SEASIDE SCRAMBLE
MIDDLE DISTANCE EVENT FINAL DETAILS
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SEASIDE SCRAMBLEMIDDLE DISTANCE EVENT FINAL DETAILS |
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SEASIDE SCRAMBLE DAY 2 FINAL DETAILS
THE IMPORTANT BITS – IF YOU READ NOTHING ELSE, READ THIS!
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TRAVEL DIRECTIONS
The event will be signed from the A171 Whitby to Guisborough road at grid reference NZ 854091 onto a minor road heading northwards through Old Skelder Woods, signed Hutton Mulgrave.
Please note that the junction is on the inside of a bend part way down a long gradual hill descending into Whitby. Traffic heading eastwards towards Whitby from Guisborough can be travelling at some speed, so TAKE CARE!
If you are approaching from the West (travelling downhill), please slow down in plenty of time, indicating your left turn well in advance. If approaching from the East (travelling uphill), take good care and make sure that nothing is coming the other way before turning right.
Parking is 2km along a minor road, which narrows to single track after 1.5 km.
PARKING
Parking is in a sloping field, in at the top, out at the bottom. The exit at the bottom has a particularly tight turn. We have used the field several times, for a National Event and a few Regional Events, and have not had problems!
It is possible for minibuses up to 15 seaters to make it in and out of the field. However, campervans may find the entrance and exit gateways to be too narrow. Consequently, if you intend to travel to the event in one of these vehicles, or a coach, please contact the organiser beforehand (01287 660767) with details of your vehicle, including width and length, and we will assess the possibilities! The back-up parking for large vehicles is a layby at the point where the access road narrows; i.e. 500m from the parking field.
A parking charge of £1 per car, £2 per minibus, will be collected on entry to the field.
DOGS
We regret no dogs. This is a sheep farming area and the event takes place when many young lambs will be around.
LEAVING THE EVENT
Due to the narrow access road, an early departure is discouraged!
Naturally, we would hope that everyone would arrive early to support the runners in the Elite Championship races and to applaud them at the prizegiving, and everyone would leave later after having given similar support to the runners in the public races.
However, with the Elite races in the morning and the public races in the early afternoon, it is inevitable that there will be some to-ing and fro-ing of cars, and it is planned to be able to radio control the traffic. Please be patient and follow our marshals instructions.
Those travelling east and south from the event can retrace their route back through Old Skelder Woods to the A171, turning left downhill at the T-junction.
For those travelling north and west, we would advise drivers to turn right out of the farm lane and follow the signs until they reach the A171 at Lady Cross, where a right turn is much, much safer!
LOCATION OF FACILITIES
The Assembly Area is some 400m walk from the car parking field – leave from the NW corner of the field – allow 5 mins.
As there is no vehicular access to this field, facilities will be split between the car parking field and the Assembly Area, as follows:
START / MODEL EVENT AREA / WARMUP AREA
The start area is 10 minutes walk from Assembly down a steepish slope – take care!
The walk to the start will be alongside an area of woodland which will be set up as a Model Event and can be used for warming up.
There will be an emergency chemical toilet for the Elite runners close to the start.
Start lists will be available in the start area.
Blank maps will be displayed in the start area, on the start lines as well as in Assembly.
Call-up will be at –3 minutes, at which point control descriptions will be available (for both the Elite races and the public races).
The Elite races will be a timed start – please do not be late as the start lists are seeded, and it may not be possible to accommodate late arrivals.
The Public races will be punching starts – please try to start at your allocated time, but late arrivals may be allowed to start if there is a suitable gap.
The Elite race starts will run from about 10 a.m. to 12 noon (see final start lists).
The public race starts will be from about 1 p.m. to 3 p.m. (see start lists).
FINISH
The last control and the full 300m finish run-in are in the Assembly Area. There is ample space for club tents.
There is a great vantage point overlooking the last control, with a natural bench for sitting on!
Bottled water drinks will be available at the finish.
MAP COLLECTION
On finishing, Elite competitors will be asked to draw their routes on their maps, before leaving the maps for collection once all Elite competitors have started.
We are trusting Elite race competitors not to show their maps to those running the public races.
PRIZEGIVING
The prizegiving for the 4 British Elite Champions (M20E, W20E, M21E and W21E), as sponsored by ‘planetFear’ will take place at 12.45 pm in the Assembly Area.
