What a bonanza we had in Edinburgh in the beginning of June!
A weekend packed with lovely TURF experiences. Thank you Scots!
Congratulations to the winners of round May 2025: nicos from Berlin turfed home his first Gold. mrcoolwhat from Västra Götaland got his first Silver and Artful from Scotland got enough points for a second Bronze. Well done mates!
Upcoming events
If you are organising an open event, don't forget to write to insider@turfgame.com a couple of months in advance to get the information about your event into the newsletter :)
Bonanza 2025: 7th of June in Edinburgh, Scotland, UK
We are closing in on the first Bonanza outside of Sweden. It will be held in Edinburgh the weekend of 6th to 9th June! Entries are now open HERE and you can read about the event centre venues as well in the updated advance information HERE. You will visit a number of amazing historic buildings in Scotland’s capital.
Don't forget, as of 2nd of April, most of us outside of the UK, will need a ETA to travel to UK. Read more HERE. See you in Edinburgh!
Uppsala2025, 28th of June in Uppsala, Sweden
Uppsala2025 will be held on the 28th of June. It will contain foot, bike and waterzones, and might also have some fun event-quests alongside the actual competition. We will most definitely have dinner, but where is not yet planned. Sign up HERE. Let's hope for nice weather!
Turf Gbg Open, 5th of July in Gothenburg, Sweden
Head over to the Swedish West coast for a double Event day. Two 90 min Events followed by a dinner in the evening. Read more HERE (Swedish only) and sign up HERE.
Skåne Open – 23rd of August
Turf Skåne is hosting Skåne Open Saturday August 23 on Ribersborgs beach in Malmö. There will be three optional heats, foot, wheel and water. Foot and wheel are open events and will give you the (one) event medal for participation. Water is closed. There will be cups for the first three in each heat. Participation is free. We are hoping for many entries, and this year we would love to see some participants from neighboring Denmark! More info and registration HERE.
Turf Ultimate Region Fight 2025 - September 7th to October 5th
Turf Ultimate Region Fight will be arranged by MaXi again during the September round. To register interest for the Region Fight, contact MaXi by July 6th at maxi.triathlon@gmail.com. Proposals for changes to the rules or format for this year's competition will be voted on between region representatives during the second week of July.
A question often asked in social media is: Why are zone makers making zones where there are no/few turfers? Well, that method was used in the very beginning, both in Sweden and in other official Turf countries, but the few players in low activity areas got tired of never having a chance against the players (mostly Swedes) in high activity areas. And instead of recruiting new players, which was the hope with this strategy, players quit. Turf has most likely lost thousands of players due to them living in a ”zone desert”, both in the early days in Sweden, but for sure in most official Turf countries before the thinking changed to putting out zones before there were active turfers in a town/area. So when Turf had its breakthrough in UK, and later in Germany, zones were made in cities and towns before there were any turfers there.
In the beginning, it was free zone making in Sweden and focus was on places with active turfers. This resulted in a big imbalance in zone density, even between rather close towns/areas. Leading to most likely a loss of new turfers when someone in a low density area downloaded Turf and realized he/she had 1 km between zones, whereas someone in just the next town over, had only 250-300 m between zones. Hence, the quota system for Sweden was born. It was set up in order to try and even out the zone density between different towns and areas. A lot of different things have been taken into consideration; population of the area, size of the area, the number of already existing zones, and to some degree, number of active turfers. This strategy has also been implemented in the UK and Norway, with a rotation of zone maker responsibility every 4 months and a quota for set areas. The ”quota zones” are predominantly meant to supply turfers with new zones to take on a daily basis, they are not meant to be for those ”once in a lifetime zones”. A good place to lift those extra special places, is the Turf Forum, which zone makers have to read (but has no requirement to answer or act upon, free will and all that). And yes, the Forum is hard to get into at time, but keep trying!
As a zone maker you're part of crew, you "are" not crew, and above all, you don't have the power to change what the game is. As a zone maker, you make zones within the predefined rules that has been set up. In Sweden we have had a rotation of zone makers for a long time, first by region, then by county/area (kommun) level. Today, we change areas of responsibility every four months. We have zone makers from Sweden, Norway, Germany, UK and Finland. This is one reason why we ask you to try and write issues in English, even if they concern a zone in a non-English speaking country.
Another request from turfers in social media, is to have more direct contact with the zone makers. Some of the zone makers have from time to time been more open, have had a suggestion thread on Facebook, answered why they don't create certain suggestions, etc. Most of the time it has worked well, given better understanding between the sides without pressure or endless discussions where a no won't accepted. But sometimes the zone maker gets hounded by turfers not happy with where the zone maker puts a zone and the zone maker gets private messages from upset turfers. This is not ok and shows that the current model is necessary after all. Since the beginning of Turf time, it has been perfectly fine to be anonymous as a zone maker.
