02/09/2023 – League 8 – Selsley Common

Selsley Common is compact area of runnable grassland with some steep slopes on the Cotswold Escarpment. There are great views across the Severn Vale towards the Forest of Dean hills and the Welsh mountains.

Penn Wood has a flat top on a hill with runnable mixed decidous woodland slopes surrounding it, steep in places. Selsley Common & Penn Wood both have a network of dirt paths with Selsley having grass paths too. The area has a mixture of manmade and natural features as a result of historic quarrying activity.

The original Selsley Common map was a 1:4000 map made by Tom Cochrane in 2020. In April 2023 Greg Best has revised the Selsley Common map and added the extension of Penn Wood to make todays A4 1:7500 map.

Registration will be around the scout buildings, Start will be 50-100m from registration, Finish will be 500m from registration with 65m of climb.

Course details subject to final controlling.

We will use SI Timing, in contact and touch free modes. All runners must however punch the Start and Finish controls.

In order to minimise demands on scarce volunteer resources we operate a 2 hour start window for this event, and we recognise that this can be a challenge for parents seeking split starts. We are happy to accommodate split starts provided:

• You let us know in advance that you need a split start. Do this by emailing the organiser, address in the introduction above
• You come early; the start team will normally be ready to allow very early starts sometime between 10:30 and the published 11:00 start time, so aim to be there soon after 10:30. We do not offer starts later than the published end of the start window.
• The shorter course runner goes first. We will not turn you away if you can't manage this, but it gives you both a better chance of beating the course closure time.

Entry Details

You should enter the course appropriate to your involvement in the NGOC league, if relevant, or whichever course you choose otherwise.

Starts: 11:00 - 13:00
Courses close: 14:30, meaning that you must report to download before 14:45, or risk disqualification.

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

Touch Free dibber: £2 Adults, £1 Juniors

Entries are now open, and will close at midnight on Wednesday 30th August.

Entry on the day is possible only while maps last, but note the premium price to discourage this. We should by then be able to accept credit/debit card payments, but this is not guaranteed so bring cash just in case.

A helper discount is available for those offering to help on the day. These events don't happen without volunteers willing to help out on the day, so if you are able to do so, before signing up to enter, email Ian Prowse, Volunteer Coordinator, to let us know if you can help, and ask for the helper discount code that you can apply when entering. You don't have to be a NGOC member to help, but you do need to be a BOF member to be covered insurance wise.

As the Government has removed all restrictions on events and activities, COVID related refunds are no longer available. The standard Fabian4 terms and conditions offer an automatic refund up to 2 months before the event date, and we do not normally vary this specification. That means that in most cases no refunds are possible, as we do not publish details until less than 2 months before the date of the event.

However, for all except large events we hold entries open until only a day or so before the event, so you can delay entry if unsure whether you can run, until very close to event day.

Dogs are permitted at assembly and on courses

Toilets are available

The NGOC cafe will be present.

The courses cross one private access track; runners should take care when crossing. In addition the longer courses cross the parking area, so look out for moving vehicles.

The area is steep in places, and runners should take particular care when descending.

Several crags and cliffs will be taped, and no courses are planned to approach these from above.

When leaving the event drivers should take extra care turning onto the busy B4066.

A risk assessment has been completed, and a copy will be held at Enquiries and Download in case competitors wish to consult it before their run.

A first aid kit and trained first aiders will be available at Enquiries and Download.

Living with COVID

Although all legal restrictions have ceased, you should NOT attend if you are Covid positive, or suspect you are, and everyone attending should continue taking sensible precautions, such as avoiding close contact, particularly around the Start, Finish, and Assembly.