KOL 10 - Milton CreekSat 17 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
Planner's Notes :
I hope you all enjoyed the park today. A small area dominated by paths which, fortunately, are irregular, and further compromised by the railway and Swale Way, making it difficult to avoid a really simple runners course. On a further extended map my aim for the longer courses was to test route choice on as many legs as possible to mix things up a bit, which seemed to be well received and resulted in several permutations between competitors. Thanks for all the complimentary comments. The sun eventually came out, making it hot for the later runners, but great for the KOL prize giving. Congratulations to all the award winners - better luck for me next season?
KOL Organiser's Notes :
Thanks to everyone who took part over the 10 events this season and congratulations to all of the medal winners. A special mention to Alice Evans who was the leading junior female on the green course and got missed as I read through the results today.
The Schools' trophies were retained by Bexley Grammar School and Lordswood School.
At a first glance, there were 4 people who attended all 10 events: Jackson Green, Dave Pickup, Gaby Roch, & Ian Catchpole. No prizes but a big well done to all of you.
Saxons' provisional dates for next year are now on the events page DFOK dates to follow shortly.
Overview
Final event of the Kent Orienteering League for 2024/5. Fast running, relatively flat area, on the superbly presented Country Park. The latest League tables are under page https://www.saxons-oc.org/info/kent-orienteering-league
Location Info
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Near: Sittingbourne Lat,Lng: 51.35379,0.74179 What3Words: ///lance.name.pose
Open an interactive map in: GoogleMap - OpenStreetMap - AppleMaps - BingMap
Directions / Parking
Parking: Main Country Park car park. No charge for parking.
The car park is accessed from the road leading to the Gregg’s drive thru in Saffron Way, ME10 2EX opposite Tool Station. Please note there is a 6ft 6in height barrier.
Public Transport Options
Nearest stations: 1km Sittingbourne (mainline) station, 0.5km Kemsley (branch line) station.
Pre-event Details
Map / Terrain
1:4000 scale map of the Country Park - recently updated
Parkland with some rough open areas, lakes, and trees in places.
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 1.6 km.
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 2.9 km.
Green - As technically hard as we can make it, for experienced orienteers requiring a shorter run than the blue course. Approx. distance 4.7 km.
Blue - As technically hard as we can make it, for experienced orienteers. Approx. distance 5.8 km.
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.
Minimal climb on all courses.
Read more about Course lengths and Difficulty here
Entry Details
Pre-entry only. This will be via Racesignup
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 Racesignup by midnight on the day before the event.
This will require details for safety purposes.
No Registration on the day.
Start period 11:00am – 12.30pm
Facilities
Toilets in the country park, close to the car park.
Dog restrictions
Well-behaved dogs on a lead.
Contacts / Officials
Organiser: John Cross 07594 441089 email hidden; JavaScript is required
Planner: Graham Thomas
Nearest A&E Hospital
Medway Maritime Hospital, Windmill Road, Gillingham, Kent, ME7 5NY
NHS Urgent care search
Safety Notes
Nearest AED (defibrillator): on site in Country Park
Take care walking/running across the car park, as vehicles will be coming and going quite frequently. You should not need to go anywhere near the car park during your orienteering course.
Miscellaneous
End of season Prizes for the Kent Orienteering League season 2024/5 will be presented at the conclusion of this event. The latest League tables are under page https://www.saxons-oc.org/info/kent-orienteering-league
If you are feeling particularly energetic, why not combine your visit to the Country Park, by taking part in the Sittingbourne ParkRun at 9am https://www.parkrun.org.uk/sittingbourne/course/
Information about the Country Park, which is a former landfill site, can be found here https://miltoncreek.co.uk/
For those of the hungry disposition, there is a Gregg's food outlet within a stone's throw of the Finish!