Saturday 14/12/2024 – 2024 League 12 – Lightning Tree Hill

LTH has been used by NGOC previously most recently in 2021 and 2020 – maps are available on Routegadget; we will not be using the eastern side of the area on this occasion. The map has changed somewhat and I am grateful to Pat for his work on remapping and updating. This is however a working forest and it is always possible that there could be very last minute changes. (It was, incidentally, used for the British Championships in 1987! The winners were Andy Kitchin, WCH, and Jean Ramsden, DEE).

The terrain is a mixture of woodland, from fight-like plantations to pleasant very runnable forest with good visibility, along with a good track network. It is a working forest and includes a Nature Reserve managed by Gloucestershire Wildlife Trust; therefore, there are some fences marked with a solid purple line which may only be crossed at marked crossing places. Should you encounter grazing cows at the top of the hill, please take care not to spook them in any way.

In mid-November there were still areas of dying bracken and brashings which will impede progress in places, as well as wet and slippery leaves on slopes and paths. Visibility was on the whole good to very good at that time. The area has several large blocks mapped dark green, or rough open with heavy vegetation. Some of these could well be regarded as Fight, and although no controls are sited within these, competitors on longer courses should take good account of the colouring and shading when making route choices.

LTH is popular with walkers, and you may well encounter members of the public, with and without dogs, particularly near the assembly area and the start, on main tracks, and around the Nature Reserve. Bikes and horses are rarely to be seen however. Please show due consideration and be courteous at all times.

Maps are pre-printed on waterproof paper at a scale of either 1:7,500 or 1:10,000, A4 size.

Brown/Blue will be at 1:10,000

Green/Short Green/Orange/Yellow will be at 1:7,500

Control descriptions will be text for Yellow, pictorial for all other courses, except Orange which will have both. Loose control descriptions will be available in the start lanes.

The Start is approximately 400 metres from Assembly. The route to the Start will be taped and is on good forest tracks; allow 5 minutes to walk. The Finish is about 150 metres from Assembly and Download. The route to download will be taped. Please remember to download!

The String Course will be located next to the car park in a separate and enclosed area, not visited by any of the courses. Please go to Assembly/Registration first if you wish to do the String Course.

SI Touch free punching is enabled, but all runners must punch both Start and Finish.

Provisional course details

Course details subject to final controlling. Course distances are straight line.

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

You MUST go to Download even if you do not complete your course – we need to confirm that you are back safely!

Whistles must be carried by juniors running on their own and are highly recommended for all competitors. If you hear a distress whistle, please go to assist.

We hope to have a string course on the day.

In order to minimise demands on scarce volunteer resources we operate a 90 minute 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 up to 30 minutes before the published start time, so aim to be there with this in mind. 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 - 12:30
Courses close: 14:00, meaning that you must report to download before 14:15, or risk disqualification.

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

Touch Free dibber: £2 Adults, £1 Juniors

Entries are open, and will close at midnight on Wednesday 10th December.

Entry on the day is possible only while maps last, but note the premium price to discourage this. We should 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 on leads in the car park and assembly areas and under close control on the courses. It is a popular area for local members of the public to exercise their dogs.

Regrettably there will be no toilets. The public toilets at Cinderford are currently being renovated and it is uncertain when they will reopen. The Forest of Dean has very few public conveniences!

The NGOC pop-up café should be present.

There are no covered changing facilities and competitors are reminded of the need for discretion when getting changed by their cars.

NGOC Club kit will be on sale at Registration and available to try on.

Orienteering is an adventure sport. All runners take part at their own risk and must take responsibility for their own safety.

In the event of wet weather, please assess risks on any steep slopes.

Everyone is advised to carry a whistle, and for Juniors it is compulsory. Full leg cover is compulsory for everyone. In the event of severe weather, a cagoule may be made compulsory; please ensure that you bring one just in case.

A first aid kit and trained first aiders will be present at Registration. Note that we are not permitted to provide epi-pens or antihistamine tablets in the event of stings. If you know you react badly to stings you should carry your own epi-pen or antihistamine tablets.

Please be vigilant for tick bites even at this time of the year.

Orienteering is a great sport for young people. If you bring children, please help us to keep to our safeguarding policy and British Orienteering’s photography policy.

By entering this event, competitors agree to abide by the British Orienteering Code of Conduct.

A comprehensive risk assessment will have been carried out by the organiser and a copy will be held at Registration, but participants take part at their own risk and are responsible for their own safety during the event. All participants must report to download whether they finish their course or not.

When participating in our events/activities your name may appear in the results section of this website or in newspaper reports. To see how we look after your personal data, please read our privacy policy.

NGOC follows British Orienteering’s national guidance. This provides a sensible balance between the benefits and risks associated with the taking and use of images. If you are unsure about acceptable practice, please speak to the event organiser.