Annual BBQ event and social

Location

Nearest town: West Malling

• Grid Ref:
• Postcode: ME19 6PE
• Latitude: 51.28673
• Longitude: 0.40218
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Directions / Parking

Manor Park Country Park on the southern edge of West Malling

Public Transport options

West Malling station is a short walk away - 15 to 20 minutes. There is a rail replacement bus service this Sunday.

Registration & Start Times

10:30 for a mass start at 11:00 Please email to let us know if you are coming so that we have enough maps printed.

Course Information

Fun event for all Saxons members

Explanation of colour courses

• White are very easy with all controls on paths. They are mainly used by 6-10 year olds and family groups.
• Yellow use simple linear features like paths, walls and streams. They are mainly used by under 12’s and family groups.
• Orange progress to basic use of the compass and route choice. They are ideal for novice adults or experienced youngsters.
• Light Green are ideal for improvers as the navigational difficulty begins to increase and uses simple contours and point features.
• Green are used mostly by experienced under 18’s and adults wanting a short but challenging course with a very hard navigational difficulty.
• Blue are a longer, more physically demanding course in comparison to the green. The distances are more varied between controls and the course attracts experienced orienteers.
• Brown & Black are very physically demanding and have a very hard navigational difficulty. They are for experienced orienteers only.
• Score means visiting as many controls as possible in any order in a specific time, like 45mins.

Entry Details

The annual club BBQ orienteering event is being planned this year by last year's winner, Alan Hickling, at Manor Park Country Park in West Malling. If you haven't been to a BBQ event before if is a fun event for all the family generally with some sort of handicapping system to allow everyone to take part on a level playing field.

The format of the event will be a 45 minute score event with a twist or two. There will be 20 controls in the Park, only 10 of which will be marked on your map. At each of these you will find a question. This will have two possible answers with a map extract showing two locations for another control based on the answer you give. If you get the answer correct, you will reach a full control where you can punch for points. If not, then there will only be a control flag to welcome you. The aim is accumulate a score of 42 points or less (not more) in the 45 minutes. Everyone will be given bonus points based on your age class (e,g, a W60 might be given 15 points as a starter). Each control will be worth between 1 and 4 points. To add a further bit of randomness to the proceedings, you will only find out what the actual points value is when you reach the control. SI dibbers will be required and maybe a pen or pencil to keep track of which controls you have already visited (you will criss-cross the Park several times) and to track your points tally.
Meet up at 10.30 for an 11.00 mass start. After the event we will be lighting the fires in the afternoon from 12.30-13.00 in a large private meadow near the top of Bluebell Hill. Postcode for the BBQ field is ME20 7EL. There will be shelter just in case the sun doesn't shine on us, so the BBQ will go ahead whatever the weather.

To get to the eating venue from the orienteering event, head north on the A228to the M20 and then east to its junction with the A229.
From the South on A229, turn left at the road signed to Wouldham, Burham.  Straight over the crossroads at "Lower Bell" pub and continue up the hill, passing under footbridge, then turn immediately left,  then right into Kingswood Road.

From North on A229 take the left to Burham and Wouldham after passing under the footbridge. Bear right under A229 then turn right again at crossroads by "Lower Bell" pub.
 Continue back up the hill until you pass under the footbridge again and immediately turn left and then right into Kingswood Road.

Bring your own meat/veg/fish for the BBQ and anything alcoholic you would like to drink. Salads/bread and soft drinks will be provided. If you can only spare half a day-no problem-come to the event or to the BBQ or both. Non orienteering partners welcome.

Terrain Description

Small Country Park which is mostly open with some small patches of trees. The map is A4 at a scale of 1:3000.

Facilities

Toilets in the car park. Car park fee is £2.

Contacts / Officials

event organiser: Alan Hickling