St Marks ParkSat 14 Sept
Local Event
Local event
Explanation of event types
Local events are usually low key and in the 'localised' area, ideal for newcomers to try the sport and Training events are non competitive and used for training and coaching, aimed at members of the club, but they can attract people from neighbouring clubs, and are often ideal for newcomers to try the sport. Regional events attract participants from around the local Region, National events are high quality competitions that will attract people from far away, Major events are Major Events such as a British Championships. Virtual events are where there are no physical controls being used. Your presence at a control is registered using an App on your mobile phone, normally the free MapRun App.
Terrain type: Urban & Parkland
Results
Provisional results from St Mark's Park
Officials' Reports
Planners' Comments
A lovely event in some surprisingly mild conditions. Chatting with competitors after the event, the comments were overwhelming positive on the new area with a good variety of terrain on offer for a very urban location.
The white, yellow and orange courses were praised as being of appropriate difficulty, important when there is a new cohort of schoolchildren trying out orienteering for the first time.
Checking the Winsplits on the light green course, from control 5 to control 6, the majority of the faster finishers lost time. I suspect that as this was the first control to enter the deep undergrowth, the faster runners needed to slow down and be much more precise in their route finding.
Tunnels and bridges proved a big talking point, with careful consideration needed of which route to take crossing Ferry Road. Also, the way bridges and underpasses are mapped has changed, as of 2019, which caught out some.
Only a few minor updates to the new map are required and with Vincente adding new areas to the map next year should prove interesting.
Jim Murdoch
Organisers' Comments
A new area is always fun and there was a lot of interest rom local people and passers-by in what was going on. Jim Murdoch conceived the idea of linking St Marks Park and Victoria Park, and planned the courses. Vicente fine-tuned the mapping. It's not a technical area, but ideal for courses up to Light Green. The organising team was small and slick, multi-tasking most efficiently, and the compact layout was very good.
Thanks to everyone who came along. For some it was their first real event. For Ossian it was his tenth and he received a badge and certificate for that. The Mary Erskine and Stewarts Melville School club (ESMS) goes from strength to strength and brought along a new group of beginners. Old hands enjoyed the new area.
Very successful all round. Well done all!
Janet Clark
Overview
Pre-event Information
Location Info
/-3.19447,55.96889,11/500x400?access_token=pk.eyJ1IjoicGF1bGZyb3N0IiwiYSI6ImNscGg3eGRlMjA0cm8yaW52aGhtY2lxZjQifQ.Lc483ZPI9QPGNrBpcqqywQ)
Near: Edinburgh Lat,Lng: 55.96889,-3.19447 Postcode: EH7 4HN What3Words: ///apron.charge.half
Open an interactive map in: GoogleMap - OpenStreetMap - AppleMaps - BingMap
Directions / Parking
The event will be based in the of St Marks Park at EH7 4HN. Parking on Warriston Road. No nearby permit charges.
w3w:///apron.charge.half
Public Transport Options
By Bus: Check Lothian Buses website to plan your journey.
Nearest bus stops are 8, 3, 27 next to the the Royal Botanic Gardens and 10 or 36 next to Redbraes Park. There are other options on Ferry Road and Leith Walk.
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.
Map / Terrain
The terrain is a mix of parkland, wooded areas and urban, with a good path network including the paved railway tracks. Long trousers are recommended, especially for the Long Orange and Light Green courses.
This NEW map by club members, will be at 1:4000 (contour interval 2m) for the long courses, at 1:3000 and 1:2500 for the shorter courses and will be printed on waterproof paper with control descriptions on the map, no loose descriptions will be available.
The map uses the ISSprOM 2019-2 Sprint mapping symbol set (as the legend) so those not used to sprint or urban events should remind themselves of the symbols, downloadable from here and in particular the symbols indicating additional out of bounds areas (olive green) and impassable features (walls, fences etc) which must not be crossed,
Safety Notes
- 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, and although the courses have been planned to avoid the worst if it, full leg cover is recommended. especially for the long courses.
Course Information
The following courses will be available to suit a range of abilities, courses lengths given are provisional subject to final revision
There will be no road crossings for the White and Yellow courses,, the Orange will cross some light traffic residential roads and although near to Ferry Road at one point, there will be no need to cross it.
The Orange, Long Orange and Light Green courses will use the old railway tracks which are fairly heavily used by cyclists and pedestrians, and the Long Orange and Light Green courses will also visit Victoria Park.
Further updates will be issued before entries open.
| Course | Length | Climb | Scale | Map |
| Light Green | 4.3km | 50m | 1:4000 | A3 |
| Long Orange | 3.5km | 40m | 1:4000 | A4 |
| Orange | 2.1km | 25m | 1:3000 | A4 |
| Yellow | 1.1km | 15m | 1:2500 | A4 |
| White | 0.8km | 5m | 1:2500 | A4 |
Entry Details
Pre-Entry and pre payment via RaceSignUp are required for this event. Entries open on Monday 2nd September and will close at 6pm on Friday 13th September.
However to be guaranteed a course map on waterproof paper for your chosen course you MUST pre-enter by 8pm on Tuesday 10th September.
We will print some extra waterproof maps for late entries and EOD, but entries made in RaceSignUp after the cut-off date above may be allocated a non-waterproof version (at the same cost) at the start.
Entry on the day (EOD): Entry on the day will be available at Registration as long as maps are available (either on waterproof paper or "normal" paper).
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 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
| Category | BOF Members | SOA Members | Non Members |
| Seniors (26 and over) | £4.50 | £5.50 | £6.50 |
| Juniors/Students/Young adults (21-25) | £2.50 | £3.50 | £4.50 |
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
| Category | BOF members | SOA only members | Non members |
| 2 Seniors | £5.50 | £6.50 | £7.50 |
| 2 Juniors | £3.00 | £4.00 | £5.00 |
| 1 Senior + 1 Junior | £5.00 | £6.00 | £7.00 |
| 1 Senior + 2 Juniors | £5.50 | £6.50 | £7.50 |
| 2 Seniors + 1 Junior | £6.00 | £7.00 | £8.00 |
| 2 Seniors + 2 Juniors | £6.50 | £7.50 | £8.50 |
| 2 Seniors + 3 Juniors | £7.00 | £8.00 | £9.00 |
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 and Start times
Registration: Will be open from 12:45am -2.15pm close to the entrance to St Marks park at the bend in Warriston Road (near ///apron.charge.half).
- 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.
Pre-selected start blocks are listed on the RaceSignUp page (scroll down to the Start List section). Please note that you can arrive at the start any time within your block.
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.
Facilities
Unfortunately there are no toilets on site, but there are plenty of supermarkets or shopping centres, with facilities, close by.
A list of council run Public Toilets can be found here
Dog restrictions
Well-behaved dogs on a lead are welcome.
Contacts / Officials
Advance enquires: email hidden; JavaScript is required
Entry enquiries: email hidden; JavaScript is required
Nearest A&E Hospital
Please see under Important Event Information in the side panel.
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