MTBO Double Sprint, Craigmillar, Edinburgh

Sun 27th Mar 2022

Info updated: 31st Mar
Type of event: MTBO
Type of terrain: Parkland, Woodland

Results

Results

General Information

This event was originally scheduled to be at a different area of Edinburgh but due to difficulties with permission from the Ministry of Defence the location had to be changed.

TERRAIN: Craigmillar Castle Park, and adjoining Little France Park, is primarily parkland and woodland, with a complex network of bike-friendly roads, paths and tracks that cover a fairly significant area.  It offers great views and Craigmillar Castle, a ruined medieval castle, is on the mapped area.  Some paths are relatively steep. Please note that parts of the tracks can be muddy and slippery if the weather has been wet. The forecast is currently good but be prepared anyway for muddy conditions. 

TERRAIN SPECIAL NOTE: Craigmillar Castle Road runs along the east side of the map and Old Dalkeith Road runs along the south west edge of the map.  Cars often travel fast on these roads and they will be marked on the map with red zig-zags, showing that they must not be used to cycle along as part of your course.  Great care must also be taken when crossing Craigmillar Castle Road, and that will only be necessary for those on first of the A courses. 

DRESS: Please check the weather forecast and dress appropriately.  

MAP:  Scale 1:7,500.  1cm on the map = 75m on the ground.

COURSE MAPS: These will be printed on strong (but not waterproof) paper.  There will be no control descriptions (as is normal for mountain bike orienteering).  Private property on the map: Please do not enter any areas marked in olive green on the map or with vertical red lines.  These are all out of bounds.

OTHER USERS: Craigmillar Castle Park and Little France Park are popular with dog walkers and joggers; please show courtesy to all and provide space when you pass, particularly in view of the fact COVID 19 is still with us.

MOUNTAIN BIKE ORIENTEERING SAFETY: Please be aware of all the safety issues related to mountain bike orienteering. 

GENERAL SAFETY: Craigmillar Castle Road runs through the middle of the mapped area and cars often travel fast on it. If your course crosses this road please treat with great care. Bike helmets are mandatory.

RISK: All competitors take part in this event at their own risk. For those more used to foot orienteering, this event is being organised under the rules of British Mountain Bike Orienteering (not British Orienteering).

MEDICAL CONDITIONS (not Covid): 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 put it in a sealed envelope and hand it to the Organiser on the day.  It will only be opened if required and destroyed or handed back to you after the event. 

COVID 19: You should not attend the event if you are showing any symptoms of Covid 19 even though you have pre-entered. You should also not attend if you have specifically been asked to self-isolate.  The event will be managed to take account of all Government guidance current at the time of the event. Please respect distancing and be aware that some competitors may be vulnerable and need extra space.

Location

Nearest town: City of Edinburgh

• Grid Ref: NT280710
• Postcode: EH16 4TD
• Latitude: 55.926966
• Longitude: -3.1537306
• Google Map (aerial) - Bing Map (OS)

Directions

The event is centred on Bridgend Farmhouse which is on the A7 near Cameron Toll Shopping Centre in Edinburgh.  There is no exclusive parking for this event, although there is a small park at Bridgend Farmhouse.  This is on the north east side of Old Dalkeith Road (A7), east of the Cameron Toll roundabout, and north of the Edinburgh Royal Infirmary of Edinburgh.  Additional parking is available on the opposite side of Old Dalkeith Road, inside Inch Park, and this will involve crossing the road to reach assembly.  Further parking is available at Cameron Toll Shopping Centre, which is a few minutes away by bike.

Registration & Start Times

There will be limited entry or change of course on the day (subject to availability of maps), and there will be a single event briefing for all riders.

EVENT BRIEFING: Arrive at 10am, ready for a briefing and Q&A at 10.20am, with starts from 10.30am (competitors start at short intervals).

START TIMES FOR A1 and B1 COURSES:  10.30am to 10.40am.  The start is very close to assembly at Bridgend Farmhouse.  The finish is also close to the start.  The start is indicated by a triangle on the map, and the finish is indicated by a double circle.

START TIMES FOR A2 and B2 COURSES: 11.30am to 11.40am.  The start and the finish are the same as for the first set of courses.

TIMING: We will be using stopwatches rather than any electronic timing.  It is all fairly informal.

MAP BOARDS: There are a limited number of map boards which can be attached to your bike and borrowed for the event, then returned.

Course Information

Please note that course lengths indicate the straight line distance between controls.  The distance you actually ride is likely to be up to around 20 to 30% longer, depending upon the route you take.  In mountain bike orienteering, a longer route can easily be faster, depending on track ride-ability and climb, etc.

CONTROLS: Orienteering kites will be at each control site, but no control codes or punches will be used.  It is on trust that you visit all controls and at the end of the day it’s all for fun!

Note that the explanation of colour coded courses (link below) relates to foot orienteering and is not relevant to this event.

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

ENTER NOW VIA BMBO WEBSITE  Entries close on 26th March.  This is a double sprint race, effectively two races for the price of one.

ENTRY FEES

Day Rider £7.00

BMBO Member £7.00

Youth Entry £4.00

NOTE: eMTBs allowed to take part but must declare on entry and will be listed as “non competitive”.

Contacts / Officials

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.

Image Gallery

Click the image for a larger version.

2021_Craigmillar Castle Mountain Bike Orienteering Map