Ightham local event

Location

Nearest town: Borough Green

• Grid Ref:
• Postcode: TN15 9AJ
• Latitude: 51.28492
• Longitude: 0.27965
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Directions / Parking

Please note that we are not using the 'usual' car parking area for this event.

Parking will be at Ightham recreation ground, north west side of the A25. Nearest postcode TN15 9AJ. what3words ///dwell.vets.price

Start approx 15 mins uphill walk from bottom end of the car park.  

Registration & Start Times

Entry in advance only. No entry on the day.

Individual (member/non-member)
    Senior: £5.00/£8.00
    Junior: £3.00/£5.00
Group (2-5 people e.g. family running Score course together)
    Entry Fee: £8.00
    Non member supplement: £5.00

Juniors are under 21 on 31st December.

Starts 11.00-12.30

Courses close at 14.30

Course Information

There will be four line courses and a 60 minute score course

Provisional courses lengths:
Blue 6.7km
Green 4.4km
Orange 3.3km
Yellow 1.7km
Score (60 minutes) 20 controls. 10 points per control; 10 points penalty per minute/part minute beyond 60 minutes

Yellow - Controls (checkpoints) are very easy to find, mostly on main paths, ideal for younger children and complete beginners. 

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. 

Green - As technically hard as we can make it, for experienced orienteers requiring a shorter run than the blue course. 

Blue - As technically hard as we can make it, for experienced orienteers. 

Score - No set distance, but a 60 minute time limit. Find as many of the 20 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.

Compete on your own or as a group.  Groups wishing to go around a course together are recommended to enter Score, Orange or Yellow courses - select group entry on racesignup and provide other team members details in the field provided, (only team leader needs to enter).

Road crossings:

Blue, Green and Score courses cross the busy A25 twice, via timed out road crossing points.  There will be a two minute allowance for each crossing so there is no need to rush.   

Green and Score courses cross and re-cross the A25 at the same place (controls #50 & 60). This pair of controls must be punched on the way out  AND on the way back. 

The Blue course crosses the A25 at controls #50 & 60 and returns via controls #63 & 64. Make sure you punch all four controls. 

All courses, except the yellow course, cross several minor roads as well.  Take care when crossing. 

Map scale: 1:10 000, 5m contour interval

Dogs permitted on leads (due to deer and roads)

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

Entry in advance on RaceSignUp: https://racesignup.co.uk/

Terrain Description

Delightful ancient woodland consisting of oak, birch, rowan & beech.  Runnability varies from very good to areas with heather, bracken and bilberry which may impede progress. Oldbury Hill has numerous earth features and earth ramparts built 500-100BC and was one of the finest forts in the Medway region.  
Unless we have a monsoon in the next 2 weeks, most blue features on the map will be dry.
A number of public footpaths and bridleways cross the area so please be respectful of riders as well as all members of the public.
There are some recent mountain bike tracks and minor footpaths which are not on the map.
 

Facilities

Toilets: Ightham Scouts have kindly given us permission to use the toilets in their pavilion at the top of the car park.  The toilets are accessed via the rear of the building. 

We have also been given permission to use the ‘AWAY’ changing room in the Scout Pavilion and would encourage you to make use of this and/or the toilets for changing, particularly as there will be members of the public in the recreation ground & car park and bearing in mind British Orienteering’s request that orienteers should avoid getting changed in public areas.  As we only have access to one changing room, it will be unisex so please be respectful to your fellow orienteers.

PLEASE REMOVE SPIKES BEFORE ENTERING THE BUILDING.

Results: we hope to have live results on the day, subject to phone signal

Contacts / Officials

Organiser: Karen Ransley

Planner: Sarah Howes