South Ribble Orienteering Club
Lake District National Event Weekend 18th & 19th March 2006
National and IOF World Ranking Event
WHITBARROW SCAR
A New Area in South East Lakes
Also a UK Cup and Future Champions Cup event
FINAL DETAILS Back to Main Event Page
Travel Directions:-There are road works on the A590 at the turning to the event. Diversions are likely to be in place. Take particular care. The SROC website will be updated with the latest information on the road works.
The A590 is a busy fast moving road. Take great care, particularly in the coned lanes around the road works, and when rejoining the A590 at the end of the competition.
From West – Follow A590 for 2km east of roundabout junction with B5277 then turn left at junction signed to Witherslack. Follow O-signs past Derby Arms PH to car park near Witherslack Hall
From East – From Junction 36 of the M6 follow A590 for 6km. After the junction with the A5074 follow O-signs and turn right before the road works. Turn left along the old main road to the Derby Arms PH. Turn right then travel 3km north on narrow road to car park near Witherslack Hall.
Drive carefully through village and use passing places if meeting on-coming traffic. Turn right to Car Park field
(GR 440860).
Parking: Car park fee of £1 collected at entry to field.
If required we may use a second field which is to the south of the main field. All minibuses and motor caravans park on the main car park.
Assembly Area: Assembly will be in the north part of the main car park field.
Enquiries and Colour Coded Entries, Toilets, SI Card Hire and Download, Results, St. John Ambulance, BOF Coaching Clinic, Compass Point, UltraSport, Wilf’s Café, NW Juniors Cake Stall, String Course.
Dogs: No dogs - lambing time .
Terrain Notes : This is a first class area presenting technical and physical challenges. It consists of woodland and open limestone fell (70 to 200m altitude). For those with time to admire it, there are beautiful views across Morecambe Bay.
The open fell is stony but generally fast running and all courses spend some time in the open.
In the woodland (visited by all except the shortest course) there are large areas of limestone pavement that are very tricky underfoot at all times and very slippery in wet weather. There are holes in the limestone which are partially covered by vegetation and not easy to see, especially if you are trying to run. It is very easy to put a leg down one of these. Please take great care and reduce speed according to the conditions. It is generally fastest to stick to paths as much as possible.
Other challenges in the wood include significant numbers of thorn trees and bushes, high cliffs (which are well mapped), sections of path which consist of bare slippery limestone, and areas of new felling. The new felling has been mapped as at the beginning of March, but further work may have occurred since then. Associated with the felling, there are brashings on the ground and new tracks created by the logging vehicles. The logging vehicles have made some of the major tracks quite difficult to run along as they are very muddy with deep ruts tracks (mapped as ‘vehicle tracks’)
Overall, you will encounter a wide range of technical and physical difficulties along your course which should provide interesting and enjoyable orienteering.
Shadowing: If juniors require shadowing they must enter the colour coded courses. No shadowing allowed before your own run. The adult ‘shadower’ must not pick up a map at the start.
Colour Coded Courses: Colour Coded (EOD): Seniors £4 Juniors £2.
Registration 09.45 to 11.45am Start times 10.30am to 12.30pm. Colour coded course are in the main competition area
String Course: Enter at start of course East of Assembly area. Open from open from 10.00am
Start List: Start lists will be posted on the SROC website www.sroc.org from no later than 12 March.
Start: The Start is 1km from the car park with a steep climb of 120m. Minimum of 20 minutes walk. Allow 30 to 35 minutes.
This is a one way route.
The path up the scarp is rocky, narrow and steep, exposed in places, and will be slippery in wet conditions. In
particular:
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It is unsuitable for pushchairs, young children or children being carried in backpacks
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Competitors should be considerate of those slower and less nimble, as well as the general public who may be trying to descend. (A warm-up area is provided at the Start.) It is a public footpath.
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The route to Start is “up only”. Anyone accompanying a competitor to the Start should follow the tapes for 1km to the Finish to descend.
There will be no clothing dump.
Start Procedure: National Event Competitors will have a Timed Start. Call-up will be at -3 minutes. Maps will be displayed at -2 minutes. Late starters will start at the officials’ discretion. Your start time cannot be changed. Competitors on Colour Coded courses will also start at their allotted time. It is the responsibility of ALL competitors to check that they pick up the correct map. In the case of really bad weather, a punching start may be used for all classes to minimise waiting time at the start. At the organiser's discretion, a punching start may be used by the second of a split-start pair.
Finish: The Finish is 2km from Assembly with a steep and rocky 100m descent on a public footpath down the scarp. Please take care and be considerate of others. Drinks are 250m from finish on way back to Assembly. Please take your bottle home.
Download your SI card at Results caravan on returning to the Assembly area.
For safety reasons you MUST report to download even if you retire.
Map possession and Collection: Possession or use of any orienteering or other map of the competition area is prohibited during the competition day at the race site until officially permitted.
Maps will not be collected. You are on trust not to show your map to other competitors who have not yet run.
Map: New map surveyed 2005 by Malcolm Campbell. Scale 1:10,000 and 1:15,000 depending on course with 5m contours.
All courses (including Colour Coded) use overprinted and bagged (slightly larger than) A4 maps.
The smaller of the two boulder field symbols (black triangles) is used to represent barely concealed limestone pavement with only a very thin covering of ground vegetation - the larger boulder field symbol is used for conventional surface boulder fields. The grey 'bare rock' screen in both open and wooded areas shows limestone pavement with no vegetation although there may be the occasional stunted tree or isolated bush. The stony ground symbol (small black dot) is used conventionally to show areas of stones in both open and wooded areas.
