Maypole FAQs
Frequently Asked Questions
This section includes questions that have been asked, and questions that have previously never been asked, but I would think that, given the opportunity, most people would ask.
What is The Maypole?
The Maypole is a night navigation event in cars, in which teams try to locate ‘clues’ (known as codeboards) dotted about the countryside.
Who is eligible to take part?
Any member of the Scout or Guide Associations over the age of 14 years. The event is aimed primarily at Explorers, Adult Network members and Guide Rangers, but older members of the two Associations, such as Scouters, Guiders and Fellowship members, are equally welcome to compete.
Who can drive?
All occupants of the car MUST be members of the Scout or Guide Associations. This includes the driver. We insist that no person is allowed to drive without a full driving license for the class of vehicle. No provisional license holders are permitted to drive during this event. Driving Licenses (preferrably Photocard Licenses) will be inspected at registration. This helps us to comply with our duty of care towards all participants. Please make sure you have your license with you at the start.
When will it happen?
The event will be held on Saturday, 7th May 2011, starting in the early evening and going through to the small hours of Sunday
Is this event legal?
Yes! This event is a “Navigational Scatter”. This means that all participants follow different routes of their own choosing. Navigational Scatter Events are a form of event that are considered automatically authorised under Regulation 5(b) of the legislation, by virtue of the fact that they have no set route and there is no competition on the Public Highway.
Does this mean we can ignore the normal rules of the road?
No. All participants must behave in a responsible manner and follow ALL the rules of the road with particular reference to speed. The police will be aware that the event is taking place, and may well take extra notice of cars full of young people driving around late at night.
Who sets these regulations?
The Competition Authorisation Office (CAO) of the Royal Automobile Club is the Authorising body for all motoring events held on the Public Highway in England and Wales, and operates the Motor Vehicles (Competitions and Trials) Regulations 1969 on behalf of the Department of Transport. A guide to this legislation is set out on sheet MVCTR and copies of the legislation are obtainable from the CAO. Phone 01753 681736 or download from the RAC/MSA website should you wish to obtain a copy.
Where will it start?
The event starts and finishes at 5th Potters Bar Scout Group Headquarters, Furzefield, Mutton Lane, Potters Bar. The grid reference is 240.75 017.50
Where will it happen?
The event takes place entirely on Ordnance Survey Explorer Sheet 182 (St. Albans & Hatfield). The organisers have planned the event using the latest (as of 1/3/11) edition of the map which is dated 2006.
Can I use my old map?
No. The map for the 2007 Maypole was from the Landranger series (1:50000). This year the event has been planned on an Explorer series map which has a different scale (1:25000) and uses a lot of different map symbols. The grid lines should (of course) be identical when transposed to the ground, but references will differ because of the limitaions of scale.
How do I know that my map is the correct one?
The map cover is orange, not purple. The Map has “St. Albans and Hatfield” on the cover, not “Luton and Hertford”. The map has an edition number A1, revised 1998 with selected changes in 2005. If your map does not bear this information then contact the organisers in good time for them to check. It is important to check that your map matches ours, as new road alignments can affect the positions of clues and codeboards. If you are buying a map just ensure that it is not “old stock”, and is dated 2006 or more recent.
How do I know where the codeboards are?
At the start of the event we hand each team an information sheet. This will give you the information you will need to locate the codeboards. Codeboards are more correctly called “Route Check Boards” or “rc”s because they allow us to be sure that you have in fact correctly interpreted the navigation and proved this by visiting the location.
The boards are not designed to be hidden, but they cannot be too obvious, or members of the public may remove or deface them.
How many codeboards (sorry – rcs) are there?
The regulations say that each team must only be required to visit a maximum of 75% of the locations. We have placed 16 rc boards at locations and you may visit and record up to 10.
That doesn’t sound too difficult!
Visiting 10 locations scattered about the countryside may seem simple, but most of these locations will not be straightforward.
How will we calculate and plot these locations?
Six locations will be given by Grid References. These points will be easily plotted on your map. They will acrue the lowest scores (5 points each) Four locations will be worked out by simple arithmetic calculations, by searching the map looking for indicators in the clues, and/or by more complex map searches following a trail. These questions will each gain 10 points when correctly identified. The final Six locations will be more complex to solve. They may involve the topographical features of the map, tracings or more complex arithmetic problems. These locations will each be rewarded with 20 points when correctly found (and recorded in your road book)
This sounds very complicated!
