Holyrood Park

Local event in the East of Scotland Orienteering Association (ESOA) Autumn series

Sat 04th Oct 2014

Info updated: 05th Oct
Type of event: Local
Type of terrain: Moorland

Results

The results and splits for the event are now available here

Who would have thought, in the pouring rain at 9am, that a lovely sunny afternoon on Holyrood Park awaited us?    The weather forecast did promise an improvement, but it was hard to believe.
I’m afraid that Lukas and his team of helpers from Edinburgh University did get a bit wet putting out controls, but by the afternoon the sun was shining and it was almost warm. There is no better place for orienteering than Holyrood Park on a lovely autumn afternoon.
It was great to see the whole range of participants, from families of young children to elite orienteers, enjoying the challenges set by the Planner – and there was a course for everyone. Only the bravest tackled the 445m of climb on the Green Course, though. It was a fine co-operative effort by ESOC and EUOC to stage this joint event. Ben very impressively conjured up live results on wifi. Thank you very much to everyone who participated.    Results from the ESOC Junior Club Championships, held at this event, will be published later.

Janet Clark        Organiser

General Information

Dress: Check the weather forecast and dress appropriately. October in Edinburgh can bring weather of any kind and Holyrood Park (including Arthur's Seat) can be very exposed if the weather is poor, especially if windy.

Terrain: Mainly open craggy hillside, very steep in places. Good network of paths for the junior courses and plenty of rock features and contour detail to attract more experienced orienteers.

Other Users: Holyrood Park is very well used by the general public including dog walkers, tourists and families out walking. Please respect other users, especially on the narrower paths and steeper slopes. They may not be as sure-footed as orienteers!

Location

Nearest town: City of Edinburgh

Grid Ref: NT281731
Postcode:
Latitude: 55.95325
Longitude: -3.18827
Google Map (aerial) - Bing Map (OS)

Directions

Head for Dunsapie Loch car park. There is no suitable postcode but searching for Holyrood Palace should get you nearby - note however that the car park next to the Palace is not near the event assembly at Dunsapie. Check the grid reference for best information.

Access by bus to nearby is possible. Check Lothian Buses website for more information.

Registration & Start Times

REGISTRATION: in the car park and open from 2pm to 3pm. It is not necessary - or possible – to pre-enter for this event. Everyone is very welcome, just to turn up. Please try to come early if you think you might take a long time over your course.

START AND FINISH will be adjacent to the car park. Start times will be from 2pm to 3pm.

COURSES CLOSE at 4pm and controls will be brought in from that time, so it is essential that you report to the Finish by 4pm, even if you have not completed your course.

Course Information

NOTE SOME EXTRA COURSES AT THIS LOCAL EVENT - This event will offer a wider range of courses than usual, as the ESOC Junior Club Championships are being held here. There will be a White, Yellow, Orange, Light Green and Green course.

Anyone is welcome to enter any of these courses, so there will be something for everyone today, whatever your level of experience.

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 1993 or earlier)
British Orienteering members - £3
Non-members - £5

Juniors (born 1994 or later)
British Orienteering members - £2
Non-members - £2.50

Students
British Orienteering members - £2
Non-members - £2.50

Groups (Adults + children)
British Orienteering members - £4
Non- members - £5

SportIdent (SI) electronic timing will be used. If you have your own SI please bring it with you. We will have SIs for hire free of charge but there is a £30 charge if lost.

Contacts / Officials

Phone Janet on 0131 225 7771 for more details.

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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