Crossing Points: The area has a number of dry-stone walls which must only be crossed at crossing points. In all cases where a course crosses a wall, the course has a control on the crossing point. Stiles can be very slippery in icy conditions.
Control Descriptions:- Pictorial descriptions will be used for all courses. Control descriptions will be printed on the back of the map. Control descriptions can be downloaded from the SROC website from 6 March or collected from Enquiries.
Electronic Punching: Sportident punching will be used for all courses except the String Course.
If the station fails to respond, use the manual punch attached to the stake, punch your map and present it at Download.
Hire of SI cards is from Enquiries if you do not own your own. Payment of £20 if you lose it!
Safety: Please note this area has been assessed as high risk in terms of both hazardous terrain and possible severe weather conditions. Areas of limestone should be treated with respect, especially when wet. On the open fell the hazards are all obvious and visible, and there is less exposed limestone pavement. In the forest are large expanses of partly covered limestone pavement with deep hidden holes. Take care.
The west and south of the competition area are bounded by impassable scarps. You must go to the Finish to find a safe descent. At up to 200m above sea level, much of the area is exposed to wind and rain. It is not possible to provide clothing bags. Competitors should dress appropriately for the current and anticipated weather on the day, taking into account the long walks to the Start and from the Finish.
Cagoules are strongly advisable, and may be compulsory. Gaiters are also advisable, because of brambles and areas of thorns.
Whistles are compulsory.
The Finish will be manned throughout the competition and any emergencies may be reported there or to the refreshment points which will be manned. For those competitors who do not have them as controls, the refreshment points are marked on the map with a red first aid cross. Courses 9 and 10 have the northern refreshment indicated on their descriptions by the first aid symbol.
Please remember:
You are expected to assist any competitor in difficulty
· If seriously lost or in difficulty, stay in one place, preferably in a prominent position or by a control. Blow your whistle to summon help.
· You must go through both the Finish and Download points even if you have retired or failed to complete your course.
Safety checks for lone competitors: please use the buddy system or deposit vehicle keys at Enquiries.
Emergency phone number in Assembly is 0776 721 4414.
COMPETITORS TAKE PART AT THEIR OWN RISK AND ARE RESPONSIBLE FOR THEIR OWN SAFETY.
Refreshments: As shown on the control descriptions, drinks will be provided at two control points on M21L (at about 1/3 and 2/3 of the total length) and at one control point on W21L/M18L/M21S (at about two-thirds of the total length). The drinks will consist of water in paper cups. Other competitors visiting these controls are welcome to help themselves to a drink.
Courses close at 15.30.
Complaints: Any complaint must be first discussed with the Organiser, who may be contacted via the Enquiries team. Any protest against the Organiser’s decision on a complaint shall be made to the Controller in writing, accompanied by a fee of £5, which will be returned if the Jury consider the protest valid. Complaints in respect of the World Ranking Event Courses (M/W21L) should be made in writing on the form available from Enquiries. Any protest against the Organiser's decision on a complaint shall be made on the same form. There is no fee for a protest.
Cancellation: SROC reserves the right to retain part or the entire entry fee if the event has to be cancelled.
Course Details:
Course Classes
Length(km) Height(m) Scale
Controls
1 M21L
9.2
335 15
26
2 M35L
M40L M20L
7.9
200 15
21
3 W21L
M18L M21S
6.7
165 15
20
4 M45L
M50L
6.8
175 10
21
5 M20S
M35S M40S W20L W35L W40L
4.9
160 15
17
6 M16A
M55L M60L
5.2
165 10
20
7 M65L
W21S W45L W50L
4.8
130 10
17
8 M18S
M21V M45S M50S W18L
4.7
140 10
18
9 M70L
W16A W55L W60L W20S W35S W40S
3.7
125 10
17
10 M55S M60S
M65S M75L W65L W70L W18S W21V W45S W50S
3.7
115 10
15
11 M70S M75S W75L W55S W60S W65S W70S W75S
2.4
80
10 12
12 M21N Red
4.8
135 10
13
13 M14A M16B W14A W16B Lt Green
3.5
80
10 12
14 M12A M14B W12A W14B W21N Orange
3.2
65
10 10
15 M10A M12B W10A W12B Yellow
2.2
75
10 8
16 M10B W10B White
1.8
30
10 8
Officials
IOF Advisor
Ted Finch (FVO)
Controller
John Bettinson (LOC)
Planners
David and Miriam Rosen (SROC)
Organiser
Brian Jackson (SROC)
Asst. Organiser
David Hargreaves (SROC)
Please note that there are no Elite courses. As requested by the BOF Elite Competitions Group, the WRE/UK Cup courses will be the M/W21L courses and these have estimated winning times of 75/55 minutes.
BOF Coaching Clinic: After your run visit the BOF coaching clinic in their tent in the Assembly Area. Come and talk to qualified coaches and seek their advice on coaching matters and go through your course with them.
Acknowledgement: Thanks to: Brian Crowe, Witherslack Estate, Crossthwaite & Lyth Commoners, Mr Farrer, Forestry Commission, Cumbria Wildlife Trust, English Nature
Entry Enquiries: Up to 10 March - david@dsjvjj.freeserve.co.uk or 01772-783745 (before 10pm)
11 March to 18 March: John and Sue Denmark – email: john@denmark.demon.co.uk or tel. 01772-700327 (before 10pm)
General Enquiries: To Organiser Brian Jackson by email to brb.jackson@btinternet.com or tel. 01772 715808 (before 10pm). Or David Hargreaves 01772 628026 – (before 10pm).
Last Updated :02.03.06