Binning Wood SoSOL
SATURDAY 28th June 2025
Open runnable woodland
Event Report
Thanks to everyone who supported this event – competitors and helpers. Special thanks to Ian for courses, to John Tullie for being our Controller, and to those who volunteeered to collect controls at the end of a long day carrying out other roles – Nigel, Jamie and Alex.
We are grateful to Smeaton Estate for allowing us use their car park and thus avoid roadside parking at Binning. We hope you enjoyed this innovation.
Planner’s Report
Thank you to everyone who turned out for a lovely day of orienteering at Binning Wood whether running, helping or both.
The weather was sunny and the woods were in full green mode making some courses more challenging than at other times of the year. Meeting people at the finish line I suspected it was more difficult than expected which was reflected in standard finishing times so apologies if that was an inconvenience for anyone. However after reflection, I hope there were many positives to your runs too.
Special thank you to John Tullie of Roxburgh Reivers whose advice and suggestions were helpful and ultimately of benefit to the courses I had chosen.
Ian
Results
- Simple results are here.
- Routegadget allows you to plot your route, either by hand or by downloading a gpx file from a watch or phone and to look where you and others went.
- Winsplits Online gives another way of comparing your times for each leg.
- British Orienteering collect results from all events and publish ranking scores for larger events.
- SoSOL points for this event and the league tables after 5 events
Advance Information
Binning Wood was replanted after 1945 with conifers and beech and has a complex network of rides, paths and ditches which can be disorientating to the unwary. Much of the site became overrun with rhododendron, but ongoing clearance work has increased runnability. In many areas visibility has improved and hidden ditches have reappeared, although the carpet of brashings can make for slow progress.
Orienteers of all abilities are welcome to join us with a wide range of courses to suit everyone. More courses than usual are on offer because today’s event is part of the South of Scotland Orienteering League.
NB Competitor parking is at Smeaton Nursery Gardens. No competitor parking at Binning Wood. Details below.
Online entries have now closed but there will be entry on the day available.
Type of event:
Regional event in the South of Scotland League series
Terrain:
- Mixed woodland which is notable for three large circular clearings. These clearings have up to 13 paths leading out of them and will challenge your navigation
- Binning Wood has suffered in the past from being overgrown with rhododendrons but there has been much clearing in recent years expanding those areas which are open and runnable
- But some patches of rhodendrons are effectively impassable and are mapped as close green screen
- An area at north of the map is a green burial site – the Binning Memorial Wood. This area is marked on all maps as out of bounds to orienteers.
Other users:
The area is very well used by the general public including dog walkers, families and horse riders. Please respect their right to be there at the same time as you are orienteering.
Parking:
Parking for competitors will be at Smeaton Nursery Gardens which is accessed from East Linton village. There is a 1.5km walk on new paths around the field edges down to Binning Wood with a marshalled road crossing to the assembly area in the wood. There will be a clothing drop at assembly which is close to both Start and Finish.
There will be no competitor parking at Binning Wood. Officials and some helpers will park there but space must be left for members of the public to access the wood as usual. Please do not park on the roadside at Binning.
Toilets:
Portable toilets will be available at Binning Wood assembly area near Registration.
Patrons of the cafe within Smeaton Nursery Gardens have access to the toilets there.
Public toilets are available in East Linton village, close to the tennis courts in East Linton Park.
Catering and facilities:
Smeaton Nursery Gardens has a tea-room selling a wide range of food and hot and cold drinks.
Other facilities at Smeaton include the plant nursery itself and an art gallery next to (and inside) the tea room.
Smeaton Lake Woods contain a lochan surrounded by spectacular specimens of many unusual trees and shrubs. It is part of the National Tree Collections of Scotland. A short walk round the lochan is entered from the access road just south of the parking area.
A short String course will be provided close to competitor parking at Smeaton.
Accessibility:
White and Yellow courses stick to the path network so should be accessible for rugged buggies.
The path from Smeaton is a new gravel path with an even surface. Please contact the Organiser if you need to park closer to the wood for accessibility reasons.
Dogs:
Dogs must be kept on leads at Smeaton parking area where there are sheep grazing, on the paths down to Binning and at the assembly area in the woods.
