Answer 7, (red to Yellow) I've included the join from the spot height at the start to the first yellow. [correct] I've also included change of colour where you cross over a road (e.g. yellow-orange, orange-yellow at crossroads). [correct] Having already said it seemed a bit easier, it took me ages to spot what it was all about. Pleased when I finally did. Even worse, having double-checked all my answers on the way into work this morning, I went and left the answer sheet on the bus!  Had to count them all over again. [The only perfect score on this route card. Well done! See below also.]  Ian Buxton

A straightforward route card I thought, then ..!! It seems obviously grid lines and grid squares - but is that just too obvious? So many possibilities for different routes & not just shortest route in one place - later parts of the route are effected by earlier parts....then there is that question mark..Hum! I think I will cut and run to TC9 ... but that could be anywhere! Also, I had no roads going from yellow to orange, but 1 from white to orange and 1 from orange to red. I also assume TC8 is on the red and going onto the yellow at that junction counts as 1 red to yellow. Confidence level on this 'easy' card ... ZERO!!  Mark Goodman

Getting pretty confusing for me now - its more guesswork - using luck and judgement rather than a complete solution!  Steve Waggett

A LOT easier than the last one! A couple of tricky bits to scatter the scores though. Great! The '?' threw me for a bit, and I thought the routes through Axminster were too close to call until I remembered to 'drive' round the roundabout the right way (or not in this case)! One possible ambiguity....I have assumed that you can turn onto the yellow at spot height 143 (3395) by doing a U-turn at the end of the red dual carriageway. Since the rules state that you treat dual carriageways as 2 roads, I can't see any reason not to do this, but just in case, and on the offchance that you are prepared to accept a different answer, the alternative is to go via the orange to spot height 198 (3296), which changes answers 7) to 4, 8) to 2 and 9) to 2. [Brilliant - 9/10. Did you miss the Red to Yellow at the start? See below also.]  Jeremy Rodgers

Q7, red to yellow assumes you start on red at sh29 and that counts when you turn immediately off to yellow [correct]. Is the '?' in the clue where you go through the caravan site and the road may be a bit dubious? [It was there because it was debatable whether the white crossed GL 94 before joining the red]  Clive George

Haven't been able to give this the attention it deserves as I've had my worst cold for years (with an outside temperature of 101!).   Realise that it's about a collection of grid lines [yes] and grid squares [yes] and missing spot heights [no].  But it hasn't quite clicked.  Hope that route card 9 is a bit easier as I would like to get it finished and sent to you before I leave on the afternoon of Sunday 14th.  Think that internet and e-mail are great as long as someone else is paying for the equipment.  But maybe ... ?  Don Clarke

Not got a clue about this one, so every answer is guesswork.  Bridget Lewis

Enjoyed the plotting hated the questions. One mistake and you can end up with several fails. Perhaps thats the idea. Just a few comments on the route. Have included the Red to Yellow at the start. Presume the white @ 344 937 doesn't go. [looks OK to me!] I decided it  doesn't. Therefore I made the shortest route via 3445 9315N. Therefore using a Red to Yellow and a Yellow to Red. Using the Dual carriageway in 3395. I decided that you can't do a U-turn to use the Yellow @ 3385 9575 NNW so ended up using the Red to Orange @ 331 96175 then the Orange to Yellow @ 3285 96975. If you can do a U-turn [yes] forget the Red to Orange and  Orange to Yellow and add a Red to Yellow. [OK, did that] Not sure what the rules are concerning U-turns. [Since you have no actual knowledge about road, and you couldn't use it anyway, you just treat it as a turn right] One last problem the string 30 2998 2998 2998 2898 (or 28 98). This depends on whether the White running parallel with the Red  (2898/2798) connects to the Red via the White running South (over printed with  Gammons). Having read rule10, made a guess that it does not connect. Therefore I crossed grid line 30 in 2998/3098), used three Whites 2998,2998,2998 then via the White loop in 2898. [that's correct] If the White/Red does connect. I would have done the following, crossed 30 in 2900/3000 used three Whites 2998, 2998, 2998, then used the white in question as 28 followed by a white crossing 98 in 2598/2597. Sorry its turned in to an essay.  Keep up the good work.   Ewan Hopes

Another complete guess! Something like gridlines defining app/dep to spot heights?  Keith Norman

I treated this as a combination of squares to visit and lines to cross [but only on white roads only on white roads] - the new time table has given me more time to finish this one what is TRACOM? [TRACOM will be revealed on RC11. But if you are desperate to have some insight (not that it will give you any advantage), get hold of a copy of Motoring News from January 4th, 1973!]  Brian Banks

Loved the section. Hated the questions. Have 4 different routes that fit the clue, unable to decide now which is the shortest. Also I hate this Wednesday route change.  Pete James

I had a few doubts regarding your interpretation versus mine in a few places, so I asked a few of you to explain your route in detail. I am very grateful for the thorough responses from Jeremy Rodgers and Ian Buxton which sum up all the tricky bits exactly.

