22b. Brian's innovation – Devils Highway The event was again a G-T cup Wednesday evening event, run by Chris Plummer. He was hidden in the Summer flood of fresh bracken in the vast expanse of Crowthorn Forest, down towards the southern edge near Sandhurst (and Broadmoor secure hospital) . Among others Brian Bristow having trolled down from the start some 20 miles to the North, found the access from the west down the side of Broadmoor, called the Devil’s Highway (most appropriate really) but was stopped in his car by a 3’ deep rainwater cut across the track. Taking to foot Brian arrived late on in the twilight of the Summer evening. Chris greeted him and told him which way it was back to his car. Brian ignored this and said he had a ‘new’ innovation on his set, an attached Silva compass, by which he could reverse his bearing and get to his car. Unfortunately he then took off his headphones and hung them on the set, right next to the compass. He evidently set off along this line, not realising it was some 120^o out from the way he should have gone.

Later, after the event we all (except Brian) gathered in a good pub in Little Sandhurst. A phone call came through, eventually after a couple of tries, it was taken by Bill North. It was Brian, he was lost outside Windsor in the dark. He had followed the (false) bearing, and come across a lake he didn’t remember on the way in, but saw lights beyond. It was a farm house, guarded by fierce Alsatian dogs, and occupied by a comely young wench (or so Brian says) she had let him use the phone, but the pub wasn’t listed, so he rang the local police, and eventually got on to the pub where we were carousing. We emptied our pints and set of in convoy round to the other side of the forest, some 10 road miles away. Finding a very worse for wear Brian at the side of the road. (He says she was a very nice young girl, but he wasn’t in that state when he left the TX site 2 hours before.... )