19/03/2023 – League 3 – Painswick

Painswick comprises an open hilltop, and includes an iron age hill fort, with some complex contour detail. The sides of the hill are steep and wooded. The northern part of Painswick is a wooded hilltop. The area includes the newly mapped Prinknash Abbey Park, which comprises open parkland with scattered trees and scrub. There are many fences within the abbey grounds, and these must only be crossed at marked crossing points.

Brown, Blue and Green courses, A3, 1:7,500, 5m contour interval, Short Green, Orange and Yellow courses, A4, 1:7,500, 5m contour interval georeferenced to a LIDAR base and updated for this event, with control descriptions on the front. To aid clarity, the Brown course has a double sided map, which should be turned over at the appropriate control.

The start is approximately 1km and 50m climb from Assembly. The route to the start crosses a small quiet road which will be marshalled. Younger juniors should be accompanied to the start.

The Finish is adjacent to Assembly.

Course details subject to final controlling.

Please note the following:

All courses cross a small quiet road. The crossing will be marshalled; please obey all instructions given by the marshal.

Brown and blue courses cross another small road. This will not be marshalled; please be aware of any moving traffic when crossing this road.

The yellow course has a short stretch of streamers that should be followed where there are no linear features available between controls.

The Brown course has a double sided map, to aid clarity in the more constricted parts of the area.

Please do not run on any tees or greens that form part of the golf course.

There are a number of unmarked mountain bike tracks in the wooded areas of the map. Please take care and be aware of any mountain bikers.

There is electric fence within the abbey grounds. Fences within the abbey grounds must only be crossed at marked crossing points.

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 90 minute start window, 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 12:30 and the published 13:00 start time, so aim to be there soon after 12:00. 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.

Owing to the short day we will also start taking in controls as soon as courses close, so again, if you feel you may be out some time, come early.

Starts: 13:00 - 14:30
Courses close: 16:00, meaning that you must report to download before 16:15, or risk disqualification.

Please note the later than usual start window. This is to avoid conflict with users of the golf course on the top of Painswick. Given the later than usual start, we may start to collect the furthest controls before the official course closing. This will only affect controls used by Brown and Blue.

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

Touch Free dibber: £2 Adults, £1 Juniors

Enter via Fabian4.co.uk by midnight on Thursday 16th March.

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.

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.

Permitted on leads in the car park and assembly and under close control on courses. Please be aware that there are likely to be sheep in the abbey grounds at the end of all courses. Dogs must be kept under close control and ideally on leads in this area.

The abbey has a café located adjacent to the car park. Please support them. Toilets are available within the café. Note no muddy shoes or dobs permitted within the café building.

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

In the event of adverse weather, you may be required to carry a waterproof.

Painswick Beacon is heavily used by members of the public, including dog walkers and horse riders. Please be respectful and take care when interacting with any members of the public.

The top of Painswick Beacon is a golf course. The last tee off time on Sundays is around lunchtime, but you may still encounter golfers. Please take care when around the golf course (Brown, Blue and Green courses only). Please keep off all tees and greens.

There may be cattle present on Painswick Beacon; these are used to maintain the special botanical interest of the grassland. If you encounter any, please give them a suitably wide berth. There may also be sheep within the abbey grounds.

The sides of Painswick Beacon can be steep and slippery; take care on the steep slopes.

There is a limestone quarry located within the area. This is strictly out of bounds and must not be entered.

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

As from 24 February 2022:

• You are not legally required to self-isolate if you test positive for COVID-19. You should, however, stay at home if you can and avoid contact with other people.
• You do not have to take daily tests, nor are you legally required to self-isolate following contact with someone who has tested positive for COVID-19.

Nevertheless, 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.