Astley AinslieWed 16 Apr

The meeting point for this event will be just inside the North gate of the Astley Ainslie at the junction of Newbattle Terrace, Whitehouse Loan and Whitehouse Terrace. There is a pedestrian gate to the east side of the main gate.

There is permit parking in the surrounding neighbourhood which should be free after 5.30pm. Please park considerately in this residential neighbourhood.

Please try to walk, bike or use public transport if at all possible.

Public transport: Please try to use public transport to come to this event if you possibly can. Check Lothian Buses to plan how to get there. Lots of buses to Morningside, or the 24/41 to grange loan, the 5 to Strathern Road or the 38 to Cluny Gardens.

Bike: It should also be easy to come to the event by bike especially if you live in the city or close to the city. A variety of quiet cycle route maps throughout the city are available on the Edinburgh City Council Quiet Routes web pages. It should be possible to find a place to lock your bike while you run.

Terrain is mainly parkland surrounding the Astley Ainsley Hospital buildings, woodland and surrounding streets.

Rubber studded shoes, especially if it is/has been wet, and gaiters are recommended but not essential.

Gardening work is currently being done to establish wild, flower meadows on some of the lawns in the hospital grounds. These areas are out-of-bounds (OOB) so as not to disturb the works or damage the ground or any seeds that have been sown. They are visually obvious on the ground (bare soil) and will be marked on the map in red as OOB. Courses have been planned to avoid these areas as much as possible.

The maps will be printed at 1:3000 for the Short Course, and 1:4000, for the Long Course, with 5m contours (non-waterproof paper).

Map size is A4 and both courses include a map flip; i.e. the map is double-sided with part 1 on one side and part 2 on the other.

Please refresh your understanding of the Sprint mapping symbol set - Sprint (ISSprOM 20-19-2) - here and in particular the symbols indicating out of bounds areas (olive green), impassable features which must not be crossed and artificial barriers.

Those new to Urban orienteering can see examples of sprint maps (showing artificial barriers as thick purple lines) on EUOCs Routegadget site here (eg 2024-01-28 BW 24 - Sunday Sprint/Urban)

• There will be other people in the area and there are some narrow paths so please be careful watching out for people running in the opposite direction to you.
• Please avoid running close to local residents homes.
• You must report to Download even if you do not complete your course, so we know you are back safely, and we don’t have to mount a search for you.
• The area may be busy with the general public, including dog walkers, runners and bikers. Please respect their right to be there at the same time as you are orienteering.
• Please give any dog walkers you encounter extra space ie don’t run too close, especially if their dog/dogs are off lead

There are 2 courses,

The long course is 4.8km straight line distance (7.7km optimal route), and the short course 3.4km straight line distance (5.6km optimal route).

Both courses include a map flip; i.e. the map is double-sided with part 1 on one side and part 2 on the other.

As the courses are mainly in the hospital grounds it will be possible to cut short your run near the Finish if it proves to be 'too much on the night'.

As roads in the hospital grounds carry traffic, all Under 16s must be accompanied by an adult.

SI will be used to record the Start and Finish and it is taken on trust that you have visited all the controls, marked at this event by red/white tape and flour (outwith the hospital grounds).

Read more about Course lengths and Difficulty here

Pre-Entry strongly advised: Entries will be open on RaceSignUp at 10am on Wednesday 9th April and close at 8pm on Tuesday 15th April

If you miss this deadline send an email to email hidden; JavaScript is required to ask about a late entry. Entry on the evening of the event may still be possible but this is subject to spare maps being available, Payment by cash preferred, please bring the exact change if possible.

Remember all under 16s must be accompanied by an adult. Either enter separately but run together or order an extra shadowers map for £1 if only the Junior is entered.

Fees: Senior £4, Junior (under 21)/Student £2. Shadowers map £1

Si dibbers are free to hire (via the entry form) but there is £30 charge if lost

Registration will be open shortly before the first start time at 6.30pm. Pre-entered competitors with their own dibbers can head straight to the start which will be close by.

START PERIOD: 6.30pm - 7.30pm.

COURSE CLOSURE: Sunset is at 20.21 on this day and it swiftly gets dark after that, so this is an additional reason to come early to this first Sprintelope.

FINISH AND DOWNLOAD will be close to Registration. It is essential to report to DOWNLOAD as a safety check that all competitors have returned.

• There are no toilets available but there are numerous options for calling in at a supermarket or shopping centre on your way to the event.
• A first aid kit will be available at Registration