Updated:

11/05/2024 – 2024 League 5 – Huntley

11/05/2024 – 2024 League 5 – Huntley
Updated:
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11/05/2024 - 2024 League 5 - Huntley

NGOC are pleased to invite you to the beautiful Huntley Estate on the edge of the Forest of Dean. With views across the Severn Vale and The Malverns this is a stunning location. The ancient woodlands, on Bright Hill and Castle Hill, have a wonderful mixture of trees and wildflowers. A range of courses is available to suit all levels of experience. The area is rich with features and varied terrain. The area is traffic free so is suitable for unaccompanied junior orienteers although it is advised that less experienced orienteers are accompanied.

This is a Regional (Level C) event, meaning that Ranking Points will be awarded to qualifying runners.

We are very grateful to the Freeman family for allowing use of the area, and Charlie Whitehouse, the farmer, for assistance with the parking field.

Entries are open on Fabian 4, and will close at midnight on Wednesday 8th May.
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Officials

Organiser/Planner: Doug Wilson, NGOC Queries? email Doug or 07881 951858
Controller: Clive Caffall, NGOC

Biosecurity:

Please ensure that your shoes and clothing are clean and free from mud and vegetable matter before arriving at the event. All woodland landowners are concerned to minimise the risk of visitors to the area bringing, or transporting plant diseases.

You should all be checking your clothing and equipment before leaving the car park to ensure that there is no visible plant material either on our shoes or our clothing. If there is any plant material it should be removed and left on site. You should also knock off any soil or leaf litter.

Once home, please thoroughly clean your footwear and clothing and then leave it to dry for as long as possible. Many of the INNS (Invasive Non-Native Species) are able to survive in damp corners for very long periods of time but are less able to survive if equipment is thoroughly dried.

CHECK – CLEAN – DRY.

Directions and Parking

Parking and assembly is in a grassed field off the B4216 Huntley to Newent road. Please follow the marshals’ instructions.

Assembly/download is adjacent to parking, as is the String Course.

What 3 words: ///imagined.burglars.shortage

Google Maps: Huntley Estate

Grid Ref: SO 717199

There is a parking fee of £2 per car, to be collected at the entry point so please have the correct change available as you arrive.

Public transport is very limited but we strongly encourage participants to car share where possible. NGOC runs a Car Sharing WhatsApp group called NGOC Ride Share for those who need or can offer a lift. Request an invitation to join by emailing equipment@ngoc.org.uk, or texting Pat Macleod, if you have his mobile number.

Click on the parking icon on the map below, and then the Direction icon icon to get directions to the course.

The Area

A mixture of open woodland and grassland with tracks, springs and streams making for varied terrain. The area is hilly with some steep slopes in places. The wet weather over the winter means that the ground is boggy in places but hopefully this will have dried up a lot before the event.

The Map

This is printed on A4 waterproof paper at 1:10000 with 5m contours. Control descriptions will be printed on the front of the map and will also be available loose at the Start.

The map is drawn to ISOM, with huge thanks to Greg Best for the original map and recent updates.

Start and Finish

The Start is an 800m walk from the parking area. The walk is partly uphill so allow 10 – 15 minutes.

The route back from the Finish is a similar distance but downhill.

Part of the route is along a reasonably quiet public road so please take care and ensure that Juniors are accompanied. The route to and from the start / finish areas will be marked with tape.

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

Courses

Class/Course lengh(Km) Climb(m) Controls Suitable for
Brown 6.7 350 22 Experienced Orienteers
Blue 4.9 255 17 Experienced Orienteers
Green 3.5 140 13 Experienced Orienteers
Short Green 2.7 110 9 Experienced Orienteers
Orange 2.5 95 9 Adult beginners and improving children
Yellow 1.9 60 8 Children

Course details subject to final controlling. Course distances are straight line.

Impassable fences and walls are clearly marked and must only be crossed via gates / stiles and not climbed over.

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

Those entering all courses should allow sufficient time to complete the course and return to Download before the 14.15 cut-off point.

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

A String Course will be available close to Assembly. If your children would like to do the free string course come to Enquiries to pick up a map. Come back to Enquiries after the course to collect your prize!

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 sometime between 10:30 and the published 11:00 start time, so aim to be there soon after 10:30. 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.

Entries, Timing and Fees

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.

Fees Pre-entry Entry on the Day Non-member Supplement
Adults £7 £10 £2
Juniors £3 £4 £1
Family (2 adults + their children) £16 £20 As above for any non-members

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

Touch Free dibber: £2 Adults, £1 Juniors

Entries are open, and will close at midnight on Wednesday 8th May.

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Entry on the day is possible only while maps last, but note the premium price to discourage this. We should by then 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.

Refunds

As the Government has removed all restrictions on events and activities, COVID related refunds are no longer available. 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

Dogs are permitted on leads in the car park and under close control on the courses.

It is a condition of us using the parking field that any dog mess is cleaned up and removed, not left in a bag by a wheel, to be driven over and left for us to clear up as happened last time we were in this field!

Facilities

Toilet facilities will be available

The NGOC café will also be open for hot and cold drinks and a variety of snacks for post run refreshment.

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 equipment '@' ngoc.org.uk with details of any items, and relevant sizes, you wish to try, and we can have those available.

Safety

  • Orienteering is an adventure sport. All runners take part at their own risk and are responsible for their own safety.
  • Care must be taken on the road section of the walk to / from the start / finish; juniors must be accompanied by an adult.
  • Full leg cover is compulsory. In the event of severe weather competitors may be required to carry a waterproof.
  • Juniors are required to carry a whistle. Others are recommended to do so as a means of calling for assistance.
  • The area is popular with members of the public, including walkers, dog walkers, horse riders and mountain bikers. Please be respectful and take care when interacting with any members of the public.
  • Many mountain bike tracks have been mapped but not all, and new ones appear regularly.
  • Due to the extremely wet winter, parts of the area are muddy and may be slippery. Please ensure you have appropriate footwear and take care.
  • A risk assessment has been completed, and a copy will be held at Registration in case competitors wish to consult it before their run.
  • A first aid kit and trained first aiders will be available.