Hindleap Sunday Series

Location

Nearest town: Forest Row

• Grid Ref: TQ 415321
• Postcode: RH18 5JH
• Latitude: 51.07309
• Longitude: 0.00748
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Directions / Parking

The event centre will be at Hindleap Warren Outdoor Centre: Postcode RH18 5JH, Grid ref TQ415321.

Short distance from the A22, M25 (25km) and M23(18km).

Parking: There will be a £1 car parking fee. We will be using three car parking areas. Please follow the marshal’s directions and park tidily to maximise space. Cars approaching from the East (Wych Cross traffic lights) will be directed into car park P1. Cars approaching from the West will be directed into the Activity Centre. Within the Activity Centre, parking P2 is close to registration and centre facilities and will be reserved for the less agile or those with young children who request it. If you fall into this category and are approaching from Wych Cross ignore signs into P1 and continue to Activity Centre. From car parks P1 and P2 the distance to the Start is 700m. Distance from car park P3 to the start is 1 k.

Public Transport options

East Grinstead railway station (9km)

Haywards Heath railway station (13k)

Registration & Start Times

EOD registration 10.00-12.00am. 

Starts 10.30-12.30.

Courses close 2:30pm.

Start and Finish: One Start: 700 metres from registration.

Courses:  Yellow, Orange and Score finish close to the start.

Courses:  Light Green to Brown have a different finish

100 m from download

Course Information

Course	Distance	Climb	Controls
Yellow	2.2k	65m	13
Orange	2.7k	70m	14
Light Green	3.3k	105m	16*
Green	3.5k	130m	18*
Blue	5.8k	265m	25*
Brown	8.6k	325m	33*
Score	-	-	25

* includes 4 road crossing controls

Road Crossings: All courses have a marshalled road crossing on route to the start.

Courses Light Green to Brown have 3 additional road crossings, all of which are timed-out. Parents of under 16's on the day of the competition should note that these road crossings will be timed out of the competition but will not be marshalled. Please ensure that this is clear to younger competitors.

Please Note: since road crossing controls are needed for the timed-out crossings, there are 33 controls on the Brown course. If you have one of the earlier series dibbers they will not record 33 controls. Saxons do not have any series 9 dibbers for hire. If this affects you, please enter the Blue course rather than Brown. We will allow you to switch courses on the day if you have pre-entered and there are maps available.

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

Entries: in advance via Fabian4   www.fabian4.co.uk. £7 adults (non British Orienteering members+£2), Juniors £3. SI dibber hire £1. Adults running the Orange or Yellow courses £3. Pre-entries close at midnight on Thursday 9 Feb.

Start times will not be pre-allocated.

Entry on the day subject to map availability and a £2 surcharge for all courses except Yellow, and Orange. Score course EOD only. Adults £7. Juniors £3

Terrain Description

All courses start in the southern part of the mapped area which is a mixture of open heathland and woodland, with some complex contour detail. The Yellow, Orange and Score courses stay and finish in this area. 

The other courses run into the western, eastern and central parts of the area which are more densely wooded, again with some complex contour detail. These courses finish  in the Hindleap Warren Outdoor Centre woodland, close to the event registration building. In this area, there are numerous activity sites which are not mapped. Some of these have wiring supports and these will as far as possible be taped (red/white) to identify a potential hazard, but please take extra care in this area. 

We have the benefit of using some ‘reclaimed’ land in the central area where dreaded rhododendron has been cleared. Much of this and the other woodland is generally runnable. There is bracken in some areas which is dying down nicely now and which should not provide any great impediment by the time of the event. The Conservators have been undertaking some management on the main Hindleap Warren area and some new mowed paths have appeared. These have been mapped, but further new paths might appear prior to the event date. Also, rhododendron clearance continues in the Outdoor Centre woodland and mapped thickets may disappear in the week or so leading up to the event date.

There is a good network of rides, tracks and paths across the area, but planning of the more technical courses is aimed to avoid these so far as possible! There are some very small unmapped deer and elephant tracks (i.e. from previous events) in some areas.

Map: 1:10,000 5m contours, by Roger Maher, with recent updates, for Light Green - Brown. 

Yellow, Orange and Score courses: 1:5,000, 5m contours, mapped by Roger Maher, again with updates. There is no Legend on this map. Loose ones are available at registration or the start. Yellow course competitors will be able to see their map at the start before they begin their course.

Control descriptions for all courses will be printed on maps and loose descriptions will be available at the start. 

 

Ashdown Forest, as many of you will know, is a very special place. It is managed by the Board of Conservators of Ashdown Forest, an independent body. In recognition of the ecological importance of Ashdown Forest and to ensure its protection, it is designated as a European Natura 2000 site and as a Site of Special Scientific Interest under UK legislation. Ashdown Forest is also within the High Weald Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty.

The Conservators have duties laid down by statute which include the following:

•   To regulate and manage the forest as an amenity and place of resort

•   To conserve it as a quiet and natural area of outstanding beauty

The Conservators are keen to raise the public’s (and hence our) awareness of their legal duty and, within this, their aim of balancing the interests of all users of the forest.

Please have particular regard therefore to the other users of the area, including all walkers, dog walkers and riders, all of whom are also seeking to enjoy their activities peacefully. Slow to a walk, keep especially quiet and keep a wide berth at any point where you meet horse riders.

Facilities

We have the use of facilities inside the outdoor centre building including toilets and showers. Hot and cold drinks and snacks will be availablefor a donation to Saxons funds. Stay and discuss your performance with others.

Contacts / Officials

Organiser: Jean Fitzgerald

Planner: Dave Kingdon

Controller: Les Hooper (SO)

Organiser: Beryl Pring