Tayside Orienteers

Navigation

Hill of Alyth

Local Event

Sun 08th Sep 2013

Last updated: 18th Dec
Type of event: Local
Type of terrain: Forest
Read more about the mapped area

Results

Results and split times

Info

Officials' Comments

The Hill of Alyth lived up to our advance publicity where scenic views and splendid hill running were forecast. The weather was much better than expected as a very heavy overnight thunderstorm had left the grass cold and wet but bright early sunshine soon made conditions very pleasant.

At all of these events organisers wait nervously for entrants to arrive once controls and tent are in place. "Will anyone come?" We were not disappointed as a steady stream of families and serious minded orienteers arrived from all directions, including an extremely pleasing number of locals and club members. One family had orienteered for the first time at the Magdalen Green event in Dundee the day before and wanted to do even more.

The courses were well received and, considering the fact that this was a completely new area and map, problems were thankfully relatively few. This is an area which should be visited for walking and orienteering more often. Although some distance away for most of us, the views and general atmosphere were commented on by a large number of competitors.

Thanks are due to Roos Eisma, John Anderson, Moira Laws and Dave Prentice for help and advice before and on the day. Peter Hall and family at Balwhyme Farm also deserve thanks for their help and positive approach to the event.

John Lewis - Planner

This local club event is to be held in a newly mapped area which has never previously been used for orienteering competition.

This gives the rare opportunity for experienced competitors and those just starting out in orienteering to savour the delights of discovering a previously unknown area. There are spectacular views in all directions with fast running over many parts of the hill. Complication in the form of impenetrable gorse is there to make navigation more interesting and challenging. Careful use of the map will be needed to achieve fast times but all should be very impressed with this gem of an area.

Location

Nearest town: Blairgowrie

Pre event information

Directions / Parking

Parking and registration is to the north of Hill of Alyth, but please follow directions to approach from the south through the town:

From the South, take the A93 from Perth to Blairgowrie, then A926 to Alyth. (please be aware that Blairgowrie has Highland Games on this date). please be aware that the A926 Blairgowrie to Alyth road is closed due to roadworks. So we advise you take the A94 Perth to Meigle road, and turn left at Meigle onto the B954 to Alyth.
From the North East, take the A926 from Forfar to Kirriemuir then to Alyth.
From Dundee and Fife, leave Dundee on the A923 Coupar Angus road, and at Muirhead, stay on the main road which becomes the B954 to Newtyle, Meigle and Alyth.
From the A926/B954/B952 roundabout, follow the B952, turning right after half a mile onto the main street through Alyth. Stay on this main road through the town, which becomes Bamff Road. Follow this road for about 2.5 miles, passing Den of Alyth and ignoring a turn to Tullyfergus on the left. At another junction, turn right for Glenisla; parking and registration are less than a mile further up this road on the left. The last part of the road is single track and some care is needed due to the lack of passing places.

There will be a parking fee of £1 per vehicle.

Facilities

Toilets are available through the Perth and Kinross Comfort Scheme at The Dirliebane Cafe, 2 Market Square, Alyth, PH11 8AB, open Sunday 9.00 - 2.00pm. A public toilet is available for a 30p fee at Wellmeadow, Blairgowrie PH10 6AS, open Sunday 10.00 - 6.00pm.

For refreshments, there are good cafes and tea shops in Alyth and Meigle.

The Cateran Trail, a long distance footpath connecting Alyth with Glenisla, Glenshee, Strathardle and Blairgowrie, passes thruogh the competition area, and is well sign-posted. About 1km north of the competition area, along the Trail, is the fascinating habitat of the Bamff Beavers.

Registration & Start Times

This is an Entry on the day event and Registration will be open from about 10.00am.

Start times will be available from 10.30 to 12.30, and courses will close at 2.30pm.

Course Information

The Start and Finish are together, about 15 minutes' walk from the car park. There will be somewhere to leave spare clothes while you run.

  • Blue 6.0km 250 m climb;
  • Green 4.2km 200m climb;
  • Orange 2.9km 120m climb;
  • Yellow 2.2 km 100m climb;

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

Entry on the day.

Entry fees:
Seniors - £5 for individual adult BOF members, £6 for non members;
Juniors/students - £3

Contacts / Officials

Organiser: Dave Prentice (01738 583345)

Planners: John Lewis (07773 693609) and Roos Eisma

Dogs allowed?

At the request of landowners, no dogs please.

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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