ALL your unedited, general comments appear below.

"On this occasion I have not had anywhere enough time to do justice to this year's Pathfinder Table Top. I have however enjoyed what I had time to complete which has not been enough to warrant returning the road book. I am a fan of the road book format. Please include me for next year - there should be more time available - and send a copy of the solutions for this year's event. Keep up the good work." [Brian Vallis]

"My road book, which as you can see has not been returned. It had No.38 on it if this is any help. Please, please may I have the answers to see what I should have done! I have been navigating in historic road rallies for four years - but the tabletop well and truly beat me. I have completed one section only totally. Another learning curve required!! I am navigating on the Bristowe this Saturday - which is using this map. So as a consolation prize, I hope all the staring at it helps me find the way." [Ann Locks]
"We do have to make it a bit tougher than the plot and bash stuff, but it's still a good training ground for the "real" thing. Here's a tip though. At night, sit in an armchair, with the roadbook on your lap, the lights off and a torch in your hand. Now get your partner to make vroom, vroom noises and shake the chair vigorously. That should make it easier next time!"

"Not willing to be a 'no-show' this is to just let you know that I enjoyed participating in the Table top event and plotting the sections in the Road Book. Unfortunately, as per Postmark, I am marooned in Ulster until Monday afternoon (29th Sept) and cannot get home to post the Road Book until 29th, not 27th as per regulations. I would obviously be most grateful if you could accept an entry posted on the 29th. I am sorry if this will cause you inconvenience, but I would be most disappointed if all my efforts were to be negated by unfortunate circumstances beyond my control." [Peter Robertson]
"Excuses, excuses. OK then."

"Enjoyed the colour supplement." [Alfred Winter]

"I think this is probably the most difficult TT I've encountered. Hopefully all the other contestants are as mystified as I am. Thanks for a mind bending month." [Alan Crabtree]

"Very good mix of clues, with twists on old themes and new ideas and colours! with good section titles. Very professionally presented. Pretty tricky in parts, but I prefer it that way, with a number of tough clues, that involved trying different things, but a better sense of achievement when I cracked them! Keep up the excellent work." [Colin Hensman]

"At least I managed to solve some, guessed at some others. In the end I ran out of inspiration, then time. Hopefully this will act as a primer for the Nelly?" [Andrew Crocombe]

Congratulations for the innovative ideas used in the rally and especially for introducing the Road Book. I hope this may encourage the other two rallies to use this method. I liked the wide variation in the types of instructions given to solve the routes. Usually, I fall into traps while plotting the routes but I felt that the solving of the cryptic instructions was nore important than making the route 'ambiguous' in places and I prefer that." [G Nunn]

"Gentlemen, An excellent event with some new routecards. I enjoyed it including the new format. Unfortunately skill (or lack of it) has let me down. Keep it up!" [J Evans]

"Thanks. I enjoyed it - but it will be a relief to have a few days away from sections 14 and 21. The family say that table tops transform me into a distracted grump and that the quality of housework and cooking goes down - I really don't know what they're talking about - now where did they hide the entry form for the Nelly?" [Mitch Fielding]

"I continue to be amazed that you can come up with so many new twists to old ideas. You will, I'm sure, notice that I failed to solve two sections,but you did insist that all sections must be attempted. I enjoyed sections 6, 12, 15 and 16 and, particularly, 14 - reviving fond memories of reverse Polish notation!" [Howard Simpson]

"Sorry for lack of completed sections - enjoyed what I've done but Jenny is off to University this week and we've spent most of our time sorting out her needs etc! See you again next year" [Carol Moulton]
"Not even time for your customary Odd Ode! And do you want the NatWest Customer Service Questionnaire back that you had hidden inside your Road Book?!"

"It would have been helpful to have all the keys, scales etc. included in the Road Book. Otherwise thank you and hope this isn't the last." [Gillian Goodlass]

"I had to just draw a route in for sections 4, 14 and 21 as they just didn't click. Colour was nice but caused a problem for me being colour blind on section 19. It was a good challenging rally all the same and better for being in a road book format. Thanks for the effort." [Glynn Hayward]

"I think that this Pathfinder, like last years, is a bit of an overkill, and will probably lose more competitors than it will gain, especially among the newcomers. I like to get an idea of what I'm trying to do, and then be given the choice to do it wrong - I'm very good at that, but found it impossible to get to grips with Sections 14, 21 and 22 and I'm not very happy with 12 (Warnsdorf's not in the Encyclopedia Britannica or my Biographical Dictionary - or in any other manuals, so just who is he?) Most of the sections forgetting the lot above, I enjoyed, but I think that the way ahead may be the generally accepted one of being allowed to drop a couple of sections. I then get the problem of which two to drop of course. Anyway, thank you for all the effort that has been put in. Maybe it's my ageing brain that is showing the strain. I'll still be back next year, if both the Pathfinder and I are still around." [Don Clarke]"
"The debate over dropping sections or not will no doubt continue. Previous surveys have shown a 50/50 preference. This year, because there were so many new ideas, we didn't want you to miss any! We've dropped sections in the past, no doubt we'll do it again. I don't know who Warnsdorf is either. However, you did, as I hoped most would, complete the section based on the "Knights Tour" clue. Some specialist chess books have a reference to said gentleman, but I gleaned this specific piece of information from the fountain of world knowledge - the Internet."

"Obviously your mind and mine don't work the same way" [Anne Hartley]

"A very interesting, involved and difficult TT, but I think the new style road book a great improvement. I have been unable to complete some sections and have only partially completed others. September, for me is not a good month for table tops, what with holidays, gardening, and other outdoor jobs that need doing before Winter. Have you considered moving the Pathfinder to the vacant slot after Christmas, left by the Rally Round, which in my opinion would be a more appropriate time? Hope the notes help. Thanks for the hard work." [Ted Manktelow]

"Firstly 2 apologies: 1) I have not had time to concentrate properly on your rally as I had to catch up on my Open University assignments. 2) I'm a bit late in posting it because I mixed up the dates with my OU assignment that was due in by 30/9. I only realised tonight when I sat down to have a good blitz (not very succesful!!). Keep up the good work. I look forward to being able to concentrate when I've finished my OU degree (in 2003!!). In the meantime I intend to enter and do what I can in the time available. P.S. Time to start swotting for the exam in 2 weeks time!" [Adrian Laming]

"Thank you for the early posting. Reached me Saturday, opened, checked and packed for Rhodes same day. Well you never said it would be easy did you. My commiseration to all those newcomers who expect NEWS to mean NEWS. In the end there was only one section I didn't understand but I spent an awful lot of time in trying to figure out what was required - I'm glad to be able to put it in the post - you know? Ignore the brickbats. See you next year? [Staurt Lawrie]