beaten by the better man on the day, well done Graham. However, finishing 2-minutes behind the winner in second place, I trust this year's competition is still all to play for. Unfortunately, I think a couple of competitors didn't quite mange to find you Peter in the allotted time. However, many thanks for braving the elements, finding a tough site to get in to even, plus being tough to find you when we did get in. Another memorable Mid-Thames DF.

Andy Collett