There is also a thought that the zone makers should be a grey, impersonal mass; that all zone making should be done with one voice, equally everywhere, albeit at the cost of less direct communication. When training to become a zone maker, there are guidelines for zone making to read and an evaluation of zone making to pass. However, all zone maker's have a personal touch to their zone making, and this is another reason why area of responsibility changes every four months. There are three official contact paths between turfers and zone makers and it has been decided that it is ok for this to be one-way; suggestions in the app and in the Turf forum, and bug reports in the Issue system. It is up to the individual zone maker how much they want to interact with everyone and I hope this will be respected.
Turf Picture of the Month
This month's Turf Picture is of the zone PeatyBay by Veld. This zone can only be reached at very low tide.
If you have a Zone picture you want featured as Turf Picture of the Month, send it to insider@turfgame.com Please include your Turf nick for recognition!
Turfa lugnt/Safe turfing!
//Munin
Advance Information is available here:
The registration for Turf Bonanza in Edinburgh, June 6-9 is now OPEN!
Registration and more info at: bit.ly/3GisL8V
Check out the promo-video here: bit.ly/4lE1sWX
Don't miss out on this first ever Bonanza outside Sweden, hosted by our lovely community in Scotland!
Round winners – March (Round #177)
Congratulations to the winners of round March 2025: Király from Skåne decided he wanted another Gold, Jomii from Värmland went for a thrid Silver and féarglas from Scotland added a Bronze to her medal row. Well done mates!
Upcoming events
If you are organising an open event, don't forget to write to insider@turfgame.com a couple of months in advance to get the information about your event into the newsletter :)
Åland Open, 24th of May in Mariehamn, Åland
For the second time, Mariehamn (Åland) will host two Events on the same day. Information HERE (only in Swedish).
Bonanza 2025: 7th of June in Edinburgh, Scotland, UK
The first Bonanza outside of Sweden will be held in Edinburgh in June 2025, and is a must for all. Please pre-register your interest by completing this FORM, and join in a weekend of FUN FUN FUN. See you in Edinburgh!
As of 2nd of April, most of us will need an ETA to travel to the UK. Read more HERE. It opens for application on the 5th of March.
féarglas has more Scotland related tips for anyone coming over for the Bonanza:
“As the countdown continues to Bonanza ’25 in Edinburgh on June 7th, we are excited to now have three Frut missions. Two involve the fabulous canal route along the NCR754, with 211 zones, mission #71 going westbound, and mission #72 going eastbound. MarkkuEsoc has written a wonderful account for all to read. The third is mission #70, the Edinburgh Roon, with much fun to be had going roon and roon the toon taking 140 zones in alphabetical order. Come to Edinburgh and try them for yourself!
With many gems of places to visit in Scotland, here is a quick mention of one right up there with the best. Dunnottar Castle, near Stonehaven on the northeast coast, is one of Scotland’s hidden treasures, a castle perched atop a 160 foot rock and surrounded on three sides by the North Sea. The cliff walk from Stonehaven to Dunnottar Castle is spectacular. Then climb the steps along the steep path that leads to the gatehouse along a narrow strip of land joining the headland to the mainland. Dramatic views a plenty. (Check opening times if you want to take the zone inside!)”
Uppsala2025, 28th of June in Uppsala, Sweden
Uppsala2025 will be held on the 28th of June. It will contain foot, bike and water zones, and might also have some fun event-quests alongside the actual competition. We will most definitely have dinner, but where it will be is not yet planned. Sign up HERE.
Turf Gbg Open, 5th of July in Gothenburg, Sweden
Head over to the Swedish West coast for a double Event day. Two 90 min Events followed by dinner in the evening. Read more HERE (Swedish only) and sign up HERE.
”Luleå
Ice '25 took place on March 15th on the ice around central Luleå.
The
skating conditions on the ice track were good, and the weather
during
the competition was nice, though a bit windy. A total of
22
participants
took at least one zone. Participants skated, skied, kicked
sleds,
and several walked. Seven people competed for the medals.
In the end,
grock took bronze, Duja took silver, and Kygni won
gold.
Unfortunately,
just after the event concluded, it started snowing,
making
the prize ceremony and hot dog grilling a bit less enjoyable. In
the
evening, dinner was held at a restaurant. Thank you to everyone
who
participated,
and see you again next year!”
