TC5 (Out) @ Spot Height 266 (2307)
TC6 (In) @ Next Junction

R Y Y R Y Y W R Y Y Y Y Y Y W Y Y Y Y Y R R Y Y Y Y R Y Y Y Y Y Y Y W Y W W Y Y Y Y Y Y Y W Y W Y W Y W Y Y Y Y Y Y W Y Y Y Y Y W Y Y Y R R Y Y Y R R Y W Y

Answer the following Route Checks:
1) Number of Spot Heights visited (excluding the Start)?
2) Number of Bridges crossed?
3) Number of Fords crossed?
4) Number of Uphill Gradient arrows crossed?
5) Number of Downhill Gradient arrows crossed?
6) Most Northerly point Grid Square?
7) Most Westerly point Grid Square?
8) Most Southerly point Grid Square?
9) Most Easterly point Grid Square?
10) What Grid Square could you phone me from?

You had to use sections (junction to junction, or change of colour) of roads with the appropriate colour. The route solution is shown by various Kilometre Squares passed through:

R Y (YY*) Y R Y Y W(2407) R Y Y Y Y Y Y W(2604) Y Y Y Y Y R R Y Y Y Y(2810/2809) R Y Y Y Y Y Y Y W(2806/2906) Y W(2906/2905) W(2805/2806) Y Y Y Y Y Y Y W(2702/2703) Y W(2703) Y W(2703/2603/2602) Y W(2502/2602/2603) Y Y Y Y Y Y W(2504) Y Y Y Y Y W(2205) Y Y Y R R Y(2006) Y Y R R(1904) Y W(1903) Y

(YY* It's possible there was a white loop here which would have needed an extra YY, but this didn't affect the overall solution)

TC6 (In) - Crossroads (SH224) in 1903.

The Route Checks Answers were as follows:

1) 9 - 162,196,36,208,104,71,123,257,224 (You were supposed to include the one at TC6 because it was precisely at the "Next Junction" . An answer of 9 or 8, with the comment that you acknowledged there was a spot height at TC6 but was unsure of whether to include it, were marked correct. SH239 was not en route.)

2) 1 

3) 2  (I was looking for water across the road with the word "Ford". However, if you counted all water crossings but commented that only two were marked "Ford", then that was OK too. Rule 12 has been changed to avoid this ambiguity in the future.)

4) 5 (If you got RC6 wrong, you probably got this wrong too with an answer of 4.)

5) 7 (The trickiest one. Many of you unnecessarily visited an extra arrow in 2702. The junction by the church is staggered i.e. no overlapping edges, so you should have approached from the NNE rather than ESE via the arrow. Make sure you change your master route to reflect this otherwise you may come unstuck on Route Card 9! Some of you were no doubt lucky with the right answer by erroneously including this arrow and then erroneously excluding the arrow demanded by RC6. )

6) 2810 (Many fell into the trap! If you were lazy and didn't check over the map fold you would have counted the yellow sections of road incorrectly and ended up with an answer of 2709. This may also have affected your answers to RC4 and RC5 since there was a downhill and uphill gradient arrow on the correct route.)

7) 1904
8) 2602
9) 2906 

10) 1904 (This wasn't meant to be as sneaky as some of you assumed. This was the only telephone on the correct route, but of course it was an AA/RAC box. Some argued that they couldn't call me because they were not AA/RAC members. Others tried to use it but since they didn't know if I worked at the AA/RAC couldn't guarantee whether they could speak to me. Gillian Goodlass went to the extreme and commented "I've just rung the AA who tell me their phones are direct to the AA, so I assume it could not be used to ring you personally." One of you cheated and said he could ring me from anywhere because he was carrying a mobile phone! Anyway, if you answered 1904 or None, you got your point. 2408, the nearest off-route public telephone was not accepted.)

A moral to this Route Card is to always submit comments with your answers if you are the slightest bit uncertain about interpretation or alternatives. If you give a wrong answer, but then argue with an acceptable reason why, I will usually give you the benefit of doubt. Look at the Competitors' Comments for plenty of examples.