Cammo Estate

ESOC Local Event in Edinburgh and Lothians

Sat 15th Jan 2022

Info updated: 18th Jan
Type of event: Local
Type of terrain: Parkland, Woodland

Results

The results are available here  (apologies to several who were missed off the provisional results). Click on the 'Display splits' button to compare your performance with others.

ORGANISER'S COMMENTS: I volunteered to organise the annual Cammo Local event as it is only a 5-minutes’ walk from where we live and a regular dog walking area.  I always knew that pre-Covid this was a popular event for everyone but it was especially pleasing that post-Covid it was equally popular. We had 150 pre-entries (with ~180 individuals) and so many newcomers we needed the whole ESOC stock of hired dibbers as well as an emergency print run of maps.  David’s contact with local schools led to a very healthy proportion of families, for a lot of whom this was their first ever event. Fortunately we could summon enough ESOC helpers to give them some instruction. Thanks to them and all the other helpers who make the job of organising on the day so enjoyable.

The courses planned by Oli Warlow (approved by controller Peter Halling) were much appreciated by all levels of experience, the weather played its part and everyone seemed to have a good time. Some unexpected recent work at Cammo including a forest of canes marking some new, soon to be planted, hedge lines and wreaths of donated Christmas trees around the isolated trees, in the 3 main Cammo fields, just added to the atmosphere. A major map update will be required before the next event to include a formal wetland area (complete with boardwalks) to be installed in the South Field this Spring and some new features the Friends of Cammo have been adding as wildlife habitats eg a big pile of stones.  All the good work at the estate by the Friends of Cammo (who were very helpful in the run up to the event) including archaeological surveys can be seen on their Facebook page.

Jayne MacGregor

General Information

Due to high entry numbers we've had to prepare a specific START LIST (rather than using the start blocks chosen). There are also some very important FINAL DETAILS which everyone should read in addition to reading the information about the event below.

COVID 19: You should not attend the event if you are showing any symptoms of Covid 19 even though you have pre-entered. You should also not attend if you have specifically been asked to quarantine or self-isolate.  The event will be managed to take account of all Scottish Government Guidelines.  Additionally, the event will be run in accordance with Scottish Orienteering Association (SOA) Guidelines.  Please: 
- do not arrive too early for your start block
- keep a 1m distance to others outwith your household
- use the hand sanitiser provided at the Start and Download.
These precautions are specifically required during your ‘race’ ie from the time you leave you car to go to the start to after you download (ie while you are in the “field of play”). Apart from this you should follow all Scottish Government Guidelines for the general public.

BRITISH ORIENTEERING PARTICIPANT CODE OF CONDUCT: All competitors are asked to read and abide by the British Orienteering Participant Code of Conduct in relation to Covid. Anyone making an entry on behalf of someone else should advise them of this.

Dress: Please check the weather forecast and dress appropriately.  Even though this area is on the edge of the city of Edinburgh, it is can still be cold, even on a fine January afternoon. It is essential therefore to make sure you are dressed appropriately. If the weather forecast is looking particularly poor or challenging we'll post updates on this website to confirm (or otherwise) the event is going ahead.

Terrain:  Parkland with some wooded areas and a good network of paths.

Other Users: Cammo Estate is very well used by the general public including other runners and dog walkers.  Please respect their right to be there at the same time as you are orienteering.

Dogs: Dogs are allowed and should be kept under very close control at all times. 

Course Closure Time:  Please note that all competitors should be back at download by 3.30pm at the latest. Controls will be brought in at 3.30pm as it will very soon be dusk with sunset at around 4.00pm. If you think you may take a long time to go around your course please select an early time slot.

FIRST AID: We encourage you to bring your own first aid kit and administer as necessary.  A basic first aid kit will be available at Download. Please ask there for anything you may need. 
For further specific advice please call 111 or for a life threatening emergency dial 999.  The Organiser will be happy to advise and support you as required and will have a list of the closest hospitals and how to reach them. The Organiser can be contacted via Download.   Depending on where you live you may prefer to attend A & E or the minor injury unit local to your home. Note that current advice is to ring 111 before attending A&E if the situation is not life threatening. 

Extra Safety:  There is a long linear water feature at Cammo which is easily recognisable on the map, please make sure juniors know to avoid this by staying on the paths when passing close by (especially if it is icy as the surface may be frozen), especially those on the Yellow course.

CHRISTMAS TREE RECYCLING: The Friends of Cammo group are again asking for donations of “real” Christmas trees which are used within the Estate to provide habitats for wildlife and in 2020 over 500 trees were donated.

If you are intending to come to Cammo by car and would like to donate your tree, you can drop it off at either of the 2 estate car parks or by the Lodge. If you want to drop off by the Lodge can we ask that you opt for an early start so you are not dropping it off at the busiest time when other competitors are leaving. When dropping off a tree, do not stop across the entrance road to the Lodge thus blocking the access, instead park up and transport the tree to the Lodge on foot or bring it on another (quieter) day as donations will be accepted well into January. 