Two Turf-related April Fool's Day jokes took place this year. On Facebook a turfer told everyone about a new feature in Android Auto/Apple CarPlay for all car turfers out there. Another joke was the news on Turf's home page about a new Attribute, Electrify. Turfers were also encouraged to send photos of electrical cabinets/transformer buildings to Turf Insider. A total of 13 pictures landed in the Inbox. Here is my fave where you get two for the price of one.
During the March round, FeTaTo from Scotland took her 40.000th Unique Zone. This is her story of the event:
”To the 40000th Unique
Succeeded in a special and memorable trip taking a world heritage site zone as my 40k unique in Vienna on my birthday with féarglas on a beautiful spring day. There might not be many zones in Vienna but they were an interesting selection.
A while back I decided that I wanted to make this zone a special and memorable one. Where would I like to go? Vienna? How about making it on my birthday? And then féarglas offered to come with me to make it more memorable. Hitting a specific zone on a specific day took planning. I would need another trip out of Scotland to get close enough. I decided to use trains, buses and my feet to collect councils ("kommuner" in Swedish) in north Wales. This proved too productive - I kept finding useful buses. I had to stop unique hunting on that trip and for the two weeks before my birthday to avoid hitting the target early!
Travel, exploring and exercise are my main drivers with turfing which leads to the focus on uniques. There are over 100k zones that I haven’t visited so still plenty of exploring possibilities to keep me busy (though with ever further travelling). And I hope to meet some of you on my travels.”
Canal System Frut-mission by MarkkuEsoc
“For the reasonably energetic, and now available as Frut missions, a wonderful Turfing day out can be had by following the canal system of central Scotland all the way from West coast to East Coast (or vice versa) along the NCR754. The entirely traffic free ride encompasses magnificent views and both rural and urban landscapes and yet, following the canal towpath is practically flat, navigationally easy and enjoys good solid surfaces. You will rack up a total of 211 Turf zones (without veering from the canal) and get a massive sense of achievement!
Should you prefer a shorter route, other stations are available along the route. The ride can be done in either direction, and utilising the train for the other direction (Edinburgh Waverley-Bowling) typically taking 1 hour 45 minutes, for around £22. Scottish trains do take bikes. The ride is a distance of 66 miles/106 km, (and going West to East) commences at zone ‘Stuck’ finishing at ‘LochrinBasin’.
The first half is ridden alongside the Forth & Clyde Canal with the latter half on the Union canal. 2 tunnels are encountered on the route, both of which are lit but watch out for drips coming down through the roof!
The highlight of the trip has to be the Falkirk Wheel, a rotating boat lift around halfway on the route which opened in 2002. It connects the Forth and Clyde Canal with the Union Canal and replaced 11 locks which fell into disrepair. It is the only rotating boat lift of its kind in the world, and one of only two working boat lifts in the United Kingdom. It makes an ideal pitstop and has a cafe for sustenance and you’ll definitely want to take photos! Falkirk Wheel is the only hill on the route (or notable descent if going East to West).
Other trip highlights are passing alongside monumental artificial hills in the Bathgate area known as ‘bings’, they are orangey/red in colour and rise up to 95m high and are formed of billions of fragments of waste shale that were produced from the extraction of shale oil. Keep an eye out for all sorts of wildlife, both land and water based too, but make sure not to slip off the towpath into the water! Happy Turfing!”
Did you know...
...there are 72 Missions for turfers at Turf Missions
...there are Turf Missions in Sweden, Germany and Scotland
...you can take part in as many as you want and at the same time!
Turf Picture of the Month
March's Turf Picture of the Month is from the zone SheriffCar by DXP2K
Turfa lugnt/Safe turfing!
//Munin
...if you want to contribute to future Turf Insiders, send your story to insider@turfgame.com :) C'mon and share your big and small stories with the Turf world.
Congratulations to the winners of round February 2025: féarglas from Scotland turfed home her 7th Gold, Cruachan from Scotland took his second Silver and Király from Skåne added another Bronze to his row of medals. Well done mates!
Upcoming events
If you are organising an open event, don't forget to write to insider@turfgame.com a couple of months in advance to get the information about your event into the newsletter :)
LuleåIce25, 15th of March in Luleå, Sweden
After the success of last year, LuleåIce is back. Information and how to sign up is found HERE
SåsTurf, 5th of April in Alingsås, Sweden
MaXi wants you to come and compete in two open Events at the very end of this round. Join him in his home town by foot or by bike or both :) You can read more about it HERE (only in Swedish). You can compete in one Event or in both. There will be a prize to the turfer who takes most points combined in the two Events. Go go go!
Åland Open, 24th of May in Mariehamn, Åland
For the second time, Mariehamn (Åland) will host two Events on the same day.
