Royal High School and Davidson’s Mains Park
ESOC local event in Edinburgh and the Lothians
Sat 18th Nov 2017
Info updated: 18th Feb
Type of event: Local
Type of terrain: Parkland, Woodland
Results
Everything went well today. It wasn't wet or windy (although a bit cold). It was warm and welcoming inside the Hub, and not too busy with other users. Our base at the far end of the room was well away from the big screen (and the "warm-up" games before Scotland tackled NZ). We got started promptly and finished even more promptly, before sunset. No-one got lost or took a long time on their course. (We've been known to collect controls by moonlight here in November). David and Michaels' courses were very well received, especially the White Course with its 21 controls. Kids just love lots of punching. The Boys' Brigade, the newcomers, the families, the old hands - everyone was here to enjoy what they had planned. Grateful thanks to the ESOC team of helpers, comprising a fine mixture of young and old members The future of the club is clearly in good hands.
This is our last event for 2017. The 2018 programme leaflet is now available, with details on the ESOC website, and we'll hope to see everyone back for more orienteering in 2018
Janet Clark Organiser 0131 225 7771
General Information
Dress: Please check the weather forecast on the day and dress appropriately. This event is in school grounds and adjoining park and woodland. Even though the area is on the edge of the city the weather can be cold, windy and wet (or maybe even snowy!) in November.
Terrain: School grounds with adjoining park and woodland.
Other Users: Davidson's Mains Park is well used by the general public, including dog walkers, runners and bikers. The school grounds and pitches may also be used by people taking part in other sports during the event. Please respect their right to be there at the same time as you are orienteering.
Dogs: Dogs are allowed in the Davidson's Mains Park part of the mapped area but are not allowed anywhere in the grounds or buildings within the Royal High School. Note that the Registration, Start, Finish and some of the controls on all courses are almost certainly going to be within these school grounds - this will be confirmed (or otherwise) nearer the event date.
Course Closure Time: Please note that courses have a closure time of 4pm after which controls will start to be brought in. It is dusk followed by darkness very early at this time of year so it is even more important to start bringing in controls at 4pm otherwise head torches would be needed!!
Medical Conditions - If you, or anyone in your group (including juniors), have a medical condition that first aiders or health professionals should know about in the event of accident or illness during the course of the event please print off the Medical Form, fully complete it and bring it along to the event. You should complete a separate copy for each individual who has a medical condition. Please leave the completed Medical Form at Event Registration. It will be put in a sealed envelope and only be opened in an emergency. It will be destroyed immediately after the event. If you prefer, you can bring your completed form in a sealed envelope with your name (or the relevant person's name) on the front and hand it in when you arrive.
Individual Orienteering Support Opportunities at this Event: If you are new to orienteering and would benefit from some individual support at this local event please email by 5pm on Monday 13th November at the latest and we'll put suitable arrangements in place. In your email please give us a little bit of information about yourself, your orienteering experience and your experience of other sports which could be relevant e.g. street running, trail running etc. A contact phone number could also be useful as it may be helpful to discuss your specific needs in advance.
Location
Nearest town: City of Edinburgh
- Grid Ref: NT203753
- Postcode: EH4 6AQ
- Latitude: 55.96498
- Longitude: -3.27844
- Google Map (aerial) - Bing Map (OS)
Directions
Parking is at the Royal High School. It is possible to get to this event by public transport. Lothian Buses service 41 stops nearby. Check Lothian Buses website for more information. Note that other out of town buses which travel along Queensferry Road may well also stop close to the Royal High School.
Registration & Start Times
REGISTRATION: This will be close to both the start, finish and parking and will be within the grounds of the Royal High School.
Registration will be 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 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 within the school grounds. Start times will be from 1.30pm to 3pm.
COURSE CLOSURE TIME: 4pm. 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. Remember it is very early dusk in November and we don't want to be using a head torch to bring in controls!
Course Information
As usual for ESOC local events there will be White, Yellow and Orange courses for beginners and improvers. In addition, we'll be offering a Light Green course for more experienced orienteers. This provides a good opportunity to practise all the basic skills, not just to demonstrate ability to run round an easy course very fast (though you can do that too!).
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.
PUBLIC LIABILITY INSURANCE INFORMATION: Please note that participants who are not members of an orienteering club automatically have Public Liability insurance cover provided by British Orienteering's insurance policy only for their first three "taster" sessions (i.e. events). Thereafter, if they wish to continue with this cover, they should become a member of an orienteering club, such as ESOC, which includes membership of British Orienteering and Scottish Orienteering. Details of how to join ESOC are here or pick up an application form at this event. There are many benefits of being a member of an orienteeering club and one of these is lower entry fees at most events.
Contacts / Officials
EMAIL:
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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