John Muir Country Park SoSOL
Sunday 1 November 2026
© Woodland Trust
Thanks to everybody who made this event such a success including all the runners and helpers – and particular thanks to our course planner Jonathan.
Five years after Storm Arwen flattened most of the forest it was good to be once again running on the southern part of the map as well as the dune strip.
Having two events going on in parallel – a SoSOL and the Junior Inter Area championships – complicated the role for Andrea as event organiser. But it also made for a very cheerful and lively atmosphere throughout.
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.
- Results for the whole Junior Inter Area competition including Saturday’s relays are here.
SoSOL points for this event are published here and the league tables after 6 events are here.
Advance information
John Muir Country Park suffered terribly from Storm Arwen but, now that the fallen trees have been cleared, the woodland is recovering, the path network has been opened up again and a new map of the area has been professionally produced by Dave Peel.
We will be venturing into the dunes on either side of the protected tidal marsh. These dunes are covered by spiky marram grass with a good path network on the inland side. A visit to coastal Spike Island will provide a navigational challenge for some of the more technical courses.
With Storm Arwen thinning the trees, the bracken has spread and while we reckon most of it will be starting to die back by early November, the worst of it will be indicated by a green screen on the map so that you can make navigation decisions accordingly.
The weather looks to be dry but with a northerly wind – a north wind is a cold wind. The temperature on the sand dunes is colder than in the forest as a general rule.
Type of Event
Regional event in the South of Scotland League series incorporating the Junior Inter-area individual competition
Terrain:
- Paths for shorter courses with longer courses venturing into the sand dunes and onto Spike Island.
- Please observe any out of bounds areas especially the salt marsh between the tidal island and the mainland. Not running in this area is a strict condition to allow us to continue using the sand dunes on Spike Island.
- There are brambles and the grass on the sand dunes is sharp – we advise full leg cover. Those on courses sticking to paths (White and Yellow) will be OK in shorts, of course!
- There are a few deer living in our event area so there could be ticks. Make sure you check for them.
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.
This area is frequented by a LARGE number of dog walkers. If you are not keen on dogs, the best place to be is in the children’s park. There is a gate and dogs are not allowed in. Dogs are welcome to come with orienteers.
There could be horse riders. Please take care and don’t run up behind them.
ELO Club Championships 2026:
ELO’s club champions for 2026 will be decided at this event. Champions will be decided in five categories …
- female club champion – W16 and above – born in 2011 or earlier
- male club champion – M16 and above – born in 2011 or earlier
- junior running Light Green – W14 and M14 – born in 2012 or 2013
- junior running Orange – W12 and M12 – born in 2014 or 2015
- junior running Yellow – W10 and M10 – born in 2016 or later.
Overall female and male overall club champions will be decided by the best performances on the day as calculated by the BOF Rankings system.
The W/M14 winner will be the fastest finisher on the Light Green course. For W/M12 it will be the Orange course and for W/M10 it will be the fastest unassisted runner on the Yellow course.
Winners will be declared when courses close. Champions will receive their trophies at a future club event.
Catering:
Hot drinks and cake will be available in return for donations to Mary’s Meals. Donations can be made in cash, by card, or online direct to Mary’s Meals.
Toilets:
Toilets are available adjacent to the parking area.
String Course:
A Shrek themed follow-the-string course will be available adjacent to registration for our very youngest competitors. The course is very close to the car park. Collect and return a dibber at the main registration tent please. Sweets for completion and returning the dibber and ‘make a bracelet’ challenge if you want it.
Prize-giving
The prize-giving for the Junior Inter-area competition will take place at 1:30pm.
Accessibility:
The area is generally quite flat but some of the paths are sandy in places. None of the courses cross fences or walls.
Acknowledgements:
Thanks to the East Lothian Ranger Service, Alec Dale of Hedderwick Farm and to John Muir Alpacas for permission to use the area.
They currently have some alpaca ride spaces available on the day.