It is a challenge, and as a team you need to assess your abilities and chances of taking on the challenge. Least experienced crews will be able to gain easy marks for the first six questions, and will then take on the middle section to boost their score. The seasoned crews will take the middle section in their stride and hopefully master some (or possibly all) of the most difficult questions.
What are the marshal locations?
To ensure that everyone is taking part and enjoying the event we have two locations that every team should visit. There are activities at the marshal locations, and opportunities for teams to increase their points score.
Where are marshals located?
There are two marshals this year and they will be based in public car parking areas where there are no parking charges levied.
Why are there only two marshals this year?
The marshal locations form an important part of the event. They will give the drivers a break, and will involve all of the rest of each crew. Participation at the marshal will take time, so reducing the marshals to two means that everyone will be able to fully take part.
What happens if I don’t go to the marshals?
Arriving at the marshal (within the four hour window) scores you 100 points. This is a significant amount (one sixth) of all possible marks. If you do not reach the marshal within that time window, you lose those marks.
What happens at the marshal locations?
The marshal will record your arrival. He will only do so within the four hour window. The marshal will hand you a “clue sheet” which will allow you to work out the location of four rcs within a 5 kilometre radius of the marshal location. You should attempt to solve these, and add them to your list of locations to visit.
The marshal will also hand you a sheet of instructions. These instructions will explain how you can find three codeboards within walking distance of the marshal’s car. This will involve the use of compass and torch. You will also find a pencil handy for noting down the answers.
What does the “on foot” search involve?
The instruction sheet will ask you to go to a particular place and from there navigate to the first hidden board. The instructions will be of the type “125metres on a bearing of 75°” The first board will be relatively easy to find. The second board will be found by following instructions starting from the first board and the third will follow on again. Finding the boards will become progresively harder and acrue more points. When you have found the three boards (or given up trying) return to the marshal and hand in your answers for these three boards. He (or she) will mark these and indicate this on your road book. The marshal will remain at the location until 30 minutes after the official close time to award any marks for teams arriving up until the close time.
What is a codeboard?
There are two types. There are those found scattered about the area of the map, and they indicate that you (as a team) have correctly interpreted the navigational information and visited the correct location, and these are called route check boards.
Tell me about Route Check Boards (rcs)
Route check boards will be white with black lettering. They will be about 125mm x 85mm in size. Each board will bear a 3 letter word and genuine boards will have the identifier GLN11 in the top right-hand corner. The letters shown on the codeboard need to be entered, in the correct order, in your roadbook.
Are all Route Check Boards genuine?
No – there are decoy codeboards and these will not have GLN11 as their identifier. These must not be recorded in your roadbook. They will not acrue any points. You may also find boards from other events. Do not record these in your roadbook.
Tell me about the other boards
These boards will be found at the “on foot” search locations. They will be smaller (about 60mm x 80mm) and they may be different colours. They will show a single word which should be recorded and presented to the marshal. There will be no decoy boards at these search areas.
What sort of places should I look for codeboards?
Codeboards will always be fixed firmly to some type of object – trees, stiles, fenceposts, walls and surfaces, notice boards or pipes. Traditionally Maypole codeboards can be hidden in very devious places. This year this will not be the case. It can be very frustrating to drive many miles to a location and not find a board because it is hidden out of sight. There will be ample opportunity for hiding boards on the marshaled “on foot” search locations.
You say we can only vist ten boards. Does this include those issued at the marshals?
No. You can visit, and record, a maximum of ten boards from the sixteen issued at the start. You may visit, and record, all of the boards issued to you at the marshal. The “on foot” boards are free of any restriction and do not count towards your restricted tally.
What about the Mobile marshal/controls?
We are giving the mobile marshal a rest this year. We hope there is sufficient activity to keep everyone busy.
What are black squares?
During the course of the year many car rallies and navigational exercises take place all over the country. These events are all governed by the RAC Motor Sports Asssociation. When a member of the public is upset by the activities of an event, they usually complain to the police. The police then speak with the MSA and ask that restrictions be placed on teams around certain areas. This is recorded, and when any new application for an event is made through the Route Liaison Officer (RLO) of the MSA, this person imposes a restriction on the new event informing the organisers that the particular area is “out of bounds”. There are degrees of restriction, but for the purposes of the Maypole we impose a complete exclusion in a grid square. We call this a “black square”.
What black squares are there on this event?
