Updated:

09/07/2022 – League 6 and Summer Relay – Leckhampton Hill

09/07/2022 – League 6 and Summer Relay – Leckhampton Hill
Updated:
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We are pleased to invite you to this special event on Leckhampton Hill, with its stunning views over Cheltenham and far beyond towards Wales. This is a Site of Special Scientific Interest and very popular with the general public for walks, picnics, mountain biking and so on. We are very grateful to Cheltenham Borough Council for permission to run here.

After the enthusiastic response from our first go at the relay format last year, it was clear we should do it again this year. However, this time we are adding a further dimension to it - not only will it be a relay race for teams of two, but each person’s individual times will be aggregated and also count towards the NGOC League.

The event is part of the South West Relay Series

Another addition this year is post-event food and drink at the Cotswold Lion Brewery, where NGOC’s Steve Williams brews his award winning ales!

Entries are now open at:

Enter Online

Officials

Organiser/Planner: Greg Best, NGOC. Queries? Email: Greg Best

Directions and Parking

Parking is at Hartley Farm, Hartley Lane, Cheltenham GL53 9QN
What 3 words: ///purse.ambushes.flinch

The event will be signed from the junction of Leckhampton Hill and Hartley Lane. From most directions, this is best approached from the Air Balloon roundabout, which is at the junction of the A417 and A436.

However, Hartley Lane can also be easily approached from the junction of the A435 and A436 at Seven Springs. Coming from this direction avoids the limited visibility at the other junction.

The Area

The top of Leckhampton Hill is fairly flat and has an ancient hill fort. However, the sides of the hill looking north, east and west form part of the Cotswold escarpment and are extremely steep. In order to try and minimise the steep climbs, the courses will, to a large extent, keep to the upper parts of the hill. The area has been heavily quarried over the centuries, and this has left behind a wealth of contour detail in many parts. Much of the area is open grassland, but there are also some pleasant areas of woodland. The steepness aside, the area is generally very runnable.

The common is very popular with walkers, mountain bikers and others, and the Cotswold Way crosses it, so please show respect for others on the day.

The Map

Leckhampton map snippet

The map has been extensively updated, using new full Lidar coverage finally available for the whole area. It is printed on waterproof A4 paper at 1:7500 with 5m contours. Control descriptions will be printed on the front of the map only (no loose ones will be available).

Note that there are certain fences and walls that must only be crossed at marked crossing points. Some of these are electric. Special symbols have been used to show these...

Uncrossable walls image

Start and Finish

The Assembly, Start and Finish are next to each other and a 1.0km flat walk from the parking area - allow at least 15 minutes to walk there.

When arriving at assembly, you will need to pick up your bib, pins and first map, so please allow time for this. Bear in mind that everybody else will be arriving at the same time, so there is likely to be a queue. Do NOT be late for the mass start!

Format

It is a 2x2 relay, with two runners of any age or gender forming a team. Each runner will run 2 completely different courses, with a rest period in between while their team-mate runs their course.

On arrival, everybody should first collect their bib and pins and fix it to their front. First leg runners will have a Red bib; second leg runners will have a Blue bib. Next, everybody should collect their first map, which will be pre-folded and sealed. These can only be opened once it’s their time to run. Everybody must clear their dibbers before each run.

Anybody who does not already know their team mate should hang around the registration tent, which can act as a meeting point.

It is a mass start at 11am (DO NOT BE LATE), and there will be a taped out Waiting pen, with a clock showing the current time. The first leg runner from each team should enter the Waiting pen in good time for the mass-start.

The second leg runners should enter the Waiting pen in good time before their partner returns. They will then wait there for them to arrive.

In-coming runners will first dib the Finish control and then proceed to tag their partner. They will then go to download, receive their second sealed map, then clear ready for their next leg.

Note that there will be no Start control to dib, as start times for each leg are determined by the mass-start time for the first leg and team-mates' finish times for subsequent legs.

