Saturday 30/08/2025 – NGOC League 8 – Cleeve Hill South

Cleeve Hill is an open, exposed area of grassy Common land with patches of gorse bushes and very occasional trees. It is generally a very fast runnable area, especially on the grassy paths. There are a few steep sided valleys to negotiate and an old quarry on the longer courses to be careful of. It is a popular area – for walkers, riders, cyclists and sheep! No one should go close to the golf course.

1:10,000, 5m contours, updated to ISSOM2017 for Brown and Blue courses; 1:7,500 for all other courses; with extensive updates of gorse growth and removal. For ease of vision, the standard IOF colour for rough open has been lightened. This is mainly to ensure that grass paths mapped as open land are easily distinguished from the surrounding rough open.

Control descriptions will be text for Yellow, text and pictorial for Orange and pictorial for all other courses. Loose control descriptions will be available in the start lanes.

Assembly, start, finish & download will be just beyond the entrance to the common, a ten minute walk up the lane from the parking field. Please watch out for cars travelling up and down the narrow lane. First Aid provision will also be located at Assembly.

SI Touch free punching is enabled, but all runners must punch both Start and Finish.

Course distances are straight line between controls.

Regrettably there is nowhere suitable for a string course.

We will use SI Timing, in contact and touch free modes. All runners must however punch the Start and Finish controls.

You MUST go to Download even if you do not complete your course – we need to confirm that you are back safely!

Whistles must be carried by juniors running on their own and are highly recommended for all competitors. If you hear a distress whistle, please go to assist.

Split starts. In order to minimise demands on scarce volunteer resources we operate a 90 minute start window for this event, and we recognise that this can be a challenge for parents seeking split starts, particularly with the TD5 start being some distance away. We are happy to accommodate split starts provided:

• You let us know in advance that you need a split start. Do this by emailing the organiser, address in the introduction above
• You come early; the start team will normally be ready to allow very early starts up to 30 minutes before the published start time, so aim to be there with this in mind. We do not offer starts later than the published end of the start window.
• The shorter course runner goes first. We will not turn you away if you can't manage this, but it gives you both a better chance of beating the course closure time.

Entry Details

You should enter the course appropriate to your involvement in the NGOC league, if relevant, or whichever course you choose otherwise.

Starts: 11:00 - 12:30

Courses close: 14:30, meaning that you must report to download before 14:45, or risk disqualification.

SI dibber hire: Standard dibber £1 Adults, Juniors free

Touch Free dibber: £2 Adults, £1 Juniors

Entries are now open, and will close at midnight on Wednesday 27th August.

Entry on the day is possible only while maps last, but note the premium price to discourage this. We should be able to accept credit/debit card payments, but this is not guaranteed so bring cash just in case.

A helper discount is available for those offering to help on the day. These events don't happen without volunteers willing to help out on the day, so if you are able to do so, before signing up to enter, email Ian Prowse, Volunteer Coordinator, to let us know if you can help, and ask for the helper discount code that you can apply when entering. You don't have to be a NGOC member to help, but you do need to be a BOF member to be covered insurance wise.

The standard Fabian4 terms and conditions offer an automatic refund up to 2 months before the event date, and we do not normally vary this specification. That means that in most cases no refunds are possible, as we do not publish details until less than 2 months before the date of the event.

However, for all except large events we hold entries open until only a day or so before the event, so you can delay entry if unsure whether you can run, until very close to event day.

Dogs are welcome on the common and at assembly, under close control and with responsible owners.

The NGOC café will be offering refreshments in the assembly area and one toilet will also be provided by the gate to the Common, not in the parking field.

Cleeve Common is very exposed and we would recommend the use of hats and sun-cream even if it is not sunny. Please also bring plenty of water. Wind-proof cagoules may also be useful in case of wind & rain. The longer courses only will enter a steeply sided quarry and runners should choose their routes in and out with safety in mind.

All participants may familiarise themselves with the risk assessment, which will be found at registration, before their run. Please heed all particular warnings given at the start.

Orienteering is an adventure sport. All runners take part at their own risk and must take responsibility for their own safety.

If you have not taken part in an orienteering event before please view:

http://www.ngoc.org.uk/about-orienteering/getting-started

Everyone is advised to carry a whistle, and for Juniors it is compulsory.

Shorts are permitted.

A first aid kit and trained first aiders will be present at Registration. Note that we are not permitted to provide epi-pens or antihistamine tablets in the event of stings. If you know you react badly to stings you should carry your own epi-pen or antihistamine tablets.

Orienteering is a great sport for young people. If you bring children, please help us to keep to our safeguarding policy and British Orienteering’s photography policy.

By entering this event, competitors agree to abide by the British Orienteering Code of Conduct.

A comprehensive risk assessment will have been carried out by the organiser and a copy will be held at Registration, but participants take part at their own risk and are responsible for their own safety during the event. All participants must report to download whether they finish their course or not.

When participating in our events/activities your name may appear in the results section of this website or in newspaper reports. To see how we look after your personal data, please read our privacy policy.

NGOC follows British Orienteering’s national guidance. This provides a sensible balance between the benefits and risks associated with the taking and use of images. If you are unsure about acceptable practice, please speak to the event organiser.