For more details of Cammo Christmas tree recycling see the Friends of Cammo Facebook pages.

MEDICAL CONDITIONS (not Covid): You have the option of downloading and completing this Medical Form. It could be life saving if the organisers are aware of any existing medical conditions in the event of an incident. You can put it in a sealed envelope and hand it to the Organiser on the day.  It will only be opened if required and destroyed or handed back to you after the event. 

Location

Nearest town: City of Edinburgh

• Grid Ref: NT177748
• Postcode: EH4 8EE
• Latitude: 55.96017
• Longitude: -3.31972
• Google Map (aerial) - Bing Map (OS)

Directions

The event is based close to the Ranger Centre/Visitor Centre (What3words:  ///hints.camp.trying) at the junction of  Cammo Road and Cammo Walk and can easily be reached …

By car -  Please park in Cammo Road or other surrounding streets eg Strathalmond Road or the start of Cammo Walk (currently a no through road) and enter the Estate through the Lodge Gates on foot. Please park carefully and give due consideration to residents and note the new double yellow lines on Cammo Walk and at the bottom of Cammo Road near the Lodge. There are 2 small dedicated estate car parks to the South and North of the area but these are likely to be very busy.
By bus – Lothian buses, Lothian Country buses and Stagecoach Express buses (heading for Fife) all have stops within  500-700m. Check the Lothian Buses  (Lothian Country Buses is part of same company) and Stagecoach websites for timetables and route maps. (NB Please get off the Stagecoach Express bus at the Barnton Junction, the next stop is the Forth Road Bridge)
By bike – It is less than 1km from Cammo to join one of the Edinburgh City cycleways, please see this map on the Edinburgh Council Quiet Routes website.
By rail or tram – It is an approximate 30-minute walk (along Maybury Road/Cammo Walk)  to/from the Edinburgh Gateway station which is served by both Scotrail trains and the Edinburgh Tram. 

Graphic of Cammo Transport Options 

Note that access to Cammo via the Lodge includes walking around the Estate gates via one of two narrow entrances either side of the gates. There will be a one-way system in place to try and reduce congestion especially as the park may be busy with members of the public as well as orienteers. 

Registration & Start Times

There will be no registration or enquiries at this event.  The Start and Finish will both be less than 50m from the Lodge gates. PLEASE do not arrive more than 10 minutes before your Start time.

START TIMES: from 1pm to 2.30pm with courses closing at 3.30pm (you need to be back at Download at this time). At 3.30pm we'll start to bring in controls as it gets dark very early at this time of year. Remember to enter early and get an early start time if you think you'll take a long time to complete your course.

HIRED DIBBER COLLECTION and WHITE AND YELLOW COURSE MAP COLLECTION - Hired dibbers and White or Yellow maps (ONE map per entry only) should be collected, before heading to the Start, from a table adjacent to the Download tent next to the Lodge.

Note that Orange and Green course maps are collected after you have punched the 'Start' unit with your SI dibber and your electronic timing has started.

FINISH and DOWNLOAD: After the Finish there will be a taped lane to access Download to avoid unnecessary crowding and mingling and once you have downloaded please proceed immediately to exit through the Lodge gates using the one-way system.

RESULTS: There will be no splits issued or results on the day and we hope to have live online results. A link to access live results will be posted prominently on this website closer to the event (possibly as late as the day before so keep checking).

Course Information

As for most ESOC local events there will be White, Yellow and Orange courses suitable for beginners and improvers and a Green course suitable for experienced orienteers only (or those who are already experienced at least at Light Green skill level and are ready to move up to Green).  

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 closed earlier than 6pm on Thursday 13th January as the entry limit was reached. You can still check RACE SIGN UP for a list of current entrants on each course and their chosen start block (scroll all the way down to the Start List section but note that the Start List section is only there after the first entry has been made). 

ENTRY FEES:

Senior (born 2001 or earlier) BOF/SOA member  - £4 

Junior (born 2002 or later) or Student BOF/SOA members - £2

If not a current BOF or SOA member add £2 to the fees.

SportIdent (SI) electronic timing will be used.   You can hire a dibber free of charge via the entry system from ESOC but there is a £30 charge if you lose it.

SportIdent (SI) electronic timing will be used.   You can borrow an ESOC dibber free of charge (£30 charge if lost) via the pre-entry system.  If however you would like to buy your own dibber (SI-Card) then a variety are available directly from SportIdent UK.   The choice may be confusing and it may help you to know that the SI-Cards which ESOC hires out are very similar to the most basic model shown on the linked page - the SI-Card 8.

Hired Dibbers should be collected on the day as outlined in Registration/Start section above.

Contacts / Officials

Contact:  

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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