Kent Orienteering League round 10 - Haysden Country Park

The final round of this season's Kent Orienteering League will take place at Haysden Country Park on Saturday 2nd June. The event will be followed by the prizegiving for the individual and schools leagues.

While you wait for the final results to be calculated, there will be a TempO (speed TrailO) to keep you entertained.

 

Kent Orienteering League final

This is the final round of this season's competition. Prizegiving and presentations will take place as soon after the event as possible. If you won one of the annual trophies last year, please make sure you return it either before or on the day. If you may be in with a chance of a top 3 placing in any of the league tables, it would be appreciated if you could run reasonably early. This will help reduce the time taken to calculate series results.

 

TempO

After your run, a few TempO (speed TrailO) stations will be available free of charge between finish and registration. The stations can be attempted in any order. The electronic timing system ANT with results software developed by Matt Pickering (UBOC) will be trialled for British use, adding to the excitement. Please make sure you download before starting.

At each station, sit in the chair, take the bundle of 4 maps, but don’t look at them yet, and 6 kites will be shown to you from left to right, A to F. The marshal will then say “your time starts now”. Turn over to the first map, decide which, if any of the kites are in the correct location, then say the letter corresponding to that kite (preferably using the phonetic alphabet: alpha, bravo, Charlie, delta, echo, foxtrot), or Z = zero if no kites are correct, or point to it on the map card, for the marshal to note your answer. Immediately move onto the next problem. Once you have given your 4 answers, the clock stops. You must consider each map one at a time; no looking to the next or previous one before giving your answer. Any zeroes (no kite correct) will be at least 2m out from the correct position: for example, it could be on the wrong feature or on the wrong side of a large feature.

Location

Nearest town: Tonbridge

• Grid Ref: TQ571459
• Postcode: TN11 9BB
• Latitude: 51.19130
• Longitude: 0.24742
• Google Map
• Streetmap (OS 50k)
• Bing Map (OS 50k)
• OpenStreetMap

Directions / Parking

Follow signs to the Country Park from the A26 south of Tonbridge town centre. Turn west along Brook Street, before taking the right turn after 1/2 mile onto Lower Haysden Lane. The Country Park entrance is on the right after another 1/2 mile.

 

Parking is pay and display: £1.20 for up to 4 hours. If you want to stay all day, it’s £4.00. 

Public Transport options

Tonbridge station

Registration & Start Times

Registration from 10:30 to 12:00

Start times from 11:00 to 12:30

Courses close 14:00

Course Information

Five courses available:

Name	Distance	Climb	Controls	Difficulty
Short blue	6.4km *	20m	15	Technical
Light green	4.0km	20m	15	Moderately technical
Orange	3.4km	10m	10	Beginner moderate
Yellow	2.3km	10m	11	Beginner easy

 

There will also be a score course: find as many of the 20 controls as you can in 60 minutes, with a penalty of 1 control per minute or part thereof late back.

Road crossings: U16s may only run the short blue if they are accompanied by an adult throughout the course.

*The short blue is fairly “urban” in style, so actual run distance is more like 8km, but the terrain is mostly fast. The length of the other courses is more accurate.

The start and finish are within 70m of registration.

 

Newcomers and Novices

Newcomers and novices are always very welcome at Saxons events. Please drop us a line if you have any questions or if you’d like some help to get started. The club has a number of qualified coaches and ‘old hands’ that are only too happy to help.

 

Trail-O

After your run, a few TempO (speed TrailO) stations will be available free of charge between finish and registration. The stations can be attempted in any order. The electronic timing system ANT with results software developed by Matt Pickering (UBOC) will be trialled for British use, adding to the excitement. Please make sure you download before starting.

At each station, sit in the chair, take the bundle of 4 maps, but don’t look at them yet, and 6 kites will be shown to you from left to right, A to F. The marshal will then say “your time starts now”. Turn over to the first map, decide which, if any of the kites are in the correct location, then say the letter corresponding to that kite (preferably using the phonetic alphabet: alpha, bravo, Charlie, delta, echo, foxtrot), or Z = zero if no kites are correct, or point to it on the map card, for the marshal to note your answer. Immediately move onto the next problem. Once you have given your 4 answers, the clock stops. You must consider each map one at a time; no looking to the next or previous one before giving your answer. Any zeroes (no kite correct) will be at least 2m out from the correct position: for example, it could be on the wrong feature or on the wrong side of a large feature.

Explanation of Score courses

You don't have to visit all the controls! There is usually a time limit, instead of a set course. Points are scored for visiting controls, and deducted for finishing over the time limit. You decide which controls to visit, and in which sequence. Sometimes controls have different points values. You will need to carry a watch or phone, so you know how long you have been out.

Entry Details

Entry on the day only. Please let the organiser know if you are planning to run, especially if you are bringing a large group. This will ensure we have enough maps printed for everyone taking part.

British Orienteering adult members and groups on Light Green and Blue courses £5

Non British Orienteering adults on Light Green and Blue courses £6

Adults on Orange and Yellow courses £2

Adults on Score course £5

Juniors £2

Dibber hire £1

Terrain Description

Haysden is a flat park, except for trips over the flood barrier, with plenty of well-surfaced paths and lakes (old gravel pits), but also some respectable pockets of woodland. The courses have been planned to get runners into a variety of terrain, while avoiding the worst of the nettles, although you may wish to take an aggressive route choice through them. The majority of areas where the undergrowth screen has been used are fairly hostile at this time of year. Therefore, unless conditions are wet, trainers that can handle some undergrowth in the woodland too are recommended, but full leg and torso cover is required.

Map is 1:7,500 with 5m contours, drawn to ISOM 2000, updated 2015 with minor updates for this race.

 

Safety

There are some fences, including a gate, overprinted with a solid purple line; these must not be crossed, including at the gate.

The railway running east-west through the area may only be crossed using the bridges marked with the purple crossing point symbol on the map.

There are several deep rivers and lakes: any water mapped as uncrossable (solid black line around it) must not be crossed except at marked bridges; crossable water (without the solid black border) may be crossed anywhere.

Take care in the car park and when crossing quiet back streets (short blue only). Courses have been planned to avoid the car park.

Be respectful to other park users, especially horses, cyclists, walkers and dogs. There are several blind bridges, so proceed with caution.

Facilities

There are free public toilets and a reasonably priced café at the start of the car park, by the track through to Barden Lake.

Dogs allowed?

Dogs are welcome on a lead. Please clear up after them.

Contacts / Officials

Planner/Organiser: Tom Dobra

Organiser: Alan Hickling