Corstorphine Hill SoSOL, Incorporating East of Scotland Championships

ESOC Event in the South of Scotland Orienteering League (SoSOL) Series

Sun 19th Nov 2023

Info updated: 23rd Nov
Type of event: Regional
Type of terrain: Parkland, Woodland

Results

Results are here

Winsplits are here

Routegadget is here a bit of the urban map for blue and brown is missing, sorry

Results with SoSOL points 
SoSOL league tables 

General Information

Planner's Comments

Thanks so much to everyone who attended this event. I've received lots of great feedback on both the planning and mapping. When Janet offered me the opportunity to plan this race, I initially thought I only needed to make a minor update to the map. However, the reality was that the map required a major update. As a beginner mapper, I faced the challenge of creating an accurate version with all the necessary changes. Thanks to those who pointed out the aspects that needed modification.

Regarding the planning, I never enjoyed running in that corridor leading to the southernmost part of the map, so I had to find an alternative route using the small neighbourhood area near the woods. I reviewed previous events and made an effort to avoid using the typical controls already employed in those races.

A big thank you to Catherine, Jayne, and Janet for all the support. Special thanks to James Murdoch and Alison for trying the courses and sharing their feedback. Lastly, I appreciate Paul and Peter for generously sharing their planning knowledge, making my courses get better.

Vicente López Sánchez

Controller's Comments

What Went Well

Vicente’s courses, pretty much from the get go, and as far as I’m concerned, that’s the most important thing;
The many, many improvements that Vicente made to the map.

Paul Caban (INT)

Organiser's Comments

It was a great pleasure to organise an event that ended with a party, in the form of the ESOC social and prize-giving. All credit to those members of the event team who spent the entire day on the hill and were still standing as the last numbers from the well-known Orienteering Bangers playlist hit the decks. 

My talented team of volunteers had promised to deliver championship racing and quality SoSOL orienteering in the heart of the city, and this they did in spades. It was a beautiful autumn day, which gave all the runners the best possible chance to enjoy Vicente's fresh take on a favourite area. They all agreed that it was muddy, but they all said they had known it would be. A huge number and range of prizes for the ESOA champions were awarded at a ceremony after the event. 

This turned out to be quite a large event, and I really enjoyed being part of that and meeting some new friends as participants debriefed and re-lived their exploits up the hill. I was sorry to hear, though, that a small terrier stole the control-collectors' biscuits. 

Catherine MacColl (ESOC)

Final Details document available here. Please read the safety information and planner's mapping notes.

As well as being part of the SoSOL league, both the 2023 ESOC Club Championships and ESOA (East of Scotland) Championships (open to members of ELO, ESOC, EUOC, INT, KFO, RR, TAY) will be part of this event.  This event item includes all the information competitors will need about the area and getting to the event plus advice on which courses to enter to be part of this double championship event.

Prizegiving for the ESOA Club Championships will take place in the GTC car park (time TBC) and for the ESOC Club Championships at a social later in the day, details of which will be circulated to club members via ESOC Matters.

LOCATION OF THE EVENT: Corstorphine is on the West side of the city of Edinburgh but still offers great orienteering for everyone, whatever their skill or experience level of orienteering.  The event will be based (Registration and Download) in the car park at the GTC, 96 Clermiston Road, Edinburgh EH12 6UT.  Please note that parking is not available here, see below for travel options.

Facilities: There are no facilities ie NO TOILETS - Please 'go before you go' to the event. 'Informal toileting' is discouraged as this is a busy area for the public.  There are numerous options for calling in at a supermarket or shopping centre on your way to the event. 

Terrain:   City parkland with a mixture of open fields and wooded hillside, with plenty of rock and contour detail; some steep slopes and crags.  Note that for the small paths, boulders and crags only the most prominent have been mapped. The terrain can be wet/slippery/muddy depending on the weather in the weeks beforehand.  

Map: Based on 2019 version by  Peel Land Surveys, updated in 2023. The map has been extended to include some local quiet residential streets which only the longer courses will visit. M/W16s may enter the courses that make them eligible for the ESOA Championships ie Blue and Green, and should be aware that some road crossings on the residential roads will be marshalled.

The map will be printed on waterproof paper, the control descriptions will be printed on the map and there will be loose control descriptions at the Start. The map scale will likely be 1:5000 but the scale and size will be confirmed in the final details..

Safety

• Dress: Please check the weather forecast on the day and dress appropriately.  This event is in the city, but it is November and the weather could be very cold, windy and wet.  It can also be very slippery on the area.   We recommend full leg cover for all competitors. We also strongly recommend that competitors on courses other than white and yellow wear studded shoes if they have them, as the steep slopes can be slippery in both wet and dry conditions.
• Other Users:  The area is very well used by the general public, including dog walkers, runners, families out for a walk and even bikers.  Please respect their right to be there at the same time as you are orienteering. 
• Dogs: Dogs are allowed but should be kept under very close control at all times.
• Course Closure Time: Please note that courses have a closure time of 3.00pm after which controls will start to be brought in. All competitors should be back at Download by 3pm. At this time of year this is especially important as we don't want to be bringing controls in during darkness.
• 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).
• An emergency phone number will be printed on the map

 Covid: Please don’t come to the event if you have Covid or symptoms of Covid.

