Lochend Woods
27 April 2024
Lochend Wood: © Richard Webb - geograph.org.uk/p/4917225
Lochend is a flat wood mainly made up of conifers with patches of birch and ash. There is an extensive path network and some vehicle tracks where care is needed but it is an ideal area of juniors and newcomers.
Orienteers of all abilities are welcome to join us on the day when we will have a range of courses to suit everyone. The Light Green course crosses roads so is only suitable for those aged 16 and over or juniors who are being closely accompanied by an adult.
Dunbar is the driest, sunniest town in Scotland, but we can’t guarantee the weather so please dress appropriately!
The published results now have the legs affected by the missing control on the Light Green course excluded:
Organiser’s Report
Thanks to everyone who made the event work; good weather always adds to the success of an event and Dunbar lived up to its reputation as the sunniest town in Scotland. A particular well done and thank you to Ian for planning and delivering a great set of courses that were suitably challenging and made use of a fantastic area. We received very positive feedback on the combination of rural and urban opportunities available on the Light Green course. For a local event, it was great to see so many taking part; there were 95 ‘results’; when pairs and accompanying adults are included, there were just over 130 people out around the courses on the day.
Less positive was the moving of one of the controls on the Long Green course. Who would have thought that a control at a ditch junction in the middle of the wood would be moved by local kids? Unfortunately, this meant that a number of the early runners spent additional time trying to find a control that just wasn’t there. Once we found out, Ian went out to the control site and told runners to head to the next control. Fortunately, the control was found in a bush some way off when controls were being collected in. Times have been adjusted on the results which now reflect not doing legs 18 – 19 and 19 – 20. Well done to Tim, Michael and Ian for making that happen.
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.
- British Orienteering collect results from all events and publish ranking scores for larger events.
Type of event:
Local event in the East of Scotland Orienteering Association (ESOA) series
Terrain:
- Lochend is a flat wood mainly made up of conifers with patches of birch and ash. There is an extensive path network and some vehicle tracks where care is needed. Even at this time of year undergrowth can be very dense once you leave the path network. There are some nettles and brambles so full leg cover is recommended.
- After recent wet weather all paths have some muddy sections so good grips are recommended.
- The longest course is partially urban style and because of road crossings is not available to under 16s unless accompanied by an adult.
- Please not enter any areas marked as out of bounds.
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 at Hallhill Sports Centre.
Accessibility:
TBC
Location
Nearest Town: Dunbar
Grid Ref: NT675783
Nearest Postcode: EH42 1QZ
Directions
Leave the A1 at the ASDA roundabout and at the next roundabout turn left onto Kellie Road. Carry on to the car park for the Hallhill Sports Centre.
Public Transport
There are a hourly bus and train services from Edinburgh to Dunbar on Saturdays and less than 1km to walk within Dunbar to 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.
Start and Finish:
Start times will be from 1:30pm to 3:00pm.
Start and Finish are close to registration
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 1:5000 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 Light Green courses.
| Course | Length / Ascent | Description |
|---|---|---|
| White | 1.3km / 10m | For competitive 9-10 year olds and 11-12 year old beginners. Follows paths with a control at each choice point. |
| Yellow | 1.8km / 10m | 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 | 5.0km / 20m | For more experienced orienteers. More challenging navigation including route choice and rougher terrain. Because of the road crossings ALL under 16s (on the day) must be accompanied by an adult. |
More details about the colour coding is available on the Scottish Orienteering website.
Organiser:
Jamie Wilson
Planner:
Ian Rowland
Entry Charges
Entry is cheaper if you are a current 2024 member of a club affiliated to Scottish or British Orienteering.
Please ensure that your membership has been renewed for 2024.
| British Orienteering member | Scottish Orienteering member | Non‑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 |
*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 complete a course which is appropriate to your fitness and orienteering ability – please speak to one of the registration team if you would like advice.
- Small children should be supervised when near ponds/marshes.
- Please be conscious of other people in the area.
The RA 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.