| Flight details: | This was my sixth British cross-country this year (if you count the little tiny ones, which I most certainly do), and they've started in six different counties -- West Sussex, Worcestershire, Dorset, East Sussex, Glamorgan and Wiltshire.
Not much else was notable about this. Milk Hill White Horse was by far the busiest I've ever seen it, but with a strong wind (which it needs, being quite shallow) there was just about enough separation. After a few abortive climbs, I joined in under a few skygods, who quickly rocketed away from me, but I carried on at my own pace and was eventually joined by Dave Massie -- part of a large Southern posse -- and a yellow Team 5. We topped out at about 3200, I believe.
After the hurly-burly of the ridge, it was lovely to mosey along circling for quite a few km in a 0.1 up, and enjoying the view of Avebury and Silbury Hill. When the lift faded away, Dave outglided me, and I reached the village of Wroughton a fair bit below him (having been a bit spooked by its disused RAF base, which for a horrible moment I feared might be RAF Lyneham, which would have meant I'd made a massive error). Wroughton seemed to be giving me a climb, but I lost it. The yellow Team 5 turned back south, looking, I thought, for a safe landing, but in fact he climbed back up to join Dave, while I glided quite buoyantly over a large golf club. Just as the golfers opened their mouths to ask: "Are you a member?" another bubble took me into a playing field beyond on the edge of Swindon.
In fact, I had made a navigational error -- failing to notice and plan for the drop zone at Redlands, which I'd probably have crashed through if I'd got another climb. (My Garmin 96 doesn't warn of drop zones -- it's not illegal to fly over them, I believe, but it's of course a very bad idea and is not allowed by the UK XC League.)
So, I joined the 20k club again, while others were doing much greater things, including a 170k and several 100s. Then the following morning, whil |
