Whitekirk Hill
Saturday 31 May 2025

Whitekirk Hill  Saturday 31 May 2025

Rocky outcrop near Whitekirk Photo © M J Richardson (cc-by-sa/2.0)

Many thanks to all those who came to today’s event – a very strong turnout including lots of new faces and many experienced orienteers. Godfrey’s courses took us to some unfamiliar parts of Whitekirk not reached by previous events or by the weekly parkrun course.

Junior training activities before the main event were well attended too and enthusiastically carried out.

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.

Advance information:

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

Whitekirk Hill is a relatively new area for orienteering and boasts a variety of rock and contour features on broadly open hillside with picturesque views over East Lothian.

The majority of the paths are mown strips through the grass though they appear to be more permanent and there are many informal paths around the former golf course.

Parking for the event is at the Whitekirk Hill resort and we’d encourage you to make use of the excellent cafe which is there.

Rocky outcrop near Whitekirk Photo © M J Richardson (cc-by-sa/2.0)

Terrain:

  • Open land.
  • Runnability is generally very good.
  • There is some gorse and scratching undergrowth so shorts are not recommended – wear full leg cover.
  • Please observe any out of bounds areas.

Other Users

The area is 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.

Dogs

The area is well used by dog walkers so dogs are welcome to come with orienteers.

Toilets:

Toilets are available in the cafe building.

Accessibility:

Most courses involve bumpy sections.

Location

Nearest Town: North Berwick
Grid Ref: NT 599 825
Nearest Postcode: EH42 1XR

Directions

If travelling from the west leave the A1 at the Abbotview junction (signposted for East Linton) and head east, continuing past East Linton on the A199. Turn left on the A198 signposted for Tyninghame and North Berwick. At Whitekirk Village turn right towards Whitekirk Hill which is on your left.
Parking is in the Play Barn area and registration is in the Barn itself. To get to the car park, go towards the main building turn left and follow the signs.

Public Transport

Nearest Defibrillator:

At registration

Registration & Start Times

Registration

This will be online (and for newcomers near the car park) – look for the ELO flag and tent!
Please select an early start time if you think you might take a long time to complete your course.

Parking is in the Play Barn area and registration is in the Barn itself. To get to the car park, go towards the main building turn left and follow the sign.

Start and Finish:

Start times will be from 1:30pm to 3:00pm.

The start is only about 100 m from the car park, the finish about 150 m away.

Courses Close:

The courses will close at 4:00pm so it is essential that you report to the Finish by then, even if you have not completed your course.

Course Information

Map

The map is printed at 1:7500 with 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 White, Yellow, Orange and Green courses.

Course Length / Ascent Description
White1.7km / 10mFor competitive 9-10 year olds and 11-12 year old beginners. Follows paths with a control at each choice point.
Yellow2.5km / 20mFor competitive 11-12 year olds and 13-14 year old beginners. Follows line features with controls after choice points.
Orange3.3km / 20mFor competitive 13-14 year olds and beginner adults. Controls near paths or line features.
Green4.4km / 50mFor more experienced orienteers. Very challenging navigation including route choice and rougher terrain.

More details about the colour coding is available on the Scottish Orienteering website.

Planner:

Godfrey Beddard

Other Information:

There are still several chalets being built. On the map the area surrounding these and all other chalets is out of bounds and marked with purple hatching. No course needs to cross any of these areas, so if you find that you are next to a chalet  you are going the wrong way!
 
There is an new assault course to the right of the path to the finish. There should be no need to go anywhere near any of these obstacles.
 
The area is mainly open, runnable moorland crossed with several tracks and with several areas of gorse bushes , some clumps of which are large and have an intricate shape.  There is also a small area of woodland with several small crags. An area next to the wood is marked as indistinct marsh and was, at the time of writing (mid-May)  almost completely dry. 
 
The Green course uses a double-sided map.

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.

British Orienteering memberScottish Orienteering memberNon‑member Late entry
Seniors£4.50£5.50£6.50+£1
Juniors£2.50£3.00£3.50+50p
Pair of Seniors£6.00£7.00£8.00+£1
Pair of Juniors (no accompanying adults)£3.50£4.00£4.50+50p
Junior and Parent£4.50£5.50£6.50+£1
Family Groups (one or more children accompanied by one or more adults)£6.00£7.00£8.00+£1
Second Course (white/yellow/orange)£1.00£1.00£1.00
Entry fees 2025

*Members of any orienteering club will receive a discount but we do charge extra for late entries received after we order the maps (usually the Monday before the event).

Safety and Risk

A comprehensive risk assessment (RA) 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.

You are advised to wash your hands after finishing your course to avoid the risk of infection and to carefully check for ticks. The full Risk Assessment will be available for inspection at Registration.

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.

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