Capstone Farm Country ParkSat 4 May
Kent Orienteering League
Local level event
Explanation of event levels
Local events are usually low key and in the 'localised' area, ideal for newcomers to try the sport and Training events are non competitive and used for training and coaching, aimed at members of the club, but they can attract people from neighbouring clubs, and are often ideal for newcomers to try the sport. Regional events attract participants from around the local Region, National events are high quality competitions that will attract people from far away, Major events are Major Events such as a British Championships. Virtual events are where there are no physical controls being used. Your presence at a control is registered using an App on your mobile phone, normally the free MapRun App.
Terrain type: Woodland
Results
Report
The penultimate event in this season's Kent Orienteering League brought out the sun, and participants really enjoyed the lack of brambles, as they explored a very pleasant part of the Medway Towns. Our appreciation goes to Medway Norse for allowing us to hold the event at the Country Park.
Once they had finished, the first time orienteers expressed great pleasure with their own adventures out in the countryside. However, some of our more experienced orienteers reported the usual mini-disasters : dibbing the wrong control, completely missing a control on their course, going up a big hill unnecessarily, having the map up the wrong way, bad eyesight, bringing two left shoes etc etc. However, it seemed a fine amount of fun was had by everyone who took part.
Our apologies for the lack of advertised toilet, which was due to a message being missed somewhere along the chain of communication. We hope this didn't impact the enjoyment for participants too much. One enterprising competitor did though take time out during her run to visit the toilet block at the other end of the park, which was close to control 5 on the Green course.
Thanks to the glittering galaxy of Saxons club members who helped staff the event, particularly to young Alice and Harriet who enthusiastically helped collect 9 controls between them afterwards.
The final event of the Kent Orienteering League season is being organised by Dartford Orienteering Club at Jeskyns Community Woodland, near Gravesend on Saturday 25th May, which will be followed by the prizegiving ceremony. Check the league tables to see if you are in with a chance of a podium finish.
Location Info
Near: Hempstead Lat,Lng: 51.35342,0.55768 What3Words: dorms.music.invents
Open an interactive map in: GoogleMap - OpenStreetMap - AppleMaps - BingMap
Directions / Parking
Parking: Please note we are not using the Main car park near the lake, but the southern one (Orchard car park).
Access is from Capstone Rd at the junction w3w ///dorms.music.invents
There are signboards ‘Capstone Country Park’ and ‘Ski centre’
From here follow the road uphill to the car park at the top. Nearest Post code ME7 3JH.
Please do not park in the Ski centre car park adjacent to the junction.
Car parking is free.
Public Transport Options
Nearest railway stations: Gillingham 4km, Chatham 5km.
Pre-event Details
Map / Terrain
The park extends over some hilly terrain, and comprises several open areas with woodland in between, plus a lake and parkland to the north. There is a comprehensive network of paths and tracks.
Some fields within the park are Out of Bounds – these are shown with a purple line around them on the map.
There are many wooden fences separating bridleways, footpaths and bike tracks. For map clarity, not all are shown. There are gaps in the fencing, or gates.
Special symbols (map & control descriptions):
o = trim trail station, horse jump
x = mountain bike ramp
1:7,500 scale map with 5m contours, surveyed & drawn Spring 2023, with recent updates. Maps will be printed on A4 waterproof paper.
Controls will be SIAC enabled. Separate/loose control descriptions will be available.
After your run please Download as normal. Timing printouts will be provided and the results will be available on the website.
Courses close at 2pm.
Course Information
Five courses available:
Yellow - Controls (checkpoints) are very easy to find, mostly on main paths, ideal for younger children and complete beginners. Approx. distance 2.4 km, 55m climb.
Orange - Moderate, controls are on or near paths with more route choice. Good for progressing juniors and beginner adults who are reasonably confident reading a map. Approx. distance 3.4 km, 75m climb.
Green - As technically hard as we can make it, for experienced orienteers requiring a shorter run than the blue course. Approx. distance 4.4 km, 95m climb.
Blue - As technically hard as we can make it, for experienced orienteers. Approx. distance 6.9 km, 175m climb.
Score - No set distance, but a 60 minute time limit. Find as many of the 21 controls as possible in one hour. Good for adult beginners, those progressing from orange to green, and those that want to be back in a set time.
Read more about Course lengths and Difficulty here
Entry Details
Pre-entry only. This will be via http://www.racesignup.co.uk
Senior (member/non-member): £7/£10
Junior/Student (member/non-member) £4/£6
Group (member/non-member): £10/£15
Basic non-SIAC dibber (electronic timing device) available for hire free of charge. SIAC dibbers available for hire for £1.50.
Entries close the day before the event.
Registration and Start times
Registration opens at 10.30 to collect hire dibbers and yellow course maps that will be made available in advance. There will be experienced orienteers on hand to help newcomers.
Registration: Pre-entry only via http://www.racesignup.co.uk by midnight Friday 3rd May.
This will require details for safety purposes.
No Registration on the day.
The Start, Finish, loan/hire dibber collection & Download will be adjacent to the south side of the car park. Look out for the Saxons banner.
Start period 11:00am – 12.30pm
Facilities
There are toilets in the brick building 200m south of the car park, within sight of start/finish.
The café (near the lake, 600m north of the Orchard car park) is open 10am – 4pm. It serves burgers, chips, pizzas, paninis, sandwiches etc.
Dog restrictions
Council rules & on permanent maps displayed on site: Dogs on leads are permitted in the parkland areas. In designated open spaces at the south they do not have to be on leads. In one small area of woodland dogs are not permitted.
Contacts / Officials
Organiser: John Cross email hidden; JavaScript is required