Vogrie Country Park
Saturday 28 November 2020
Cancelled

Vogrie Country Park  Saturday 28 November 2020  Cancelled

Vogrie Burn and Tyne Water - Photo Credit: Jim Barton - geograph.org.uk/p/3705507

With regret we have had to cancel or at least postpone this event. Following the announcement that Midlothian does not move into level 2 along with East Lothian this week it has become impossible to stage the event.

Anyone who has already entered will be contacted by email regarding refunds.

We still hope to stage the event in the near future if the changing CoVid regulations make that possible.

Many thanks to our planner, Michael Atkinson, who set up this event at short notice after we decided we could not host the scheduled SoSOL & ESOA Champs on this weekend .

Pre-event Information

Vogrie Country Park is a woodland estate managed by Midlothian Council.  The Tyne Water runs through the park in a steep sided valley which can provide a physical challenge.  Vogrie usually hosts a Saturday parkrun and has a popular playground but its varied terrain and 12 mile path network make this a popular venue for orienteering, particularly for those new to the sport.  For the more experienced there are plenty of ways to navigate between controls both on paths and off them!

Information about how to enter is here (pdf).

Please note that we can only accept entries from residents of Level 2 areas, ie NOT from Edinburgh. Sorry.

General Information

Type of event:
Local event in the East of Scotland Orienteering Association (ESOA) series

Vogrie - Open Woodland on steep slopes

Vogrie – Open Woodland on steep slopes

Type of terrain:
A mixture of parkland and woodland with some steep sided deans.

We are grateful to the ranger service and neighbouring landowners who allowed us to greatly extend the range of the map into the former golf course and into some areas of disused quarries which provide regions of intricate contour detail for the ESOA Championships scheduled for this weekend. For this replacement event we will be using part of that new map extension.

Other Users:
The woods are very well used by the general public including dog walkers and families. Please respect their right to be there at the same time as you are orienteering. Please observe all out of bounds areas, particularly the unfenced.

Dogs:
The area is well used by dog walkers so dogs are welcome.

Location

Nearest town: Gorebridge
Grid Ref: NT376632
Postcode: EH23 4NU

Directions:
Vogrie is on the B6372 which runs from the A7 at Gorebridge to the A68 North of Pathhead.
A limited service travels to the Edgehead and Dewarton crossroads, from where the park can be accessed on foot.
There is a £2 parking charge which must be paid contactlessly.
From the car park, look for our tent and the East Lothian Orienteers banner.

Registration & Start Times

Due to the need to run the event with minimal risk of infection to competitors and helpers, and to comply with the government’s guidelines issued by sportscotland, everyone must enter in advance. There is no entry on the day. Entrants will be allocated to a 10 minute Start window.

Details of how to enter have been sent to ELO members initially. If there are spare places these will be offered to members of other local clubs and/or to members of the public who have registered interest in entering. If you need more information, contact us here.

Start and Finish:

The start and finish will be close to registration near the car park.

Courses Close:

The courses will close at 15:30 and because of the short daylight available it is essential that you report to the Finish by then, even if you have not completed your intended course.

Course Information

Map:

The map is printed at 1:7500 with 5m contours and has been extended for the event.

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 and  Yellow courses as well as a Score course where the aim is to find as many of the controls as possible in a set time.

More detail about Score events appears below and about the colour coded courses on the Scottish Orienteering website.

Accessibility:

The White and Yellow courses are buggy friendly although muddy in parts. Many of the controls on the Score course are set away from the main paths.

Organiser:

Sheila Strain

Planner:

Michael Atkinson

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.

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.

What is a Score event?

  • You receive a map with the controls marked but with no set route shown between them. You must visit as many of the controls as possible in the time allowed
  • You can visit them in any order you wish and you don’t have to visit them all
  • Different controls have different points value so there is a tactical element in using your time to gain points efficiently
  • Higher value controls will be further afield or harder to find
  • You lose penalty points if you take longer than the time limit – so remember to bring a watch with you!
  • The winner is the person with the most points after any penalties have been deducted. If there is a tie on points then the person who took the shorter time is the winner
  • You don’t have to use the full time allowance – when you have had enough just return to the Finish.

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.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.