A final session around North Berwick was perfect for gathering the final 70 zones I required to complete the 1000 round uniques needed for the Diversiest medal. Well, most of them anyway. I would still find myself 10 short as I’d included all the zones around North Berwick and no way was I lugging the bike up The Law, a 600-foot-high volcanic plug or along the coastal path either. The final 10 I ticked off in nearby Dirleton. Now, with the Diversiest in the bag I am at something of a loss. So, to echo the words of the infamous goon Spike Milligan, what am I going to do now?
Well, initial thoughts after seeing I held just under 300 zones was to go for another 100 and aim for the Greed-400 medal. I knew this was going to be a tough challenge as I knew from previous experience with the Greed-350 just how exasperating and frustrating this could be. I recall being out taking zones and after taking some 60 zones found I actually had fewer zones than when I started, having lost around that same number to a turfer in Musselburgh. Same occurred the same evening in Roslyn, took 15 zones, lost 14 zones. The following day I lost all of Gorebridge and Mayfield, a drop of about 40 zones. Decided to give the Greed-400 a miss for now.
Now, still need something to keep me interested in turf and for some ideas looked back to the previous New Year turf resolutions for 2026:
- take 1000 round unique zones for the Diversiest medal. COMPLETED
- take zones in 5 regions for the Pentaregion Star. COMPLETED
- take zones in 10 regions for the Decaregion Star. COMPLETED
- take zones in all 12 UK regions for the UK Explorer medal. COMPLETED
- collect 20 zones to complete the Monumental medal. COMPLETED
- go crazy one round for the Roundpointer-750k medal.
- go for a Region winner medal, most likely Scotland.
- take 400 zones in 24-hours for the Staminatrix medal.
As you can see, I’ve actually accomplished quite a few. Not much chance of the Region medal unless I break the legs of certain turfers who seem obsessed with a Region medal every turf round. The Roundpointer-750k medal might be possible during a 5-week round and the next round has 5-weeks so a possibility there. The Staminatrix medal is a tough one and will need further planning. But there’s a challenge not on the list, 10 zones in under 10-minutes.
So far, I’ve managed 7:05 placing me second on the Scottish list but I want to try and do better. One way (and there are others) to do that is to hold the Region Lord crown and that gives you a 5-second time bonus for each take and with 9 zones that means 45-seconds off your time.
The gain the Region Lord crown you need to hold more zones than any other turfer in a Region, for example Scotland. And to be honest, here in Scotland that is a real challenge. However, I have a plan. That plan is to visit a Region where there is less turfing activity and two regions fit the bill, Northern Ireland and the East Midlands. To visit Northern Ireland, you either need to take a ferry or fly and both take time and money. For myself East Midlands seems a better option.
My plan would be to drive down a few days before the end of a round and stay overnight in one of the zone-rich areas such as Nottingham or Leicester. Nottingham has around 190 zones and Leicester has around 250 zones. The trip takes around 6-hours and should I leave around 4.00 am I’d be there by mid-morning. I would then, if practical, target the zones held by the turfer in that region who holds the Region Lord crown. Not only would this help gain myself the crown but also hinder them gaining it back again.
That’s one reason for taking the car rather than train or coach, it means I’ve flexible to visit any area where zones are held by the turfer with the Region Lord crown. Generally, I’d spend as much time as possible taking zones, as many as I can manage. I would also have time the following day for further takes. In addition, depending on how many points the leader of this region holds, it might even be possible to take collect enough points to steal the lead and achieve a Region medal as well. All a matter of timing, both to hinder anyone challenging you and also leaving enough time to get home, rest and recover, then attempt the 10 zones of the Loanhead Ferret Run before the round ends. More soon.
Copyright ©2026 Gary Buckham. All rights reserved.
