Corstorphine HillSun 19 Nov
SoSOL, Incorporating East of Scotland Championship
Regional level event
Explanation of event levels
Local events are usually low key and in the 'localised' area, ideal for newcomers to try the sport and Training events are non competitive and used for training and coaching, aimed at members of the club, but they can attract people from neighbouring clubs, and are often ideal for newcomers to try the sport. Regional events attract participants from around the local Region, National events are high quality competitions that will attract people from far away, Major events are Major Events such as a British Championships. Virtual events are where there are no physical controls being used. Your presence at a control is registered using an App on your mobile phone, normally the free MapRun App.
Terrain type: Parkland & Woodland
Results
Officials' Reports
East of Scotland (ESOA) Championships individual trophy winners
Apologies for the delay but the list is now here
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.
Aploogies, on Routegadget a bit of the urban map for blue and brown is missing, sorry.
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)
Overview
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.
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.
South of Scotland Orienteering League
Events in the SoSOL are designed for competitors of all ages and abilities and there will normally be eight courses: white, yellow, orange, light green, short green, green, blue and brown, ranging from short and easy to fairly long and easy, from short and hard to long and hard. There may also be a long, easy course; contact the club for details.
Pre-event Information
Location Info
/-3.27667,55.95254,11/500x400?access_token=pk.eyJ1IjoicGF1bGZyb3N0IiwiYSI6ImNscGg3eGRlMjA0cm8yaW52aGhtY2lxZjQifQ.Lc483ZPI9QPGNrBpcqqywQ)
Near: City of Edinburgh Lat,Lng: 55.95254,-3.27667 OS Grid Ref: NT204740 Postcode: EH12 6UT What3Words: ///riches.fetch.muddy
Open an interactive map in: GoogleMap - OpenStreetMap - AppleMaps - BingMap
Directions / Parking
The event will be based in the car park at the GTC, 96 Clermiston Road, Edinburgh EH12 6UT.
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 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 email hidden; JavaScript is required for the joining link.
Public Transport Options
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.
Map / Terrain
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.
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.
| Course | Length (km) | Climb (m) |
| Brown | 7.9 | 400 |
| Blue | 6.6 | 320 |
| Green | 4.7 | 250 |
| Short Green | 2.5 | 115 |
| Light Green | 3.6 | 175 |
| Orange | 2.6 | 130 |
| Yellow | 2.0 | 80 |
| White | 1.4 | 55 |
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 email hidden; JavaScript is required
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
| Brown, Blue, Green, Short Green & Light Green Courses | |
| Seniors (born 2001 or earlier) BOF/SOA member | £10 |
| Seniors (born 2001 or earlier) non BOF/SOA member | £12 |
| Juniors (born 2002 or later) BOF/SOA member | £5 |
| Juniors (born 2002 or later) non BOF/SOA member | £7 |
| Students BOF/SOA member | £5 |
| Students non BOF/SOA member | £7 |
| Orange, Yellow & White Courses (ONLY) | |
| BOF/SOA member | £5 |
| Non BOF/SOA member | £7 |
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.
Registration and 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.
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.
Contacts / Officials
Planner: Vicente López Sánchez (ESOC)
Controller: Paul Caban (INT)
Organiser: Catherine MacColl (ESOC)
Early enquiries of any kind: email hidden; JavaScript is required
Entry enquiries once entries open: email hidden; JavaScript is required
Nearest A&E Hospital
Royal Infirmary of Edinburgh, 51 Little France Crescent, Old Dalkeith Road, EH16 4SA, Tel:0131 536 1000 NHS Urgent care searchMiscellaneous
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