Tayside Orienteers

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Tayside South of Scotland Orienteering League, Balkello,Dundee

Image of the Balkello Hill map

Sun 19th May 2024

Last updated: 30th Apr
Type of event: Regional
Type of terrain: Forest, Moorland
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Info

Tayside hosts the 4th vent South of Scotland Orienteering League event at Balkello near Dundee.

Loaction  What3Words voice.cone.debit

QUICK LINK ENTRIES  https://www.sientries.co.uk/event.php?event_id=13588

Location

Nearest town: Auchterhouse

Pre event information

Safety notes

Other hill users – this area is popular with hikers, dog walkers, runners, cyclists – please respect their right to be there at the same time you are orienteering

Dogs – this area is popular with dog walkers,  please slow down to a walk and give plenty of room if passing off-lead dogs and stand still if an off-lead dog is agitated

Livestock – there may be sheep or cattle on the hill please keep a safe distance from these and keep any dogs on a lead

You must report to Download even if you do not complete your course, so we know you are back safely (and don't need a search party). Please return to Download by 3pm.

Whistles are strongly advised, and we require full leg cover for all competitors, as per standard rules. Brambles, thickets etc may be present.

Ticks are found in the area. If you find a tick on you remove it as soon as possible and seek medical advice if necessary. A tick remover will be available at registration.

Poor  weather. In the case of rain please ensure you wear an appropriate rain jacket. In the event of extreme weather the Organiser will review the conditions and may cancel the event. Please keep an eye on weather forecasts and information on the Tay website.

Directions / Parking

The event will be based in the Sidlaws outside Dundee. Parking is in the Balkello Community Woodland Car Park where you will be directed to the overflow parking field.

There are no public transport options but we would encourage lift shares as far as possible.

Facilities

Toilet facilities are very limited with a single portable toilet. There are public toilet facilities in the village of Kirkton of Auchterhouse which is close by. They are free located in the public park within the main village (what3words mega.madder.impulse)

The nearest cafe is Pine Cone Cafe  http://taysideforestry.uk/the-pine-cone/   which is located towards Dundee near Templeton Woods.

Registration & Start Times

REGISTRATION: Registration and Download will both be in the Parking field and Registration will be open from 10.30am until 12.45pm

For the collection of hired dibbers and White & Yellow maps
To leave car keys (lone runners should leave in a named envelope)
EOD if maps are available (no fee surcharge).

START INFO

There will be a far and a near start The far start will be used for brown, blue and green courses and will be a 20 minute uphill walk. All other courses begin at the near start which is located near the car park

The main Finish is for all courses and is close to download and the car park.

START TIMES: Starts will run from 11am to 1pm. Please choose an early start block (if you think you might take a long time out on your course. You must be back at Download by 3pm when courses close.

Course Information

Usual SoSOL Courses plus a trail loop suitable for wheelchairs. You may run in any colour coded course the age age groups in brackets denote the associated colour coded course 

http://www.elo.org.uk/2024-sosol/
Brown                  8.6 km,190m (M18, M20, M21, M35, M40)

Blue                      5.4 km,100m (M16, M45, M50, M55, M60, W18, W20, W21, W35, W40)

Green                   4.2 km, 90m (M65, M70, W16, W45, W50, W55, W60)

Short Green       3.4 km, 90m  (M75, M80, W65, W70, W75, W80)

Light green        4.2 km, 90m (M14, W14)

Orange               2.5 km, 90 m (M12, W12)

Yellow                 1.9 km, 75m (M10, W10)

White                  1.3km, 25m (M10B, W10B)

Trail loop           550m 25m - Suitable for all terrain wheel chairs and ambulant disabled

Explanation of colour courses

  • White are very easy with all controls on paths. They are mainly used by 6-10 year olds and family groups.
  • Yellow use simple linear features like paths, walls and streams. They are mainly used by under 12’s and family groups.
  • Orange progress to basic use of the compass and route choice. They are ideal for novice adults or experienced youngsters.
  • Light Green are ideal for improvers as the navigational difficulty begins to increase and uses simple contours and point features.
  • Green are used mostly by experienced under 18’s and adults wanting a short but challenging course with a very hard navigational difficulty.
  • Blue are a longer, more physically demanding course in comparison to the green. The distances are more varied between controls and the course attracts experienced orienteers.
  • Brown & Black are very physically demanding and have a very hard navigational difficulty. They are for experienced orienteers only.
  • Score means visiting as many controls as possible in any order in a specific time, like 45mins.

Entry Details

Pre-Entry via SiEntries is required for this event, direct link will be updated near the time. Entries will open on Friday 19th April and will close at 23:59 on Sunday 12th May.

Late pre-entries - late entries may be available after 8pm on Friday 8th if there are maps remaining by emailing gillian.tuddenham@googlemail.com

There will be very limited entry on the day and will be dependent on there being available maps

Juniors: Juniors may be shadowed if they are just to be "followed". If they are to be helped please enter as a pair.

Entry Fees

For 2024 we have a new range of Individual entry fees following membership restructuring by British Orienteering and increases in levy charges by British Orienteering and Scottish Orienteering for all competitors.

Senior/Young Adult BOF Member - £12
Senior/Young Adult SOA Member - £13
Senior/Young Adult Non Member - £14
All Juniors / Trail loop                        - £6 

SportIdent (SI) electronic timing will be used with the course controls SIAC enabled. Start and Finish units must be punched normally.

SI card hire can be requested via the entry form,

- Free standard SI card hire but there will be a £30.00 charge if lost.

Entries on line at Si Entries

https://www.sientries.co.uk/event.php?event_id=13588

Contacts / Officials

Organiser Gillian Tuddenham  

Planner Fran Loots

Controller  Sarah Dunn

Nearest Emergency Department

Ninewells Hospital, Dundee DD2 1UB

Dogs allowed?

Dogs are welcome in the parking field but are not allowed on the courses

Safety and Risk

A comprehensive risk assessment will have been carried out by the organiser, but participants take part at their own risk and are responsible for their own safety during the event.

Keep It Clean campaign - Forestry Commission Scotland

Our forests are at risk from tree pests and diseases. These can dramatically affect the health of our trees, upsetting the delicate ecosystem balance and devastating large areas of woodland.
Pests and diseases hitch a ride in mud and debris on shoes, paws and tyres, ending up in new forests. Here, they can spread rapidly in environments with no natural resilience.
Read more about this on the FCS website.

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