ESOC Sprintelope, South Gyle

Informal Evening Event in the Sprintelope Series

Wed 03rd Aug 2022

Info updated: 03rd Aug
Type of event: Local
Type of terrain: Urban

Results

Results are here

General Information

LOCATION: The start and finish will be very close to Gyle shopping centre with M&S being nearest store to meeting point. 

Terrain: City streets and grassy areas.  Map includes Edinburgh Park which has not yet been used for orienteering.

Course Maps: Map scale likely to be1:4000 but this will be confirmed later. The course maps will NOT be on waterproof paper. Please bring a poly pocket or plastic map bag to use if it is raining or if your hands are likely to be sweaty enough to rub off the print.  

Timing: SI timing will be used BUT because the events are informal, there are only SI units for the start and finish – the rest of the controls are usually tapes (maybe tied to lamp posts or other street furniture), flour on the ground or perhaps white tubes.  There are not usually any control kites and there is rarely any electronic punching at the actual controls however sometimes planners sneak in a couple of punches.  If this happens you will be alerted in advance to look out for punches. It is just possible that these punches would have a kite. Again, check on the evening of the event.

It’s taken on trust that you visit all the controls.

Facilities: None. Usual advice is to 'go before you go' to the event. Please remember though that you'll be in an urban area potentially with members of the public around most of the time. Gyle shopping centre is very close by and there are toilets there - both in the centre and in both Morrisons and Marks and Spencer.  

Dogs: Dogs are allowed at the event so long as they are kept under very close control at all times.

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. Give way to other participants and members of the public especially on narrow paths and slow down on blind corners.

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

First Aid: The Organiser will have a very basic first aid kit available, please ask for what you need.  

If you possibly can we encourage you to bring your own first aid kit and administer as necessary.  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

Location

Nearest town: City of Edinburgh

• Grid Ref: NT185724
• Postcode: EH12 9JF
• Latitude: 55.937806
• Longitude: -3.306750
• Google Map (aerial) - Bing Map (OS)

Directions

The event is centred on a small grassy area very close to the north east corner of Gyle shopping centre about 3 minutes walk from M&S. Use the footpath (not the cycle way) which will be taped.

What3Words:  digit.bring.cliff

There are many options for getting there.

By Bus: Gyle shopping centre and the surrounding area is well served by buses. Lothian Buses services 2, 12, 21, 22, 36, 300 and 400 will all get you to very close to the event.  First Bus: services 20, 63, 68 should all get you there. 

By Tram: Edinburgh’s tram service connects the city centre with the airport via Gyle Shopping Centre. Gyle tram stop is very close to the western side of Gyle shopping centre, about 10 minutes walk. Trams pass Gyle approximately every 8 mins and run from 5am until midnight.

By Train: South Gyle Station (about 5 minutes walk) is close by. Check Scotrail website.  Edinburgh Gateway is a little further away but may suit, especially if you are coming from out of town e.g. Fife, Perth and all points north. 

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

By Car: You should be able to park in the Gyle shopping centre car park.  Please check for time restrictions before leaving your car.  Alternatively you could park in the streets nearby but please DO NOT park in the streets immediately adjacent to the Start/Finish area as it's very tight and we must be considerate to local residents.  
These are all very public places so if changing please be sensitive to this. 

Registration & Start Times

Registration and Starts will be from 18:30-19:30.  Please choose a 30 minute time slot when you are entering to give us an idea when you might arrive however on the evening you may find that you can start when you are ready.  

Course Information

Long course of around 5km;

Short course of around 3.5km 

The above are straight line distances so expect to run a good bit further than that.  Sometimes the short course is simply a shorter version of the long course using the same map. Please check this on the evening when you arrive.

The courses are mainly on city streets which means that ALL under 16s MUST be accompanied by an adult throughout their course.

COURSE SAFETY: The roads around the area will be very busy with shoppers and with people returning home from work.  Please take care at all times.

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 very strongly advised to guarantee a map: Please pre-enter using this google document.  Pre-entries will close at 6pm on Tuesday 2nd August.  After that you are welcome to EMAIL to check if there is still a map of your chosen course available.  Entry on the evening of the event may still be possible, subject to spare maps being available, but to be guaranteed a map please pre-enter.

Fees: Senior £3, Student £2, Junior (under 21) £1, Shadowers map £1 -  to be paid in cash on the night. Please bring the correct money (or correct money for your group/family) ready to hand over in exchange for your course map.

Remember that because of the road crossings ALL under 16s must be accompanied at all times by an adult when running.  An adult shadower may request as additional map (£1) or may register separately if they want a map and a separate result. It is ok to run together and both get results.  These events are very informal.

Contacts / Officials

EMAIL 

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.

Privacy: when entering our events your name may appear in the results section of this website or in newspaper reports.
Read our privacy policy to see how we look after your personal data.