MAP
The map being used is based on that drawn by ‘Deeside Orienteering & Leisure Maps’ for JK 1996, extensively updated by Paul Taylor subsequently and particularly Winter 2006/07. Map scale 1:10,000, 5m contours, overprinted and bagged. Control descriptions will be printed on the front of each map.
ELECTRONIC PUNCHING
Sportident punching will be used on all courses except the string course. If a station fails to respond, use the manual punch attached to the stake, punch your map and present it at Download.
Hire of SI cards is from Enquiries if you do not have your own. Payment of £20 if you lose it!
SAFETY
Even if the weather is bad in the car parking and assembly fields, the woods themselves are quite sheltered, so it is not anticipated that cagoules will be required. However, whistles are compulsory.
The main risks in the woods are steep muddy slopes and swollen rivers. Courses have been planned to cross the rivers either on bridges or fords. There are a few crags in the area, but courses have been planned to avoid these.
STRING COURSE
There will be a free string course in the Assembly Area.
COLOUR CODED
There are no colour coded courses. There will be limited entry on the day for the Middle Distance courses.
TERRAIN NOTES (updated in version 3 final details)
Mulgrave does have a variety of terrain from manicured ornamental parkland, old arboretum, well managed commercial monoculture to wild and beautiful unmanaged broadleaf woodland. Most of the forest is mapped as runnable but as with all unmanaged woodland, fallen trees are left to enhance the ecosystem and be naturally recycled, becoming random obstacles to the orienteer.
The land is locally marshy and can be steep with plenty of contour detail, enabling a physical and technical challenge to most. The two streams in the forest are crossable nearly everywhere, but the courses have been planned to enable the small wooden bridges to be employed, especially if heavy rain should preceed the event. These bridges are covered with 'chicken wire' to prevent slipping when wet, but please take care when using them.
Intensive pheasant rearing has been superseded by extensive pheasant rearing and has led to the construction of huge pens. These are not OOB but the optimum routes will avoid passing through them. Some active badger setts are situated on what could be optimum routes. These will be taped but easily avoided. There will be a taped route of about 20m on the TD1 course – please inform the youngsters on Course 11.
All fields are OOB apart from the run-in.
COURSE DETAILS
Expected
Winner's
No. Title Class Time Distance Climb Comments
1 Elite Men M18 30-35 mins 5.4km 345m British Elite
M20E Middle Distance
M21E Championship Course
2 Elite Women W18 30-35 mins 4.3km 280m British Elite
W20E Middle Distance
W21E Championship Course
1 Men’s Open M21/35 35 mins 5.4km 345m
2 Women’s Open W21/35 35 mins 4.3km 280m
3 Veteran Men M40/45/50 35 mins 4.4km 290m
4 Supervet Men M55+ 25-30 mins 4.0km 285m
5 Veteran Women W40/45/50 30-35 mins 3.6km 210m
6 Supervet Women W55+ 25-30 mins 2.2km 135m
7 Junior Men M16 2.7km 165m TD equal to Light Green
8 Junior Women W16 2.0km 130m TD equal to Light Green
9 Young juniors M/W14 1.9km 125m TD equal to Orange
10 Minis M/W12 2.1km 110m TD equal to Yellow
11 Super-minis M/W10 2.0km 100m TD equal to White
Note: The optimum route will usually allow a reduction in actual climb.
The class ‘mapping’ to courses is follows, for ranking purposes:
Course 1 – M20E, M20L, M20S, M21E, M21L, M21S, M18L, M18S, M35L, M35S
Course 2 – W20E, W20L, W20S, W21E, W21L, W21S, W18L, W18S, W35L, W35S
Course 3 – M40L, M40S, M45L, M45S, M50L, M50S
Course 4 – M55L, M55S, M60L, M60S, M65L, M65S, M70L, M70S, M75L, M75S
Course 5 – W40L, W40S, W45L, W45S, W50L, W50S
Course 6 – W55L, W55S, W60L, W60S, W65L, W65S, W70L, W70S, W75L, W75S
Course 7 – M16A, M16B
Course 8 – W16A, W16B
Course 9 – M14A, M14B, W14A, W14B
Course 10 – M12A, M12B, W12A, W12B
Course 11 – M10A, M10B, W10A, W10B
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
Robert and Steven Marshall – Rock Head Farm – parking and assembly fields.
Mulgrave Estates – access to woodlands – particularly John Hoyes (Agent), Gary Liddle (Head Keeper) and Jim Mortlock (Head Forester).