| Date | Event | Location |
|---|---|---|
| Sat 9 Nov Starts 11:00-11:15 Finish by 14:30 |
Beat the Trail 5 Headless Hill Near Staunton Forest of Dean |
Parking on forest track Off Wellmeadow, Staunton GL16 8NY |
NGOC is very pleased to welcome you to the fifth in our series of Beat the Trail race. This is taking place alongside one of our regular orienteering league races; we are sharing facilities and access permissions but the course is separate from the orienteering courses.
Our Beat the Trail races are trail races with a twist. There’s a series of checkpoints that you must visit in the correct order. The route is fully waymarked, and we’ll give you a simple route map. You can choose:
- Follow the waymarked route.
- Or find a shorter path on the map and Beat the Trail.
If you are into adventure racing, fell running or Mountain Marathons, or you fancy giving any of these disciplines a try, these trail courses will be ideal training. And if you’re interested in orienteering there will people on hand to tell you more about it.
Directions and Parking
Parking is on a forest track accessed via a residential road in Staunton village. Please drive carefully through the village and slowly on the residential road where children may be playing. Please be considerate towards locals who may be using the same road.
The turn off the main A4136 Mitcheldean to Monmouth road will be signed in Staunton village.
Once you’ve parked up, walk down to the far end of the track and you’ll find the registration tent.
The Map
You will be given a 1:10,000 scale map at Registration: the waymarked route will be shown on the map. You can study the map before starting and work out what options you may have for getting round as fast as possible. There will also be people available at Registration to explain the map, and maybe provide a few hints!
Remember that the map is an aide. You don’t need it to follow the waymarked trail; it just helps to find the quickest route. Don’t be put off by the fact that we will give you a map!
Course
The course is approximately 12.5km waymarked distance along the trails. But remember that it’s only necessary to visit the checkpoints, so by taking the optimum route you could shorten it to about 10km!
We will use the Sportident(SI) timing system: this is an electronic ‘dibber’ that straps to your finger, and will record that you visited all the checkpoints. You will be given a timing chip at Registration: if you’re not familiar with the system, we’ll be on hand to explain.
Times and Costs
There is no pre-entry; just come along on the day.
Entry cost is £7 for adults, or £4 for under 21s. This includes chip hire and insurance supplement for those who are not members of British Orienteering. Please look after your timing chip: if you lose it, we will have to charge you £35 to replace it!
Registration will be open from 10:15 – 10:45. At about 11:00 we will give you a short briefing on the event format and timing system, and will then set you off. Please note that these times have changed as of Tuesday, 5 November, from those published initially. The start and finish are both close to the registration tent. We aim to start everyone pretty much together, as fast as you can pass through the start checkpoint, but timing is individual so you can start separately from the mass and treat it as a personal time trial, you are free to choose.
If you plan to spend some time out in the forest, be aware that the course will ‘close’ at 14:30, and we will start taking in the checkpoints and waymarks at that time. If you choose to retire from the race, please ensure that you report back to registration so that we can account for everyone.
Safety
All competitors take part at their own risk. Your entry fee includes public third party liability insurance, provided by British Orienteering.
The trails in the Forest of Dean can be slippery and muddy, especially if it’s been wet. You are strongly advised to wear trail shoes, or at least robust road shoes with a reasonable amount of grip. This is likely to be particularly the case for this trail, given our recent weather, and the forecast for Saturday.
In the event of particularly bad weather we may require you to wear a waterproof top, so please come equipped to do so if the weather looks bad.