Mass Start: 11:00
Courses close: 14:00

Courses

Course lengh(Km) Climb(m) Controls Intended for
Brown 3.5 + 3.4 133 + 155 18 + 20 M18, M20, M21, M35, M40, M45
Blue 3.0 + 2.9 110 + 140 16 + 16 M50, M55, M60, M16 and under, W18, W20, W21, W35, W40
Green 2.2 + 2.3 105 + 110 13 + 13 M65, M70, W16 and under, W45, W50, W55
Short Green 1.9 + 2.0 80 + 75 11 + 11 M75 and older, W60 and older
Orange 1.6 + 2.0 75 + 40 10 + 10 Adult beginners
Older children or inexperienced adults who normally run Orange
Yellow 1.3 + 1.6 70 + 40 6 + 9 Children who normally run Yellow

We will use SI Timing, in contact and touch free modes. All runners must however punch the Finish control at the end of each leg.

Entries

Sorry, NO entries on the day. This is due to the extra complexities of organising a relay, plus needing advance numbers for the buffet

Teams are made up of 2 people of any age/course.

If you have a team-mate, one of you should enter the team as one entry on Fabian4 and pay for both of you. Note that the order that you input the people in your team will be the running order. In other words, the first named person will run the first leg in the mass-start and the 3rd leg, while the second named person will run the second and fourth legs.

If you do not have a teammate, just enter as an individual and we will randomly assign you a partner. Where possible, your will be paired with somebody from the same club.

By default, you will automatically be assigned the course associated with your age group unless you request otherwise on the entry form. Note that if you wish to be competitive in the relay you can only substitute your default course with a longer one, not a shorter one, unless you are young or inexperienced, in which case you are allowed to do yellow or orange. Any experienced orienteers choosing to run a shorter course will be made non-competitive for the Relay.

There may be some instances where your assigned course is not the same as the course you would normally run in the NGOC League. In these cases, you will have to decide whether the league or the relay is more important to you and choose accordingly.

All fees include a compulsory charge for the post-event buffet.

Fees Pre-entry Non-member Supplement
Adults £12 £2
Juniors £8 £1
Family (2 adults + their children) £26 As above for any non-members

SI dibber hire: Standard dibber £1 Adults, Juniors free

Touch Free dibber: £2 Adults, £1 Juniors

Entries close at midnight on Tuesday 5 July

Hired dibbers may be picked up registration.


Enter Online

Dogs

Allowed, under control, in Parking, Assembly and on courses

Facilities

Toilet in the brewery by the parking. Post-event buffet and hot drinks will be provided as part of the entry fee. Cash bar at Cotswold Lion brewery.

In case of poor weather, a shelter will be provided for runners waiting between legs. Bags with extra clothing and so on can be left in the field, close to the download tent.

Safety

  • There are some high and dangerous crags. Courses have been planned to avoid approaching these from above, but take care.
  • The area is used by downhill mountain bikers. Courses have been planned to avoid them, but be prepared to give way if you do find yourself on one of their tracks, many of which are not mapped.
  • There may be cows in the area. They are used to people and pretty docile, but best to give them some space.
  • Orienteering is an adventure sport. All runners take part at their own risk and are responsible for their own safety.
  • A risk assessment has been completed, and a copy will be held at Registration in case competitors wish to consult it before their run.
  • A first aid kit and trained first aiders will be available at Registration.

Post Event Food and Drink

With most teams finishing around the same time, the prospect of nice summer weather and parking by a brewery where a club member works, holding a post-event social was a no-brainer! This will be held at the Cotswold Lion Brewery located at the farm where we are parking and a finger buffet and hot drinks will be provided as part of the entry fee.. Bring your own chair or picnic rug if you wish to sit down. Steve Williams’ tasty ales will be available from the cash bar, together with take-away cases of bottles, so bring cash, although the brewery is hoping to be able to also accept cards by then.