Bonaly Park

ESOC local event in Edinburgh and the Lothians

Sat 13th Jun 2015

Info updated: 18th Feb
Type of event: Local
Type of terrain: Moorland, Woodland

Results

The results are available here. 

The splits are available using winsplits here.

What happened to the lovely sun we've enjoyed over the last few days?  Bonaly would have been lovely on a warm day, but it was pretty good today under the grey skies we are more accustomed to (and uphill running would have been awfully hot in the sun).

The recent dry weather has made some of the steep slopes very slippery; and uphill sections are unavoidable here, so any Colour-coded course at Bonaly seems harder than at, say, the Mary Erskine, although both comply with the same set of guidelines.  Well done everyone who tackled a course here and overcame the difficulties.  It was great to see several of the newer members of ESOC here, and a good number from Bonaly Primary School just down the road.

Grateful thanks as always to the large team of ESOC members who undertook the necessary jobs to run the event and mostly ended up frozen stiff, and a special mention to the lightning-swift team of Control-Collectors who brought everything in within half an hour so that the controls could be whisked up the road for their next assignment on Kinnoull Hill tomorrow.   

A pair of child-sized black trainers was found in the upper car park.  I put these beside the fence at the back of where the club tent was.  They might not have belonged to orienteers at all, but if they are yours, you'll find them there.

Janet Clark,  Organiser         0131 225 7771       

General Information

Dress: Please check the weather forecast and dress appropriately.  Even though this area is on the edge of the city of Edinburgh, parts of it are exposed and the weather can be unpredictable, especially at higher levels - even in Summer. Bring sun cream if it's hot!

Terrain:  Mostly open hillside, steep in places, with rock and contour detail, a network of paths and some wooded areas.  

Other Users: Bonaly Park is well used by the general public including other runners, mountain bikers, horse riders and dog walkers.  Please respect their right to be there at the same time as you are orienteering.

Dogs: Dogs are welcome in the car park but we do not have permission for dogs to be taken on the courses. This is despite the fact that Bonaly Park is popular with the dog walking public. 

Course Closure Time: Please note that all courses at all orienteering events have a course closure time.  This time for small events is usually around 1 hour after the last start time and signifies the end of the event for all competitors.  Organisers start to bring in controls at the course closure time.  Competitors are responsible making sure they are back by the course closure time.  See below for information about course closure time at this event.

Location

Nearest town: Edinburgh

• Grid Ref: NT212676
• Postcode: EH13 0PB
• Latitude: 55.89689
• Longitude: -3.26027
• Google Map (aerial) - Bing Map (OS)

Directions

The Event will be signed from Bonaly Road in Colinton. Parking will be on Torduff Road, which is on the right immediately after crossing the bridge over the Edinburgh city by-pass.  From here it is a five-minute walk to the Upper car park, where the event is centred; first along a narrow road where there may be some traffic, then along a path beside the road.  

It is possible to get close to this area by bus.  Check Lothian Buses website for details of local buses.  Service 10 is closest to the orienteering area and you should check for a bus going to 'Bonaly' to get closest.  No 10s going to 'Torphin' mean a longer walk up Bonaly Road.

Registration & Start Times

REGISTRATION: This will be from 1.30pm to 3pm very close to Bonaly Upper Car Park, a few minutes walk from the Event car parking.  It is not necessary - or possible – to pre-enter for this event.  Everyone is very welcome, just to turn up.
Please try to come and start early if you think you might take a long time over your course.

START AND FINISH will be very close to Registration . Start times will be from 1.30pm to 3pm.

COURSE CLOSURE TIME: This will be 4pm.  Controls will start to be brought in from this time. 

Course Information

There will be White, Yellow and Orange courses and and a "Bonaly Surprise" Green Course for experienced orienteers.  This area is suitable for orienteers at all skill levels and courses provided will reflect this.  

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

Seniors (born 1994 or earlier)
British Orienteering members - £3
Non-members - £5

Juniors (born 1995 or later)
British Orienteering members - £2
Non-members - £2.50

Students
British Orienteering members - £2
Non-members - £2.50

Groups (Adults + children)
British Orienteering members - £4
Non- members - £5

SportIdent (SI) electronic timing will be used.  If you have your own SI please bring it with you. We'll have SIs for hire free of charge but there is a £30 charge if lost.

Contacts / Officials

Phone Janet on 0131 225 7771

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.

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