Bonanza 2025: 7th of June in Edinburgh, Scotland, UK
Please pre-register your interest by completing this form, and join the fun. As of 2nd of April, most of us will need an ETA to travel to the UK. Read more HERE. It opens for application on the 5th of March.
Bonanza 2025 is coming to Edinburgh, Scotland, on June 7th, and we are very excited to welcome you all for a fun weekend of Turf. Information is coming this week to https://www.esoc.org.uk/news/turf-bonanza-20257
For walks with a worthy view within a day trip of Edinburgh, the Fife Coastal Path is a sign-posted (and zoned) path from Kincardine to Newburgh, around the Fife coast. It can be broken in to sections for day trips, with bus and train options to get to/from the starting/end points. It takes in lovely fishing towns such as Elie, Anstruther, Crail, and of course, St. Andrews. This is definitely worth a visit for the long sandy beach, the historic buildings, and yes - the golf course. https://fifecoastandcountrysidetrust.co.uk/walks/fife-coastal-path/
Dundee is a city with many interesting attractions, and just a 90 minute drive or 70 minute train journey from Edinburgh. You will find the award winning V&A dedicated design museum, the Science Centre, and Mills Observatory. You can experience life in the Antarctic with Captain Scott on the RRS Discovery, explore the forests and wildlife centre at Camperdown Park, enjoy the walk along the river Tay and the beach area at Broughty Ferry. And of course - see the famous Desperate Dan sculptures - a Dundonian legend!
Further along the coast, Carnoustie has a lovely promenade, and is another world leading golf destination with three superb golf courses. A particular favourite of mine is Arbroath, settled in the 12th century and home of the renowned Arbroath Smokie. Arbroath Abbey is in the centre of the town, the old harbour is still active, and the sandstone cliffs are stunning. More suggestions in the next Insider!
Uppsala2025, 28th of June in Uppsala, Sweden
Uppsala2025 will be held on the 28th of June. It will contain foot, bike and water zones, and might also have some fun event-quests alongside the actual competition. We will most definitely have dinner, but where it will be is not yet planned. Sign up HERE.
Some turfers discovered during February that the Turf app disappeared from the App store (where iPhone users get their hands on Turf). It was a bureaucracy hang up, but it has now been fixed. So spread the word again among your friends with iPhone, Turf has returned!
It looks like Turf Awards is taking a break this year. This is due to lack of time from the Crew member organising it. It will return. Everything Crew does, is done in our spare time for free, and sometimes life just gets in the way of all the fun things Turf brings into our lives.
Turf Insider asked MaXi to tell us about his goals during a round. This is his story:
A normal round for MaXi
Goals. With turfers there’s almost as many goals with turfing as there are turfers. For me the thing that currently holds most interest, well except for growing my row of event medals, is the Jack of all trades toplist, “my toplist standings”, on warded. To get up in ranking I've mostly been focusing on Revists, Assists, Turfers taken zones from and Takes from neutral, but i do every toplist when I get the chance.
My round start usually takes me to Lidköping where I like to challenge myself to try and get the yellow leader t-shirt. Doing it in Lidköping with its high take points is a lot easier than doing it in my hometown of Alingsås where it would be almost impossible to keep up with the Germans and Electric bike turfers.
In the first week of a new Turf round, I sometimes do short road trips to nearby towns to get more takes from neutrals if I have time and energy for it. These trips also provide a comfy baseline of pph and a nice change of scenery! Highly recommend switching the scenery while turfing from time to time :)
The rest of the weeks of the round are usually pretty “normal”. I do afternoon and night time rides on my beloved gravel bike a couple of times a week while keeping a lookout for potential revists and all the other stuff that can advance me on the Jack of all trades toplist. I also keep an eye on the leagues where I like to stay in League 4. I find it a pretty chill place while it also keeps me from becoming too lazy. Finally I want to share with you one of my face zones.
Did you know...
...403 386 medals have been awarded so far to 116 662 turfers
...there are 2 medals no one has taken so far (Roundpointer–3 M and Take-500000)
Turf Picture of the Month
February's Turf Picture of the Month is from the zone LunaParkFace by TheInquisitor. It was hard to choose this month, from many good pictures. Keep 'em coming!
If you have a Zone picture you want featured as Turf Picture of the Month, send it to insider@turfgame.com Please include your Turf nick for recognition!
Turfa lugnt/Safe turfing!
//Munin
Please, send your story to insider@turfgame.com:) C'mon and share your big and small stories with the Turf world. I know you have a fave zone you'd like to the Turf world about ;) Or a meeting in a zone or story from a local Turf get-together.
