Figgate Park

ESOC local event in Edinburgh and the Lothians

Sat 16th Mar 2019

Info updated: 24th Sep
Type of event: Local
Type of terrain: Parkland

Results

Results are here.

ORGANISER'S COMMENTS: It was touch and go whether to cancel this event due to the weather warnings; but I'm glad we didn't!  Once you get out into the sleety rain, three degrees above freezing, it's really not that bad, as evidenced  by the large number of first-timers who tried it and had a great time.  The sheltered park, with an urban option on the Green Course, catered well for everyone. There were wildlife bonuses in sightings of otters and nesting swans.  Local people, and Parkrunners too, came to try out this new activity in the Figgate Park, and  experienced orienteers enjoyed the urban option outside the park.   
Grateful thanks to all club helpers, including the many Juniors,  who battled with frozen fingers to do all the jobs, and to the competitors who made it all worthwhile. 
Janet Clark     
 

General Information

Dress: Check the weather forecast and dress appropriately. Spring in Edinburgh can bring weather of any kind!  The forecast suggests possible sleet and snow but who knows?  Dress for the weather on the day.

Terrain:  City park.  There is a pond so adults should make sure young children are supervised at all times.

Other Users: Figgate Park is very well used by the general public.  Competitors should respect the right of other users at all times when they are out on their course.

Dogs:  Figgate Park is a popular dog-walking area so dogs are allowed but should be kept under close control at all times.

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 leave it at registration/enquires in a sealed envelope that will only be opened if required and destroyed after the event.

Location

Nearest town: City of Edinburgh

• Grid Ref: NT299736
• Postcode: EH15 1NP
• Latitude: 55.94942
• Longitude: -3.12411
• Google Map (aerial) - Bing Map (OS)

Directions

Parking is in the streets around the South side of Figgate Park.  The event will be organised from the West end of Figgate Pond, just look for the ESOC tent.  This is a residential area so please park considerately and be prepared to park further away from the park and walk in.

Registration & Start Times

REGISTRATION: This will be in a tent at the West end of Figgate Pond  from 1.30pm to 2.30pm for newcomers to orienteering and will run from 1.30pm to 3pm for experienced orienteers. 

It is not necessary - or possible – to pre-enter for this event.  Everyone is very welcome, just to turn up.  Whether you are a newcomer or have been to a lot of events, please try to come and start early if you think you might take a long time over your course.

Registration Form - We know how time consuming, and occasionally frustrating, it can be for our competitors to have to complete the Registration Form outside in the cold and wet of a Scottish Saturday afternoon so we have produced an ESOC  ADVANCE REGISTRATION FORM for you to complete and print off and bring with you to the event. This will save a lot of time and the forms easier to read!!  Apologies to those experienced Saturday attendees who feel they don't need the sample at the top of the page but it will be very helpful to our newcomers and properly completed, legible registration forms are a huge help to those manning our computers during and after the event.  

Thank you in advance for helping us by completing the form and bringing it with you.

 If you would like a little more advance information about the registration process at a local event why not read our QUICK GUIDE TO REGISTRATION?

NOTE: Current members of an orienteering club who have their own registered SI can continue to come to Registration and go through the speedy entry system.  If in any doubt whether this applies to you then it is best to complete the attached application form and bring it with you.

DATA PROTECTION:  Completion of the Registration/Entry Form for this event confirms your agreement to have your entry details stored on a computer system and for your name and age class to appear in the results on the ESOC website and the British Orienteering website. More information about ESOC's Data Privacy Policy. 

START AND FINISH: both will be close to Registration.  

COURSE CLOSURE TIME: Please note that courses have a closure time of 4pm after which controls will be brought in.  You should be back at Registration/Download by 4pm.  

Course Information

As usual at ESOC local events there will be White, Yellow and Orange courses and a course, which includes an urban element, for more 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

Entry Fees are shown below.  

Note that a Junior is a competitor who was born in 1999 or later and an Adult (Senior) is a competitor who was born in 1998 or earlier.

SportIdent (SI) electronic timing will be used.   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.

PUBLIC LIABILITY INSURANCE: You are only covered by our public liability insurance if you have joined an orienteering club, or are competing in one of your first 3 events. If you would like to join ESOC you can find out how to do this here.  Event entry fees are lower for members of an orienteering club.

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.