Holyrood ParkSat 19 Oct

Parking in the car park off Queens Drive south of Holyrood Palace. at EH8 8DX (what3words ///guilty.fire.booth.

Charges may apply, please check.

Please try and use Public Transport or cycle.

By Bus: Check Lothian Buses website to plan your journey. Nearest bus stops on Holyrood Road or the High Street

By Bike: A variety of quiet cycle route maps throughout the city are available on the Edinburgh City Council Quiet Routes web pages. Cycles may be secured close the Registration while you run.

2023 map by Matthew Gooch using the ISOM 2017-2 mapping standard. Impassable vegetation is mapped by runnability not visibility. In general, impassable crags have tag lines and passable crags do not.

Holyrood Park and Arthur’s Seat contains mixed park and grassland with some complex rock and contour detail in places. The area has some large hills which provide a physical challenge. On Arthur’s Seat itself the vegetation varies from short, tussocky grass to rougher areas of taller grass and gorse. Meadowfield Park will offer fast running in short grass and areas of woodland.
We recommend that orienteering or fell shoes with good grip and full leg cover is worn for all courses. If conditions are very wet or icy then metal dobb spikes may be beneficial.

The maps will be printed on waterproof paper with the control descriptions on the front, no loose descriptions at this event.

• Other Users: This area is very well used by the general public, including dog walkers, cyclists, runners and children's games. Please respect their right to be there at the same time as you are orienteering.
• Dogs: Competitor’s dogs are allowed and should be kept under very close control at all times.
• SAFETY NOTE RE DOGS: Please give any dog walkers you encounter whilst running on your course extra space ie don’t run too close, especially if their dog/dogs are off lead. This applies to all competitors, not just those running with a dog. We always need to respect other people's right to be there.
• Course Closure Time: All courses have a closure time of 4pm after which controls will start to be brought in . All competitors should be back at Download by 4pm.
• You must report to Download even if you do not complete your course, so we know you are back safely, and we don’t have to mount a search for you.
• Please check the weather forecast on the day and dress appropriately. The area can be exposed especially when windy and the grassy slopes slippery of wet, so please wear the most appropriate clothing and footwear for the course you are entering.
• There will be undergrowth (gorse), and although the courses have been planned to avoid the worst if it, full leg cover is recommended. especially for the long courses.

A range of course are available

• White, Yellow and Orange for newcomers, juniors and families.
• Long Orange for improvers and runners
• Green and Blue for more experienced orienteers

The White and Yellow courses will not cross any roads, all other courses will cross Queens Drive which will be closed to vehicles during the event, but competitors should look out for cyclists, pedestrians and runners when crossing the road.

There will be 2 Starts

• The Near Start for White and Yellow courses adjacent to Registration
• The Far Start for all other courses a 5-10 minute uphill walk away.

The Finish for all courses is also close to Registration

The details below are provisional at this stage

Read more about Course lengths and Difficulty here

Pre-Entry and pre payment via RaceSignUp are required for this event. Entries open on Monday 7th October and will close at 6pm on Friday 18th October.

However to be guaranteed a course map on waterproof paper for your chosen course you MUST pre-enter by midnight on Monday 14th October.

We will print some extra waterproof maps for late entries and EOD, but entries made in RaceSignUp (or as EOD) after the cut-off date above may be allocated a non-waterproof version (at the same cost) at the start.

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 on the day (EOD): Entry on the day will be available at Registration as long as maps on waterproof paper are available, thereafter maps on "normal" paper may be available.

Entry Fees: For 2024 we have a new range of Individual entry fees following membership restructuring by British Orienteering and increases in levy charges to support insurance cover for all competitors

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 entrance to the car park.

• Entry on the Day (EOD) if maps are still available. Payment by cash, bank transfer 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

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.

There are toilets about 250m from Registration, in the Holyrood Park Education Centre on the north side of the Parade Ground field, otherwise please use the facilities in supermarkets or shopping centres on your route