UKOL4 Classic & SOL2

Date Start Place OS Grid ref Type Organiser
17 Mar 2013 11 a.m. Trossachs NN 507 064 SOL Jason Inman
(email)

Results

Pre-O

Thanks to Roger Scrutton and Anne Hickling for putting on the PreO on Sunday.

There are results, solutions and planners comments attached above.

Further Information

FINAL START LISTS PUBLISHED 15/3/13

As part of the new UK Orienteering League, Forth Valley Orienteers invite you to an excellent weekend’s racing in central Scotland. You can expect classic Scottish orienteering: world class terrain, beautiful scenery, big race atmosphere and friendly hospitality.

The legendary Trossachs need no introduction. The UK’s ultimate orienteering challenge – not to be missed.

PREPARE TO BE CHALLENGED!

CLOSING DATE FOR ENTRIES 10 MARCH 2013

PLEASE NOTE: FINAL DETAILS PUBLISHED TUESDAY 12 MARCH 2013. THESE REPLACE ANY PREVIOUSLY PUBLISHED INFORMATION.

Location

UKOL4 will take place at The Trossachs. Grid Reference: NN505068.

Directions

The event will be signed from Kilmahog, 1 mile north of Callander at the junction of the A82 and A821. Proceed west along the A821 for approximately 7 miles from this junction. There are public toilets in Callander which you may wish to use before arriving.

Please be aware that the Dukes Pass Road from Aberfoyle north to the event, although the most scenic of routes, is not gritted during the winter months and liable to closure.

Car Parking

All within 300m of the event, will make use of two small car parks and a field. Parking to assembly will involve walking alongside and crossing a road – parents be aware. There will be a £1 charge to cover FC fees.

In the event of bad weather you may have to be parked up to 3k away. If this is known in advance we will post instructions on www.fvo.org.uk and at Enquiries at the Middle Race.

Assembly

The route to assembly, for most people, will cross the main road please beware of traffic.

The assembly area is limited and based around the finish/download area of the car park. We will be parking cars on all hard standing (please watch out for traffic and keep an eye on the young ones) but the rough ground around the car park can be used for spectating the finish, listening to the PA and eating your tea and cakes post shopping. There will be a catering van, ScotJos tea and cakes stall and the CompassPoint shop.

Tents

We're sorry that due to the compact nature of the area tent space is very limited. Please do not obstruct the PA’s view of the finish.

Commentary

Race commentary will be provided.

Toilets

4 portable toilets are available in the assembly area. There are also ample toilets at the Loch Katrine Car Park en route to the far start.

First Aid

First Aid will be provided by the Trossachs Mountain Rescue Team. They will be located in the assembly area. The nearest hospital is Forth Valley Royal Hospital, Stirling Road, Larbert, FK5 4WR.

Enquiries/Entry on the Day

Entry on the day will be available at Enquiries subject to map availability. This includes a £1 surcharge for late entries. SI cards can be hired for £1 but the full price (£30) will be charged for any lost hired SI card. Competitors on the White and Yellow courses should collect their maps from here before heading for their respective starts.

Terrain

The Trossachs is one of Britain's very best orienteering areas, offering a notable physical and technical challenge with lots of rock and much intricate contour detail on steep slopes. The area has deep heather in places which is very slow going. Marshes and streams can be surprisingly deep in places. There are almost no distinctive paths or tracks, however there are plenty of indistinct deer trails which are of course not mapped but which offer better running.

There are many dangerous crags in the area, please take care. In particular there is a dangerous crag immediately to the right of the run-in from the final control on some courses.

The course lengths reflect the nature of the terrain: despite the shorter than normal lengths, courses have been planned with the guideline winning times in mind. For the elites the M21 course is expected to be won in over 90 minutes. For the M18/M20 and W21 course the winning time should be over 70 minutes.

Map

The map was updated by Stirling Surveys in 2010. The scale will be 1:15,000 for the Black and Short Brown 1 course, 1:7,500 for White and 1:10,000 for all other courses, with a contour interval of 5m. All maps will be printed on waterproof paper.

Starts

The Far start is approximately 1.7k from assembly and will be taped from the north end of the car park. The route takes you over a small hill and then you walk alongside the Loch Katrine road (Please keep well in to the verge), past the Pier car park and on a further 200m. The Pier car park has toilets, cafe and shop. Please beware of traffic (including bicycles on the private road alongside Loch Katrine) and obey directions from marshals at all times. The route also passes the manned road crossing for some courses: please give way to competitors on their courses.

The Near Start, for the White Course only, is 50m from the Assembly area - follow the tapes to the Far Start and remember to stop!

Start Times

Start times are from 10:30 till 13:00 hours. Call up will be at minus 3 minutes.

