Hillend Park
ESOC local event in Edinburgh and the Lothians
Wed 10th May 2017
Info updated: 18th Feb
Type of event: Local
Type of terrain: Moorland
Results
Organiser's Comments
Never before has a Hillend event been enjoyed with such enthusiasm by so many people! Take a sunny May evening with everlasting daylight, add a group of Beavers with unlimited energy and a group of Guides with equal energy (if not the same inclination to climb every available tree around the car park) to the regular orienteers who aren't scared of steep hills and the first-timers coming to see what it's all about, and you end up with the most tremendous buzz in the "Upper ski slope car park" where this all took place.
Phew..... we are all exhausted - but very happy to see so many happy orienteers. Please come to another event soon! You can see how compulsive it is!
Janet Clark
Some of the names are missing from the results, sorry but the entry procedure went awry.
General Information
Dress: Please check the weather forecast and dress appropriately. The competition area at Hillend is open hillside which is very exposed. It can be windy even on the sunniest of spring evenings and the weather higher up the hill can be substantially different to the weather in the car parks. Please come prepared for any conditions.
Terrain: Open hillside, very steep in places, with plenty of contour detail and a fairly complex path network. Writing on Friday 5th May, the underfoot conditions are very dry and it is easier than usual to slip on steeper paths and slopes where grass is thin.
Other Users: Hillend is part of the Pentland Hills and is used fairly extensively by the general public. In particular you may encounter hill runners, walkers, dog walkers and possibly even mountain bikers. Please respect their right to be there at the same time as you are orienteering. The better the weather on the evening of the event, the more people could be out on the hills at the same time as this event.
Dogs: Dogs allowed but should be kept under close control at all times.
Course Closure Time: Please note that courses have a closure time of 8pm after which controls will start to be brought in.
Location
Nearest town: Edinburgh
- Grid Ref: NT243667
- Postcode: EH10 7DU
- Latitude: 55.89242
- Longitude: -3.20187
- Google Map (aerial) - Bing Map (OS)
Directions
Head for Midlothian Ski Centre at Hillend and park in the Ski Centre car park. This area is near The Steading Inn on the A702, just south of the Edinburgh city bypass (A720) at the Lothianburn junction. Note that Hillend Park is very close to the terminus of Lothian Buses service 4 and it is a shortish uphill walk up the road to the car park where the event will be centred.
Registration & Start Times
REGISTRATION: This will be in the small car park to left on entering the car park one-way system.
Registration will be from 6pm to 7pm.
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. This is especially important for this evening event.
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 possibly 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-Card can continue to come to Registration and go through the speedy entry system. If in any doubt whether this applies to you then you could read the quick guide as above for more information about the registration process.
START AND FINISH: These will both be close to Registration. Start times will be from 6pm to 7pm.
COURSE CLOSURE TIME: 8pm. Controls will start to be brought in from this time. Please make sure you arrive in plenty of time to register, get to the start and complete your course before controls begin to be brought in.
Course Information
As usual for ESOC local events there will be White, Yellow and Orange courses for beginners and improves plus a 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
Seniors (born 1996 or earlier)
British Orienteering members - £4
Non-members - £6
Juniors (born 1997 or later)
British Orienteering members - £2
Non-members - £3
Students
British Orienteering members - £2
Non-members - £3
Family Groups (Adults + children)
British Orienteering members - £4
Non- members - £6
Note: A family group for the above entry fee purposes comprises up to a maximum of 2 adults and up to 3 children.
Extra adults are £1 each and extra juniors are 50 pence each.
SportIdent (SI) electronic timing will be used. If you have your own SI (dibber) please bring it with you. We'll have SIs for hire free of charge 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.
Contacts / Officials
Phone Janet on 0131 225 7771
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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