13-May-2010 -- This report is the fifth out of a series of eight confluences that we visited on a tour from Zurich (Switzerland) to La Rochelle in France. The story starts from 47°N 6°E and continues from 47°N 3°E.
For the last (fifth!) confluence visit of this day, we again used GPS navigation for road guidance. This time we simply entered the coordinates 47N 2E in the search field and let a guidance algorithm do the navigation job for us. However, since we had only the coarse map of France in the navigation device, the automatic navigation ended as we arrived in the village Villiers-les-Roses, about 1.5 km from the confluence point. Here we had to take over the navigation ourselves. We cruised along some farming tracks and parked in one of those tracks in about 400 m beeline distance from the confluence. Then we walked between a rape and a corn field up to a distance of 42 m. A closer approach than this would have meant to step into the rape field and cause some damage. During the hike, some bright yellow petals from the rape fell on the GPS display and would stay there even if we tried to blow them away – probably due to some electrostatic charges.
When leaving, we observed a beautiful sunset and drove off to the town Issoudun, which is about 8 km south of the confluence. Here, we found a country hotel as our place for the night.
CP visit details:
- Beeline distance from car parking: 410 m
- Walking time (incl. return): 15 min
- Time at the CP: 8:44 pm
- Measured height: 136 m
- Position accuracy at the CP: 4 m
- Minimal distance to the CP: 42 m
- Vegetation: In a grain field with rape plants, a corn field is nearby.
- Distance to a road: 160 m
- Distance to a track: 160 m
- Distance to houses: 200 m (a nearby farm house)
- Topography: flat.
- Weather: Fair, 11° C (felt temperature)
- Description of the CP: In an agricultural dominated area the Département Indre, in the Region Centre in central France. Exact location in the middle of a rape field.
- Given Name: The Rape Petal Confluence
Story continues at 47°N 1°E.