Highwoods Country ParkSun 28 Jan

Colour coded White - Blue

Regional level event

Explanation of Event levels

Local events are usually low key and in the 'localised' area, ideal for newcomers to try the sport and Training events are non competitive and used for training and coaching, aimed at members of the club, but they can attract people from neighbouring clubs, and are often ideal for newcomers to try the sport. Regional events attract participants from around the local Region, National events are high quality competitions that will attract people from far away, Major events are Major Events such as a British Championships.

Terrain type: Parkland & Woodland

Results

• Results are now final
• Routegadget available here

Report

Organiser's Comments

Thank you to everyone that helped with the event; life is made so much easier by lots of willing volunteers. It was good to see so many juniors competing, as well as some adults that hadn’t run for a few years. Chris and Dean did a fantastic job maximising the potential of the area. Hopefully the fine weather compensated for the ubiquitous layer of mud and everyone enjoyed themselves.

Marc Own

Planner’s Report

Highwoods is an interesting area with varied terrain so I hope it proved an enjoyable experience for our enthusiastic participants, even if it did mean getting caked in mud. At least the weather was kind to us. Not too tricky I hope, but for updating the map it was quite a task to keep abreast of all the vegetation and path changes.
Lots of people to thank. Dean who helped me set out the controls in the pitch black on Saturday evening and then had to get up at some unearthly hour to help on Sunday morning, Mike Bickle of WAOC as Controller, who offered some invaluable guidance and useful tips in refining the courses and map presentation, Marc Owen who directed overall operations in great detail, and all the other members of the crew who killed the gremlins in the lap tops, and the many others who helped to keep the show on the road.

Chris Childs

Last updated: Mon 26 February, 2024

Overview

Regional Colour coded (Level C) White - Blue incorporating Essex & Suffolk Schools League (ESSOL)
Highwoods Country Park is a mixture of woodland and open grass land with some meadows and a lake.

Location Info

Near: Colchester
Lat,Lng: 51.90434,0.91941
Postcode: CO4 9ED

Open an interactive map in:
GoogleMap - OpenStreetMap - BingMap (OS 50k)

Directions / Parking

Parking at Tesco Extra, Highwoods, Colchester, CO4 9ED.
Grid Ref: TM 009 274 W3W ///crate.sprint.panic
The Tesco store is signposted from the junction of the A1232 (Ipswich Road) and Highwoods Approach at The Rovers Tye pub.

NB. Free parking is available for up to 3 hours at the Tesco store and has been agreed by the store manager. There is a £70 penalty for exceeding this duration. If you really cannot avoid being longer than 3 hours you can register your car beforehand inside the store at the Customer Services Counter.

Please park at the far end of the car park (south end) where a marshal will be positioned to direct you.

The walk from Tesco to the Enquiries Point and Start is about 1km and should take less than 15 minutes.
Follow the route along Eastwood Avenue and Chanterelle marked with tape, fixed to street furniture, trees etc. Car keys can be left at the Enquiries Point.

Enquiries and Start will be located just beyond the Chanterelle Car Park. The Chantrelle car park will not be available for parking by competitors.

Public transport should be available via Colchester North railway station, then the number 8 bus.

Map / Terrain

1:10,000, 5m contours for Blue, Green, Short Green, Light Green and Orange courses
1:7,500, 5m contours for Orange Yellow & White courses
Maps printed on waterproof paper.
Control descriptions are printed on the map and separate loose descriptions will also be available.
The various Out of Bounds areas must be respected to ensure continued use of the woods

Course Information

SI electronic punching will be used, with SIAC enabled.

Blue 7.2k 27 controls
Green 5.1k 18 controls
Short Green 3.5k 14 controls
Light Green 3.3k 13 controls
Orange 3.1k 14 controls
Yellow 2.7k 12 controls
White 1.5k 12 controls

Guidance for beginners will be available from the Enquiries Point.

Entry Details

From 9th December:
Members of British Orienteering
Senior: £8.00
Junior/Student: £3.00 (Juniors are under 21 on race day)
From Friday 26th January (Late entries):
Members of British Orienteering
Senior: £10.00
Junior/Student: £4.00 (Juniors are under 21 on race day)
Unaffiliated runners £2 surcharge Seniors £1.00 surcharge Juniors

SI card (dibber) hire £1. Hired dibbers will be available for collection from the Enquiries Point. Please note a charge of £30 will be levied if a hired SI card is lost. SIACs are not available for hire.

Registration and Start times

Entry via Racesignup.co.uk

Online entries available from 10:00am 9th December
Closing date for entries Saturday 27th January 12:00 noon.
Late entries from Friday 26th January and entries on the day may be available but will be subject to map availability and a surcharge.

The following maps are available for entry on day

Blue 4
Green 4
Short Green 4
Light Green 3
Orange 3
Yellow 3
White 4

Starts will be between 10.30 and 12.30 and will not be pre-allocated.
ESSOL competitors from the same school (that are not running as a pair) must leave 4 minutes between each departure.

Courses close at 14:30. You must report to download even if you retire to ensure all participants are accounted for.

As a condition of entry please read the important safety information Highwoods Details V7

Final details available here

Facilities

There is a café and toilets at the Tesco store and at the Visitor Centre in the car park off Turner Road.
Drinking water will not be provided as part of the event.

Contacts / Officials

Organiser – Marc Owen
Planner – Chris Childs (SOS)
Controller - Mike Bickle (WAOC)

Nearest A&E Hospital

Colchester Hospital, Turner Road, CO4 5JL
NHS Urgent care search

Safety Notes

First Aid facilities will be available at the Enquiries Point.
The closest publicly accessible defibrillator in the Tesco store.

If you have a medical condition that we need to know about please download, print, and complete a medical form. Place the form in a sealed envelope with associated medicine, and write your name clearly on the outside. Prior to commencing the event, hand this to the Enquiries Point in the assembly area where the First Aiders will keep it in confidence. It can be collected unopened at the end of the event. Medical forms can be downloaded using this link.

Please do not attend this event if you are showing any signs or symptoms of COVID.

Full leg cover and carrying a whistle are strongly advised. In the event of particularly inclement weather, wearing a jacket may also be necessary. Mobile phones may be carried for emergency use. Please ensure that your clothing and footwear is appropriate for the time of year, terrain and anticipated weather conditions.

A detailed risk assessment has been completed by the organiser, however entry into this event is at your own risk.

It will be necessary to cross roads when travelling between the Tesco car park and the assembly area. Those aged under 16 should be accompanied by an adult when making this journey.

Miscellaneous

Bags can be left at the Enquiries Point. The Start will be approximately 80 metres away.

The event has been subsidised by a grant from Active Essex. It would be appreciated if any participants with an Essex postcode could complete their questionnaire, linked here, choosing “orienteering” in the second drop down box.