You will be informed of the black squares, or any other restrictions in your final instructions. These will be sent to you by email during the week before the event.
Why have so many changes been made to the event format?
The objectives of the event are:
• • • •
To allow everyone to have a satisfying evening
To allow everyone to achieve something
To improve navigational skills in general
To allow all participants to enjoy themselves.
Additionally we want to reduce the amount of pressure on the drivers, get every team member out of the car and introduce problem solving with a difference.
Why do we not have upper and lower case letters and grid references?
The regulations state that teams must not follow a prescribed route. Teams should be “scattered”, each following different courses. Randomly issuing grid references to teams is one way of doing this, but the random nature is not always fair on every team. This is a different sort of scattering. All teams will be able to visit the six grid reference clues, but different teams will have other additional points to search at. This will ensure that all teams follow different routes.
What is the secret of success in The Maypole?
Traditionally, success in the Maypole has been down to proficiency in navigation. This year will be no exception. First and foremost, accurate plotting of map references (six figures + quarter fractions). Secondly, efficient navigation between points and finally a bit of luck as well.
How do I plot six figure map references with quarter fractions accurately?
By using a Romer.
What is a Romer?
In its simplest form, a Romer is a piece of plastic about the size of a credit card with graduations along two of its edges. These graduations, when lined up with the gridlines on the map, will enable you to pinpoint six figure map references accurately.
What about the quarter fractions?
With the more basic Romers, you will have to judge these by eye. More sophisticated Romers may have the half fraction marked, but the quarter and three-quarter marks will still have to be judged by eye. Reading to this degree of accuracy is greatly assisted by the use of a magnifying glass placed over the Romer. And, if your budget will run to it, a magnifying Romer with integral light (also known descriptively as a ‘potti’) will prove a most valuable asset.
And where can I get a Romer?
Any outdoor / camping shop should sell a Romer. It is very easy to make your own if you have access to a good quality printer.
What essentials do I need to compete in The Maypole?
• A car, a driver and a navigator
• A copy of the relevant map 1:25000 sheet 182 (St. Albans and Hatfield)
• A Romer (correct scale to match the map)
• A pen and/or pencil, ruler, drawing compass and magnetic compass
• A torch
• An accurate timepiece synchronised to BBC time as determined by the start marshal
• And a copy of the various documents issued by the organisers.
What other things would help me to improve my performance in The Maypole?
• A second navigator (so while one navigator is directing the driver to the next destination, the other is plotting further search points)
• A fourth crew member (four pairs of eyes are better than three when searching for codeboards)
• At least one torch per crew member with fully charged batteries (no good having extra pairs of eyes if they can’t see!)
• A magnifying Romer, ideally with integral reading light (if your budget will run to it)
• A plentiful supply of pens and pencils (it’s amazing how many can get lost under seats, into puddles etc. during the course of the evening). Post-it notes can prove useful.
• A map mounted on a flat board (to help you see the big picture more easily)
• Map pins or sticky dots (to mark search points, controls)
I’m a newcomer. What’s the best strategy to start off with?
• Before the event, get a romer. Practise with it. On the event, start with the easy references.
• Spend ten minutes accurately plotting these on your map, together with the two marshals and the finish point.
• Mark on your map any black squares (prohibited areas) and make sure you do not enter these at any time during the event.
• Have a go at solving the medium section of clues. Plot these on your map.
• Ensure that you have sufficient time to visit both marshals and allow 30 minutes at each for “on foot” searches.
• Drive carefully, stick to the speed limits and keep within the rules of the road.
• Whilst you are driving between route checks, “spare” members of the team can be attempting to solve clues that eluded you at the start.
• Finally, ensure that you reach the finish in good time. There is nothing more frustrating than completing the course, collecting lots of answers, and then being disqualified for being two minutes late.
• Most importantly, enjoy taking part in The Maypole.
You may be interested to view a couple of websites which show examples of cryptic clues used in Navigational Scatter Events. There are many car clubs running these events throughout the year, but these two sites are the best I have located so far.
http://www.bristolmc.org.uk/Reference/MCs_Novice_Nav_Guide.pdf
The text of this two page document appears on other sites, but I believe this is the original
http://www.wessexmotorclub.co.uk/about/scatters.php
This is the web site of the car club for Southampton University. On this page there is a tab which takes you to an article about scatters which is very informative and has pictures
Any Questions not posed (or answered) above, email me chrisf@7thsense.uk.com