Please also try to:

1. Respect other people's personal space at all times; 

2. Make use of the hand sanitiser wherever it is made available; 

3. Remain as quiet as possible at and around the start area, the start line and the download area;   

Please read and respect the British Orienteering Participant Code of Conduct.

Medical Conditions: You have the option of downloading, completing and handing this Medical Form to the Organiser (via Registration) so that existing medical conditions are known about in the event of an incident. Please put in a sealed envelope with your name on it. It will only be opened if required and will be destroyed unread if you don't collect before the end of the event. 

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 Registration/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, including use of a mobile phone if you do not have one with you.  

The main hospital for A&E services in Edinburgh is:

Royal Infirmary of Edinburgh
51 Little France Crescent
Old Dalkeith Road
Edinburgh
EH16 4SA
Telephone: 0131 536 1000

There is also a Minor Injuries (for children 12 years old and over and adults) at the Western General Hospital Crewe Road South, EH4 2XU

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. 

Location

Nearest town: City of Edinburgh

• Grid Ref: NT204740
• Postcode: EH12 6UT
• Latitude: 55.95251
• Longitude: -3.27672
• Google Map (aerial) - Bing Map (OS)

Directions

The event will be based in the car park at the GTC, 96 Clermiston Road, Edinburgh EH12 6UT.  What3Words  ///riches.fetch.muddy
Please note that parking is not available here for competitors.

There are plenty of options for getting there. Please use public transport or share cars if at all possible.

By Bus: Check Lothian Buses website to plan your journey. Other (out of town) bus services run along St John’s Road, Corstorphine and also Queensferry Road and these could be more convenient. Get off at the stop nearest to Clermiston Road to walk to the event. 

By Bike:  A variety of quiet cycle route maps throughout the city are available on the Edinburgh City Council Quiet Routes web pages. It will be possible  to lock your bike close by Registration while you run.

By Car: Please park in the residential streets in the general area of Corstorphine Hill (near Clermiston Road). Please do be considerate to local residents when parking.  Please also be aware that you are likely to be parking in a very public place so if changing in your car please be sensitive to this.  There is no competitor parking at the GTC (see Registration item below).

Edinburgh based orienteers are welcome to join the newly expanded Edinburgh Orienteers - Car sharing WhatsApp group. Please contact  for the joining link.

Registration & Start Times

REGISTRATION: Registration and Download will both be in the GTC car park and will be open from 10.30am until 12.45pm.  Please therefore follow the instructions above about parking in local streets.

Start and Finish

Starts will run from 11am-1pm  (see Entry section for more details).

The Start will be 5-10 minute taped route from Registration/Download and the Finish will be nearby 

There will be a dedicated bag drop tent at registration.

Course Information

Usual courses for a SoSOL

For the ESOC Club Champs you can enter any course, the results will be put through a sophisticated algorithm to decide the placings per age group.

For the ESOA Championships you are advised to enter the course applicable to your age group if you wish to be eligible for a trophy – see the details here

Note also that the map has been extended to include some local quiet residential streets which only the longer courses will visit. M/W16s may enter the courses that make them eligible for the ESOA Championships ie Blue and Green, and should be aware that some road crossings on the residential roads will be marshalled.

Please note that the course information given below is provisional, subject to final controlling. Note too that whilst the length given is straight line, the climb given is based on optimal route choice. 

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 Racesignup is required for this event.  Entries will open on Saturday 4th November and will close at 8pm on Friday 17th November.  To be guaranteed a map of your chosen course you MUST however pre-enter by 2pm on TUESDAY 14th NOVEMBER.  

Late pre-entries - late entries may be available after 8pm on Friday 17th if there are maps remaining by emailing

Entry on the day (EOD)  - will be accepted at registration (10.30am – 12:45pm) on the day of the event assuming maps are still available. Payment by cash, bank transfer or card.

The RaceSignUp page will display the number of maps available (as an entry limit) on each course from Tuesday 14th at approx 3pm

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

1. Entrants can select a 15 min start block from the range available at the time of making the entry on Race Sign Up

2.  Please arrive at the Start in time to start within your chosen time block.   It is not however necessary for everyone to be there at the beginning of their chosen block.  

3. Juniors may be shadowed, please make this clear in the comments field on the entry form

You can view an entry list for all competitors and their chosen start blocks on RaceSignUp (scroll down to Start List section).

Entry Fees: For this Regional event, unlike our Local events, we are only taking entries from individuals . Individual juniors may be shadowed, please make this clear in the comments
To enter as a Student read the advice on the RaceSignUp page

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.
- Hire of SIAC (touch-free) cards is £2.50 and a charge of £60 will be made if lost.

If you would like to buy your own 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.

Contacts / Officials

Planner: Vicente López Sánchez (ESOC)

Controller: Paul Caban (INT)

Organiser: Catherine MacColl (ESOC)

Early enquiries of any kind:  

Entry enquiries once entries open:  

PUBLIC LIABILITY INSURANCE INFORMATION: Please note that all participants will be covered by Public Liability insurance provided by British Orienteering's insurance policy.

To become a member of an orienteering club, such as ESOC, which includes membership of British Orienteering and/or Scottish Orienteering visit our website www.esoc.org.uk  or ask at Registration. There are many benefits of being a member of an orienteering club and one of these is lower entry fees at most events.

Acknowledgements:  We are grateful to the City of Edinburgh Council for access to Corstorphine Hill and to the General Teaching Council (GTC) for the use of their carpark

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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