Location
Nearest Town: East Linton
Grid Ref: NT 593 801
Nearest Postcode: EH40 3DT
Directions
UPDATE – Follow diversions around road closure in East Linton
NB – Google Maps does not know about the road closure so its advice is misleading
By car from the west …
… leave the A1 at Haddington; take the second Haddington junction, signed “Haddington/East Linton”
… follow A199 (“the old A1”) but do not turn off into East Linton
… turn left onto A198 signposted “North Berwick”
… at Tyninghame village turn left following sign for East Linton
… continue towards East Linton, past Preston Mill, until turning right into Smeaton Nursery Gardens
… follow the access road for 500 metres to the parking area near the garden centre.
By car from the east …
… leave the A1 at Dunbar and then follow the A199 (“the old A1”) for 3 km
… turn right onto A198 signposted “North Berwick”
… at Tyninghame village turn left following sign for East Linton
… continue towards East Linton, past Preston Mill, until turning right into Smeaton Nursery Gardens
… follow the access road for 500 metres to the parking area near the garden centre.
Public Transport
Frequent bus links to East Linton are provided by East Coast buses (X7 and 120).
East Linton is also served by trains from Edinburgh.
From the village centre it is a 1.5 km walk or cycle to the parking area at Smeaton and a further 1.5 km to assembly.
Nearest Defibrillator:
Registration
Registration & Start Times
Registration
This will be online in advance. Some Entry on the Day will be available at Registration.
If would like advice before going out or if you think you will take over an hour please arrive and start early.
Start and Finish:
Start times are slightly earlier from 11:30 until 13:30. We will not allocate start slots.
The Start and Finish locations are both close to the assembly area in Binning Wood near the main car park at the SW corner of the wood. But please note that competitors should not use this car park – competitor parking is at Smeaton Nursery Gardens.
Courses Close:
The courses will close at 3:30pm. If you have not completed your course by then you should stop and return to assembly.
If would like advice before going out or if you think you will take over an hour please arrive and start early.
You must report to the Download point, whether you complete the course or not, so that we know you are not lost or injured in the woods.
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. Units, apart from start and finish, will be set for contactless punching.
Courses
There will be Follow-the-string, White, Yellow, Orange, Light Green, Short Green, Green, Blue and Brown courses.
| Course | Length / Ascent | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Follow-the-string | / | For our youngest orienteers. Follow the string in the woods next to the parking at Smeaton. |
| White | 1.6km / 15m | For competitive 9-10 year olds and 11-12 year old beginners. Follows paths with a control at each choice point. |
| Yellow | 2.1km / 15m | For competitive 11-12 year olds and 13-14 year old beginners. Follows line features with controls after choice points. |
| Orange | 2.8km / 15m | For competitive 13-14 year olds and beginner adults. Controls near paths or line features. |
| Light Green | 4.1km / 30m | Suitable for more experienced orienteers. A more challenging course with navigation away from paths. |
| Short Green | 3.0km / 15m | Suitable for experienced orienteers. A very challenging course with navigation away from paths but not as long. |
| Green | 4.3km / 30m | Suitable for experienced orienteers. A very challenging course with navigation away from paths. |
| Blue | 5.4km / 45m | Suitable for experienced orienteers. A very challenging and lengthier course with navigation away from paths. |
| Brown | 6.7km / 60m | Suitable for experienced orienteers. A very challenging and much longer course with navigation away from paths. |
More details about the colour coding is available on the Scottish Orienteering website.
Organiser:
Pete Younger
Planner:
Ian Rowland
Controller:
John Tullie (RR)
Entry Charges
Entry is cheaper if you are a current 2025 member of a club affiliated to Scottish or British Orienteering.
Please ensure that your membership has been renewed for 2025.
| Entry Type | British Orienteering member | Scottish Orienteering member | Non‑member | Late Entry |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Seniors | £11 | £12 | £13 | +£2 |
| Juniors | £4 | £5 | £6 | +£1 |
| Pair of Seniors | £13 | £14 | £15 | +£2 |
| Pair of Juniors (no accompanying adults) | £5.50 | £6.50 | £7.50 | +£1 |
| Junior and Parent | £7 | £8 | £9 | +£1 |
| Family Groups (one or more children accompanied by one or more adults – we would generally encourage families to split up into pairs!) | £10 | £11 | £12 | +£1 |
| Second junior course (white/yellow/orange) | £1 | £1 | £1 |
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.
Privacy
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