I'm with John.
You pays your money & do the miles.
I feel sorry for the shortcutters, after-all, they only cheat themselves and have to live the lie at every event discussion,knowing they've only done 2/3rds the distance.
Will they all end up shrivelled & wrinklled with worry??
I HOPE!

I also prefer routes that allow a little choices, however i am happy to follow a set route if that is what is required after all if i have paid for 26 miles then i want 26 miles :-).

But seeing as the LDWA events are mostly Non competitive then folk taking short cuts etc are only fooling themselves

The 6 Dales earlier this year was quite interesting as it was possible to join up the checkpoints and do around 15 miles but the full route was around 25 miles.I saw several entrants who cut out Lathkill Dale and went directly from Middleton to Monyash via the Limestone Way and several others who went directly from Hartington to Biggin (missing out 3 more dales).It was possible to cut out the other 2 dales as well.
No doubt these competitors would have been keen to tell the organisers they had done 15 miles and 0 dales when they collected their certificates and badges!

I generally use the route description to plot the route on the map - which is sometimes easy/obvious but sometimes less so - and then just use the map on the event (as I'd much rather refer to a map than to a written account) but of course this might leave the route open to interpretation. I much prefer routes which allow for a choice of routefinding anyway.

I agree with you both. However, it is not always clear if the route description is mandatory or advisory. The Fellsman and Bullock Smithy, for instance, both say you must get from point A to point B in your own fashion. But the BS also issues a "suggested" route.

This can be easily solved if the rules say that the route MUST be followed, or whatever appropriate phrase makes it clear. Then cheats can be justifiably shot. (Garfield)

No I don't either. I also can't understand why I get cross about it. Even though I don't like it, it shouldn't spoil my enjoyment of the event!

...why people enter an event then deliberately don't follow the route.