Dalkeith Country ParkSat 24 May

The event will be based at Dalkeith Country Park with parking in the Steel Park field close to the park amenities.

Vehicles should enter the park by the Town Gate in Dalkeith town centre off the High Street as requested by the Estate and to avoid driving past the Starts. Once in the park, follow the estate road, respecting the 15 mph speed limit, to the car park. Once parked, make your way up the field towards registration and/or your start. Signs and markers will be there to guide you.

There is a £3 charge for parking – pay online or by card when you arrive at the car park booth.

There are plenty of options for getting there. Please use public transport or share cars if at all possible, there will be a dedicated bag drop tent near registration.

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.

By Bus: Check Lothian Buses website to plan your journey. If you’re travelling from Edinburgh to Dalkeith, take Lothian Bus number 3, or number 46 from Tesco Hardengreen, to Dalkeith High Street. Dalkeith Country Park is then a short five to 10 minutes walk away.

By Bike: Access The Park through the Town Gate, off the A6094 or Smeaton Gate, which is closest to the National Cycle Route no.196. The entrance to the Park postcode is EH22 1AD.

By Train: There are regular trains from the Borders and Edinburgh City Centre to Eskbank Station, a 25 minute walk from The Park.

Dalkeith Park is managed parkland, but with some wilder wooded parts. There is an extensive path and track network with some contour detail and a number of open fields surrounded by fences. There are steep slopes in places (mostly embankments) but the courses have minimal climb, , There is quite a lot of undergrowth vegetation in parts of the woods

Map: The park was originally mapped by Peel Land Surveys in 2007 and updated in 2014 by Stirling Surveys. Some recent corrections have been made owing to changes to paths and fences.

The map will be printed on waterproof paper, the control descriptions will be printed on the map (no loose control descriptions). The map scale will probably be 1:7500 and will be A4.

General safety notes, please read the specific course/area notes below

• Traffic. Competitors will have to walk through a carpark to reach registration/download and will cross Estate roads during the event. Please be vigilant for traffic.
• Other Users: The Estate is very well used by the general public, including dog walkers, runners, families out for a walk, bikers etc. Please respect their right to be there at the same time as you are orienteering.
• Please slow down to a walk and give plenty of room if passing off-lead dogs and stand still if an off-lead dog is agitated.
• Well behaved dogs welcome within the rules of the park
• .Take care when running along or crossing the estate roads, although quiet there may be traffic.
• All courses are in the confines of the park. There is no requirement to leave the park as part of the event.
• 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). Please return to Download by 4pm.I
• It may be muddy so we strongly recommend that competitors on all courses wear studded or grippy shoes if they have them, as the steep slopes can be slippery in both wet and dry conditions.
• Whistles are strongly advised, and we require full leg cover for all competitors, as per standard rules.
• Brambles, thickets etc may be present. Ticks may also be present in the park especially due to the presence of deer and livestock in the area. If you find a tick on you remove it as soon as possible and seek medical advice if necessary. A tick remover will be available at registration.
• Poor weather. In the case of rain please ensure you wear an appropriate clothing..

As usual at ESOC events there will be courses to suit all abilities

• White, Yellow and Orange
• Long Orange for improvers and runners
• Blue and Green courses for more experienced orienteers

Safety Information

1. There are some large rivers in the area, ALL COURSES are planned to cross these on bridges. Please DO NOT CROSS THE RIVERS other than on a bridge.

2. There is a public road running through the area. There is a 15mph limit, and it will be clearly signed that runners will be crossing. Please take care when crossing the road, and LOOK BOTH WAYS. Also please be careful whilst driving into the parking, as you may use this road. For Junior courses, there will be Marshalls helping with the road crossings, but still make sure to take care.

3. There are some large crags in the area, be careful.

4. There are multiple Out-Of-Bounds areas on the map, these have WILL NOT BE TAPED, however please do not enter them. 2 of the OOB are due to livestock, one is due to sensitive vegetation, and the largest is due to a SSSI. Please, keep out of these areas. These are all clearly marked on your maps with purple hashing.

Course lengths

Read more about Course lengths and Difficulty here

Pre-entry using RaceSignUp will be required for this event. Entries will open at 10:00 on Monday 12th May and will close at 18:00 on Friday 23rd May

However to be guaranteed a course map on waterproof paper for your chosen course you MUST pre-enter by 8pm on Monday 19th May ie before the maps are ordered.

On the RaceSignUp page (first time users will need to create an account) you can view an entry list for all competitors and their chosen start blocks (scroll down to the Start List section). Please note that you can arrive at the start any time within your block.

Entry Fees:

As well as individuals the entry system also allows pairs, groups or families who wish to go round a course together (sharing one map and dibber) to enter using a sliding scale of fees. Full details of how to enter pairs and groups (or as a Student) are on the RaceSignUp entry page. NB The RaceSignUp entry process for these categories has also changed for 2024

SportIdent (SI) electronic timing will be used.

We have SI dibbers for hire free of charge via the pre-entry system but there is a £30 charge 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: Will be open from 12:45am -2.15pm in a tent close to the advertised parking

• Entry on the Day (EOD) if maps are still available. Payment by cash or by card/contactless. Please try to have the correct money if at all possible.
• Collection of hired dibbers, White and Yellow maps:
• Advice and help for beginners.

The Start is a 5-10 minute walk from Registration and will be signed and taped

Start Times: From 1.00pm to 2.30pm with course closure at 4pm. You should be back at Download by 4pm as controls will start to be brought in by 4pm 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.

Download will be adjacent to Registration

There are toilets in Restoration Yard (a 10 minute walk away) in addition to other facilities eg The Kitchen Café at Restoration Yard which may busy but booking is available. Tel 0131 322 2572 email email hidden; JavaScript is required

Check out all the other facilities at Dalkeith Country Park