Location
Nearest Town: Dunbar
Grid Ref: NT652787
Nearest Postcode: EH42 1XF
Directions
Follow signs to Dunbar and West Barns from the A1. Turn left at the brown signs.
Public Transport
The X7 stops nearby.
Registration & Start Times
Registration:
The registration and download is to the East of the toilet block at what is known as the BBQ site. Look for the ELO flag.
There is a £3 charge for parking. The reference number on the RingGo app is 21006.
Start and Finish:
ELO are not allocating start times for any of the courses.
- At 10:15am we will observe a 1 minute silence to remember a young ELO member called Rachael Bell (13) who died last week.
- From 10:30am ELO volunteers and juniors may start
Some JIA entrants may be asked to enter the start boxes at particular times. - From 11:00am all other entrants may start.
- The final start will be at 1:00pm.
If you think you may take a while we would advise starting before 11:30.
Only the maps for the White course will be available before entering the start boxes. All other maps will be picked up after punching the start unit. There WILL be control descriptions for all courses, so bring your holder.
Start is 2 mins from the toilet block – the only building next to the car park.
Courses Close:
The courses will close at 2:30pm so it is essential that you report to the Finish by then, even if you have not completed your course.
Entry Charges
Entry is cheaper if you are a current 2026 member of a club affiliated to Scottish or British Orienteering.
Please ensure that your membership has been renewed for 2026.
| Entry Type | British Orienteering member | Scottish Orienteering member | Non‑member |
|---|---|---|---|
| Seniors | £11 | £12 | £13 |
| Juniors | £4 | £5 | £6 |
| Pair of Seniors | £13 | £14 | £15 |
| Pair of Juniors (no accompanying adults) | £5.50 | £6.50 | £7.50 |
| Junior and Parent | £7 | £8 | £9 |
| 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 |
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, Light Green, Short Green, Green, Blue and Brown courses.
| Course | Length / Ascent | Description |
|---|---|---|
| White | 1.7km / 5m | For competitive 9 year olds and 10-11 year old beginners. Follows paths with a control at each choice point. |
| Yellow | 1.9km / 10m | For competitive 10-11 year olds and 11-12 year old beginners. Follows line features with controls after choice points. JIA: M/W10A, M/W12B |
| Orange | 2.5km / 30m | For competitive 11-13 year olds and beginner adults. Controls near paths or line features. JIA: M/W12A, M/W14B |
| Light Green | 3.7km / 25m | For competitive 13-14 year olds and more experienced orienteers. More challenging navigation including some route choice and controls further from paths. JIA: M/W14A, M/W16B |
| Short Green | 3.8km / 25m | For experienced orienteers. Challenging navigation including route choice and rougher terrain away from paths. |
| Green | 4.8km / 30m | For experienced orienteers. Challenging navigation including route choice and rougher terrain away from paths. JIA: W16A, W18S |
| Blue | 6.8km / 45m | For experienced orienteers. Challenging navigation including route choice and rougher terrain away from paths. JIA: M16A, W18L, M18S |
| Brown | 7.9km / 40m | For experienced orienteers. Challenging navigation including route choice and rougher terrain away from paths. JIA: M18L |
More details about the colour coding is available on the Scottish Orienteering website.
Organiser:
Andrea Davison
Planner:
Jonathan Ellis
Controller:
Roger Scrutton (ESOC)
Other Information:
There are lots of controls in the terrain, so please check control codes carefully. First aid and Defibrillator are at registration/ download. If you need assistance, use your whistle to call for help.
Previous Map: https://www.elo.routegadget.co.uk/rg2/#151
Mapping Notes
(link)
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.
Please note: If you participate and are not a member of British Orienteering or Scottish Orienteering then you are not covered by their respective public liability insurance. In that case, by entering this event you acknowledge that you are taking part at your own risk. For example, if you were to accidentally injure a member of the public or damage property during the event, you would not be covered.
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 an 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.