Sunday 29/03/2026 – NGOC League 4 – Cooper’s Hill

Cooper's Hill and Cranham woods are owned in part by Natural England, and in part privately. The wood consists mainly of open and largely runnable deciduous forest, on the Cooper's Hill side surrounding a large block of farmland, which is out of bounds, except for a small parcel traversed by a Public Right of Way. Along the top of the hill, above the famous cheese rolling escarpment on the North end, there are areas of old workings which demand careful navigation.

The busy Buckholt road crosses the event area. There is one manned and one unmanned crossing on this road, and you may not run along, or cross, the road anywhere other than at these crossings. The unmanned crossing has a one-minute timeout between controls either side of the road, and is used only by Blue and Brown courses. The crossing used by all courses will be manned throughout the day, and you must obey the instructions of the crossing marshal when passing through there.

The threat to our forests and woodlands has never been greater. Trees and plants in Britain are now vulnerable to a range of new pests and diseases as a result of a combination of climate change and the increased movement of goods around the world. Activities in forests can increase chance of spreading a pest or disease. Everyone who visits or works on managed forests can make a difference.

Please arrive with clean footwear and clothing and clean footwear and clothing either on site or at home before visiting another woodland, “Leave the Forest in the Forest”.

A4, Scale 1:10,000, 5m contours for Brown and Blue courses, 1:7,500 for other courses, all subject to final controlling.

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 is in the Cricket Club pavilion

The walk to the Start is about 1.1km, initially downhill and then climbing 40m. It crosses the main village road in the centre of the village. It is a very narrow road in places, and great care is needed on this route. Children must be accompanied to the Start. The Finish is a slightly lesser distance from Assembly, and joins the outward route just outside the village.

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

Course details are subject to final controlling. They are however representative of the likely final details.

Under 16s may run the Blue or shorter courses but not the Brown course. However, under 16s running Blue must start by 11:30, in order to pass the timed out road crossing by 12:00 at the latest. This crossing will be manned only between 11:00 and 12:00, and not thereafter, and the timeout will apply regardless.

Course distances are straight line between controls.

Regrettably there wont be a string course, owing to lack of a suitable area conveniently located for the event as a whole

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. 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: 14:00, meaning that you must report to download before 14:15, or risk disqualification.

SI dibber hire: Standard dibber £1 Adults, Juniors and Red course free

Touch Free dibber: £2 Adults, £1 Juniors, Red course free

Entries are now open, and will close at midnight on Thursday 26th March.

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.

Please note that we keep entries open as late as we can subject to map printing. If you miss the deadline you are welcome to enter on the day, and there will invariably be a map available for the course you choose to run. We will not reserve maps for people who contact us after entries close and ask us to do so; you take your chance with all others who choose to enter on the day.

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 allowed in the area and courses as long as they are under control and owners tidy after them. Dogs must not be allowed to run loose on the cricket pitch.

Toilets are available round the back of the cricket pavilion.

The NGOC pop-up café should be present in the pavilion. Please note that it operates a cash only honesty system. If you have no cash, you can pay via card at registration, subject to a minimum charge of £1.

If you are interested in obtaining club kit, whilst there will not be an extensive range of sizes to try on at the event, we can have a few sizes available for specific items. You can see the options, and a size chart, on the Club Kit page. Email paul@ngoc.org.uk with details of any items, and relevant sizes, you wish to try, and we can have those available.

Important: Please note that as from 1 January 2026 Non-members of British Orienteering are not insured under British Orienteering’s public liability policy. By entering this event, you acknowledge that you are participating at your own risk.

Under 16s may run any course except the Brown.

All courses cross the busy Buckholt Road. There is a 1 minute timed out and unmanned crossing on Blue and Brown courses, and a manned but not timed out crossing on all courses. You must obey the instructions of the marshals at this crossing.

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

The competition area is used by the public, and there are some mountain bike trails in parts of the wood. Competitors on the longer courses should take particular care when running on single track paths which are or could be mountain bike tracks, and especially if running downhill, where bikes will be approaching from behind at speed.

A risk assessment has been completed, and a copy will be held at Enquiries and Download in case competitors wish to consult it before their run.

A first aid kit and trained first aiders will be available at Enquiries and Download.

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.

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.