Covenanters Wood

ESOC Local Event in Edinburgh and Lothians

Sat 08th Jan 2022

Info updated: 11th Jan
Type of event: Local
Type of terrain: Woodland

Results

January afternoons are usually cold, and this one was not the worst by any means. It was good weather for running, and great to see warm happy people arriving at the Finish! Covenanters Wood is usually muddy, and today it was not at its worst, though slippery enough, specially on the slopes above the river.

Nearly a hundred people made a great start to the New Year by coming to this event. Hopefully they will all come to lots more, starting with our Cammo event next Saturday 15th January,

Coldest of all were the volunteers who made the event possible; special thanks to Mark, Terry, Keith, Sam, Jim and Malcolm.
See you all next week!

Janet Clark Organiser

General Information

This event was rearranged from 11th December when ESOC gave up that date to allow ELO to hold their rearranged 2021 East of Scotland Championships within the correct year.

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. Note that the area can be very muddy and there can be many puddles. Please be prepared for this.

Dress: Please check the weather forecast on the day and dress appropriately. This event is in a wood on the edge of the city but the weather here in January could still be very challenging. If bad weather threatens the event we will post updates on this event item.

Terrain: Mainly a wooded area, steep in parts, with a river running through. There is a good network of paths and a few ditches and streams.

Other Users: Covenanters Wood is well used by the general public, including dog walkers, runners and 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 close control at all times.

Course Maps: These will be printed on waterproof paper and control descriptions will be printed on the map. No loose control descriptions.

Course Closure Time: Please note that courses have a closure time of 3.30pm after which controls will start to be brought in. At this time of year it gets dark very early, especially if the weather is poor, so please choose an early start time if you think you might be out on your course for a long time.

Nearby military operations: Covenanters Wood adjoins Dreghorn Barracks and it is very common to hear loud gunshots and other general military operations in this area of Edinburgh. Dreghorn Barracks is a fully working military operation and there are army and public vehicles entering and leaving at all times. It is very common for military personnel, in uniform, to be seen walking through the wood or in this general area of Edinburgh. Please advise any juniors of this in advance.

Safety: There are steep slopes which can be wet and slippery. There is one fairly big stream/river running through the area and also another smaller stream. Take care and don't allow young juniors to be near these streams unsupervised. Depending on the weather in the period before the event these may not be crossable apart from via the bridges. Please check closer to the event.

MEDICAL CONDITIONS: 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: NT225686
Postcode: EH13 9PH
Latitude: 55.90522
Longitude: -3.23677
Google Map (aerial) - Bing Map (OS)

Directions

The entrance to the wood which will be used for this event is close to the main gate of Dreghorn Barracks, Redford Road, Edinburgh.

If you live in the City it is very easy to get to this event by public transport, walking or biking. Please use public transport, walk or use a bicycle to get to the event if you are able to do so.

By bus: Service 16, Lothian Buses, stops very close to the event. This is a very regular service even at weekends. Check Lothian Buses website for more information. The closest stops are the 2 immediately after the roundabout at Dreghorn Link. The first stop is just before the wood and the second one is just after it.

By bike: A variety of quiet cycle route maps throughout the city are available on the Edinburgh City Council Quiet Routes web pages. There are railings next to the entrance to the wood where bikes can be chained.

By car: If you need to drive to get to the event the postcode given is for nearby houses in Dreghorn Park. This is for general area guidance only e.g. for satnavs, please don't turn into or park within Dreghorn Park. Parking will be on the main road, Redford Road, which is wide near the wood. The part of Redford Road closest to the start and finish is near the flashing 30mph sign. Please take care when entering and exiting your car as the road is busy.

Although there is no parking restriction there, it would be helpful if you could avoid parking directly outside the Barracks.

Registration & Start Times

No Registration or Enquiries on the day.

STARTS: From 1.00pm to 2.30pm with course closure at 3.30pm (It is dark early in January. Controls will start to be brought in at 3.30pm so if you think you'll take a long time to complete your course please enter early so you can choose an early start time.)

The Start and Finish will both be within very easy walking distance from the Redford Road entrance to the wood.

Course Information

White, Yellow and Orange courses for beginners and improvers and a Light Green course for experienced orienteers.

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 and pre-payment was required for this event. Pre-entries closed at 6pm on the Thursday 6th January to allow time for the event computing to be set up. You can still check start times via this link to RaceSignUp (scroll all the way down to the Start List section).

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.

If 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.

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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