Saturday 26/09/2026 – NGOC League 9 – Nottingham Hill

The area lies along the western and southern slopes of Nottingham Hill, which is effectively the northern spur of Cleeve Hill. Although fairly compact, it is quite a varied area that contains a mix of open land with scattered trees, mature woodland and pockets of scrub. There are plenty of bumps and hollows to test your navigation, much of these resulting from quarrying work carried out long ago. Field boundaries divide it all into 9 distinct sub-areas and those with purple overprint MUST only be crossed at marked crossing points.

There has been plenty of summer growth this year and full leg cover should be worn. Courses are planned to avoid the worst of the undergrowth.

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”.

The map is brand new, created by Greg Best. Note the unusual scale of 1:5,000 with 2.5m contours. This scale was chosen as a compromise between the area's original sprint conception (Nottingham Knolls) and the new much extended edition.

The map is printed on waterproof paper and will be at A3 for Brown, Blue and Green, but A4 for all others.

Control descriptions will be text for Yellow, both text and pictorial for Orange and Red, and pictorial for all other courses. Loose control descriptions will be available in the start lanes, except for the Red course, for which control descriptions are only on the map.

Assembly is in the parking field.

Currently, the precise parking field is still to be confirmed by the farmer. However, both start and finish should be within 200-300m of the field, with no climb.

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

Course details are provisional and are likely still to change a little. They are however representative of the likely final details.

With the exception of the Red course, course distances are the straight line between controls. For the Red course, length and climb are measured along the likely path route round the course. Red course runners can run in pairs or groups if they wish.

Regrettably, there will be no string course. This is due to the area being rather compact, meaning no free space close to assembly.

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 will open soon, and will close at midnight on Wednesday 23rd September.

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 usually 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.

A single toilet should be available by the parking field entrance.

The NGOC pop-up café should be present at assembly. 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.

The area is steep in places, so care and grippy shoes are required.

There are public rights of way through some parts of the area and some of it is open-access land too. Hence, please be aware of walkers and dogs on the paths.

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.

Competitors take part at their own risk and are responsible for their own safety. Please wear appropriate clothing and footwear for terrain and weather.

A first aid kit and trained first aiders will be available in the Assembly field.

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.