A Pre-O Course will be on offer for the route to the Far Start

After a successful introduction at SOLs in 2012, PreO will be running at SOL2 en route from Assembly to the Far Start. Registration (free) and details of what to do will be at Assembly. Participants should allow an extra 15mins to the Start. PreO offers the opportunity to get your eye in on characteristic features of the terrain prior to your run.

String Course

The String Course is approximately 100m from Assembly Area , follow the tapes for the Far Start and it’s just across the tourist road to Loch Katrine (manned crossing point). The string course area is pretty rough and not suitable for buggies. It is quite a marshy area and may be very wet depending on the weather before the event, please come prepared with wellies etc or expect to get your feet wet. The string goes quite close to the road, for part of the course and although the road is at the top of an embankment, please ensure that unaccompanied children understand that they should not approach the road.

Courses

The following Long distance courses are available:

Class Course Length (km) Climb (m) Map Scale Start
M21 Black 9.7 825 1:15000 Far
M35,M40 Brown 6.8 580 1:15000 Far
M18, M20, W21 Short Brown1 6.8 580 1:15000 Far
M21S, M45, M50 Short Brown 2 5.6 450 1:10000
M16, W18, W20, W35, W40, M35S, M40S, M55, M60 Blue 4.5 320 1:10000 Far
M18S, M20S, W21S, W45, W50, M45S, M50S, M65 Short Blue 4.0 265 1:10000 Far
W16, W35S, W40S, W55, W60, M55S, M60S, M70 Green 2.9 210 1:10000 Far
W18S, W20S, W45S, W50S,W55S, W60S, W65, W70, W80, M65S, M70S, M75, M80 Short Green 2.5 160 1:10000 Far
M &W14, M&W16B Light Green 2.7 165 1:10000 Far
M&W12, M&W14B Orange** 2.3 115 1:10000 Far
M&W10, M&W12B Yellow** 1.8 80 1:10000 Far
Under 10s & W10B White 0.9 40 1:7500 Near

Please Note for White, Yellow and Orange The nature of the terrain means that the White, Yellow and Orange courses are on the technical side. Streamers will be available to help guide competitors where the standard of navigation is considered too technical for the course standard. These streamers will be at roughly 10m intervals on short canes. Please note the course is planned to follow streams and marsh edges in the absence of any paths.

Control Descriptions

Control descriptions will be available at -3 after call up at the start. They will be printed on waterproof paper. For White and Yellow runners please remember to collect theirs (and maps) from Enquiries.

Built-Up Areas

All built up areas, including private houses and the Trossachs Pier complex are marked with the purple Out of Bounds symbol and should be avoided.

Road Crossing Points

The Yellow to Blue courses cross the A821 at a mandatory crossing point. Red/White streamers will guide competitors. The Black and various Brown courses have no mandatory crossing but we advise against running on the main road itself - where this is explicitly forbidden it is indicated with purple crosses (the Forbidden Route Symbol).

Finish/Download

Finish and download are in the assembly area. Please remember to download, even if you do not complete the course. Water will NOT be available at the finish.

Leg/Split removal

In the event of an issue being found with a control site (or sites) the organisers reserve the right to exclude one or more leg splits from the final result times.

Safety

Competitors take part at their own risk and are responsible for their own safety. Whistles should be carried. In the event of bad weather, cagoules may be compulsory and a notice will be placed at Enquiries, please check before heading to your start. Please be considerate of other users of the forest, car parks and Loch Katrine Pier.

UKOL

This event is Race 4 of the UK Orienteering League 2013 and Scottish Orienteering League Race 2.

Prize Giving

There will be prizes for the top 3 men and women on the elite courses. The prize giving will be held in assembly as soon as possible.

Officials

Controller: Rob Hickling, Gramp Orienteering Club

Planner: Roger Goddard, FVO

Organiser: Jason Inman, FVO ( email or 07967 976059)

In the Area

The Loch Katrine Pier is obviously a good place to visit if you have time. There are ferries across the loch, cycle hire, a snack kiosk and cafe with wood burning fire. The closed road along the side of the loch is great for family bike trips and buggy strolls (Beware the trip back from ferry at the far end is very undulating!). At Brig O’Turk there’s a lovely pub and also a cafe. At Kilmahog there is a touristy place on the junction and also the Lade Inn – great dining and real ales. Callander has a swimming pool and a good play park to the north end of town by the river. If the weather is a good a trip over the Dukes Pass to Aberfoyle is worth it – The David Marshall Lodge FC Visitor Centre is undergoing a refurb at the moment but there is a mini-lodge and cafe open on site. Go-Ape should be open and the waterfall walk is a nice pleasant stroll. Aberfoyle, like Callander is tourist hotspot with plenty of pubs and cafes.

Thanks

Many thanks to the Forestry Commission, Cowal & Trossachs District, for their help in putting on this race.

Officials

Controller: Rob Hickling, Gramp Orienteering Club

Planner: Roger Goddard, FVO

Organiser: Jason Inman email or 07967 976059