Binning Wood
Saturday 28 March 2020
Cancelled / Postponed
Open runnable woodland
Our next local event was due to be held at Binning Wood on Saturday 28th March.
CoViD19 / Coronavirus – Unfortunately British Orienteering has decided that all O events are cancelled for 12 weeks starting from 17th March 2020.
We hope that our events are actually postponed rather than cancelled and that we will be able to stage them at a later date.
You can download a flyer here.
General Information
Type of event:
Local event in the East of Scotland Orienteering Association (ESOA) series.
Terrain:
Binning Wood was originally planted in the 1700s and was almost completely felled during the second world war to build Mosquito fighter-bombers. It was replanted with conifers and beech and has a complex network of rides, paths and ditches which can be disorientating to the unwary. Although much of the site had been overrun with rhododendron, work is ongoing to clear some of the site which has dramatically improved the runnability. In many areas visibility has improved and hidden ditches have reappeared, although the brashings will slow you down.
The map was updated for the Scottish Relay Championships in 2017 and shows the ride network radiating out from three large clearings along with an area at north of the map which is a green burial site – the Binning Memorial Wood. This area is marked on all maps as out of bounds to orienteers.
It is a flat woodland which is characterised by three large circular clearings. These clearings have up to 13 paths leading out of them and will challenge your navigation…
- Open circular clearing in Binning Wood
Binning Wood has suffered in the past from being overgrown with rhododendrons but there has been much clearing in recent years leading to areas which are very open and runnable:
- Open runnable woodland
- Open runnable woodland
March update from the planner and mapper
Other Users:
The area is well used by the general public. Please respect their right to be there at the same time as you are orienteering. You must not enter any out of bounds areas.
Dogs:
The area is used by dog walkers so dogs are welcome.
Location
Nearest town/village: East Linton
Postcode: EH40 3DU
Grid Ref: NT 593 801
Directions:
Leave the A1 at either Haddington (if coming from the west; take the second Haddington junction, known as “Abbotsview” and signed “Haddington/East Linton”) or Dunbar (if coming from the south) and then follow the A199 (“the old A1”) to its junction with the A198 signposted North Berwick. Follow the A198 for 2 straight kilometres to Tyninghame village. Turn left onto the B1407 and take the next right after 1 km onto the minor road signposted Newbyth and Lawhead. Go north for 1.5 km to the south-west corner of Binning Wood.
Parking:
Parking for cars will be in this car park and the two car parks further north as well as along the side of this minor road. There is no charge for parking. Please do not park on grass verges belonging to homes near the south west corner of the wood.
Registration & Start Times
Registration:
Registration is from 1:00pm to 3:00pm next to the parking area.
Pre-entry is not available; all entries will be taken on the day.
The registration form can be downloaded and completed before you arrive which will speed things up.
Fast track registration is available if you meet both these requirements…
- are a member of a Scottish orienteering club
- have your own dibber registered with SI.
Start and Finish:
- The Start is about 100 metres from the car-parking and Registration
- Start times are from 1:30pm to 3:00pm
- Finish is adjacent to Registration / Download
- Courses close at 4:30pm.
Courses Close:
Please report to the Download by 4:30pm, even if you have not completed your course.
Controls will be brought in from 4:30pm.
Facilities:
Coffee and cake will be available at Assembly in return for charity donations.
There are no public toilets in the immediate area. The nearest public toilets are in East Linton.
Lunches (and therefore also use of toilets) are available at Smeaton Nursery (East Linton) or Tyninghame Smithy Country Store (Tyninghame).
Course Information
Map:
The map is printed at 1:7500 with 2.5m contours.
Timing:
SportIdent (SI) electronic timing will be used – we will have SIs for hire free of charge but there is a £30 charge if lost.
Courses:
There will be White, Yellow, Orange and Light Green courses.
Provisional course lengths are as follows…
| Course | Length | Difficulty |
|---|---|---|
| White | 1.4 km | Very easy navigation Controls are all on paths |
| Yellow | 2.3 km | Easy navigation Controls all on or visible from paths |
| Orange | 3.4 km | Medium difficulty navigation Controls are generally quite close to paths |
| Light Green | 4.4 km | Hard Navigation Controls are hard to find and to reach |
More details about the colour coding is available on the Scottish Orienteering website.
Accessibility:
Most of the White course follows good paths but they are uneven and have muddy sections which may be tricky for buggies and pushchairs.
Planner:
Godfrey Beddard
Entry Charges
Entry is cheaper if you are a current 2020 member of a club affiliated to Scottish or British Orienteering.
Please make sure that your membership has been renewed for 2020.
| British/Scottish Orienteering member |
Non-member | |
|---|---|---|
| Seniors | £4 | £6 |
| Juniors | £1.50 | £2.50 |
| Parent and Child (one parent with one child) |
£2.50 | £3.50 |
| Larger Family Groups (one or more children accompanied by one or more adults) |
£3 | £5 |
| Pair of Seniors | £5 | £7 |
| Pair of Juniors (no accompanying adults) |
£2 | £3 |
Safety and Risk
A comprehensive risk assessment has been carried out by the organisers, but participants take part at their own risk and are responsible for their own safety during the event.
There are large piles of cut logs along some tracks. There are not mapped and must not be climbed on. There are none near to the White or Yellow courses.
As with many woods in Scotland, there are ticks present in Binning Wood so you are advised to check carefully and promptly remove any ticks you may find to reduce the risk of infections.
Medical Conditions:
If you, or anyone in your group (including juniors), have a medical condition that first-aiders or health professionals should know about in the event of accident or illness during the course of the event please print off the Medical Form, complete it fully and bring it along to the event. You should complete a separate copy for each individual who has a medical condition. Please leave the completed Medical Form at Event Registration. If it is not in a labelled sealed envelope, it will be put in one and will be opened only in an emergency. It will be shredded immediately after the event if you do not claim it back.
Privacy
When entering our events your name will appear in the results section of this website and may appear in newspaper reports.
We may also take photographs at the event for publicity purposes – please let us know if you do not want us to use your photograph in this way.
Read our privacy policy.