Ah, I wondered if I ought to have given the alternative route, but I'm 99 percent sure the one I gave is the shortest....Interpretation was as follows: Crossing gridlines on whites, or grid squares of white roads that don't cross gridlines. Cross 3 99s in 3098/3099, 30 at 984 (I assumed you counted the white as not crossing 98 at 297). Then use 3 whites within 2998, followed by white loop in 2898, which dictates route out of Axminster.
Route: From the housing estate in 3098/3099 (the 3 99s), turn right onto the yellow, left onto the red, straight on onto the orange, right at the orange T and immediately slot left onto the white (crossing 30).
You can't do the other '30' white about 1km up since this stops you getting to the white loop in 2898 later on (the crossroads at 297 986.5 is not staggered by your rules). Leave the white at spot height 41 and turn left, turn right onto the red and slot right onto the white. T right white and then T left onto the yellow. Slot next white left, immediate slot right white past church and over crossroads (crossing red onto white - PANIC, did I include the white red, red white??? Phew yes!). Turn left onto yellow at crossroads and out of Axminster.
The other route which is fractionally longer is as follows: Same up to spot height 41, then turn right, slot left, miss left, slot right onto red, round the roundabout (the long way, this makes all the difference). Slot right just before the church and go round the church, rejoining the previous route.
I measured these routes several times on a blown up copy of the map (around 8 times magnification - I don't see that this is cheating...). Taking the short way round the roundabout, the 2 routes were pretty much identical (the 1st route came out shortest 3 out of 5 times I measured it!). Taking the correct route round the roundabout makes the 2nd route longer (by my measurements!).
Hope this helps. [Absolutely!]  Jeremy Rodgers

Here's my interpretation of RC8. Clues represent either grid squares or grid lines where white roads are used: grid squares where the white is wholly within the square, or grid line where the white crosses it. I split the route up as follows:
2895 (via NW 28059550 S)
2994 (via NNE 292942 NE)
92 (at 298920 SSW)
2991 (via WNW 29559135 ESE)
31 (at 310938 NE)
94
31 (at 310944 Nish) }  - This loop is arguable but
31 (at 310947 NNW) }   made no diff to route checks
95 (at 309950 NW) }
31 (at 310958 NNE)
96   
95 (at 323950 S)
94
33 (at 330946 E)
34 (at 340947 E)
94
34   
34 (at 937340 E) - again arguable if A-road is gated or 'not joined' - but makes no diff to route checks
94 (at SW 35759400 NW)
94? (at NE 355940 WNW) re-join A-road right on grid line - hence the question mark
3495 (via 343953 NNW) - lay-by loop
34 (at 340969 ENE)
97
34 (at 340975 NW)
99 (at 325990 NNE)
(via NNE 30559945 ESE) - leave A-road
(or via NNE 30459925 ESE) - makes no diff to route checks. Second is slightly shorter I think.
99 }
99 } (both at almost NNE 30759900 WNW)
99 (at 306990 SSW)
30 (at 300984 SSW)
2998 (via ESE 294981 NNE)
2998 (via SW 297984 WNW)
2998 (via SSE 29659855 N)
2898 (round Hunthay Farm)
26 (at 260986 WNW)
2599 (via WNW 25559915 NE)
99 (at S 27259900)
TC9(in) at SSE276004

The most questionable bit is at 30759900 where you cross the grid line, turn right and cross back over it again all within about 10 yards. On my map I reckon you cross the line if you stick to the left hand side or middle of the road. Besides, I couldn't find any further crossings of GL 99 on white East of 325990 that you could use instead! The other possibility I entertained was going via E 30009925 W instead of  300984 SSW; but this would end up having to take the junction at 29709865 as a staggered X-roads; I make it just a crossroads (so you can't use it twice).
Hope this all helps! [Absolutely too!] Ian Buxton