Heyshott & Ambersham CommonsSun 29 Oct, 2023
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. Training are non competitive events 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: Woodland
Results
Report
The lost property is found.
Organisers' comments
Firstly our congratulations to all those who braved the weather and even thought of getting out of bed to orienteer on such a day!
Though there was a 'Flood Alert - be prepared' warning in place, it hadn't been upgraded to 'Flood Warning - flooding expected'. That upgrade only happened at 14:43, by which time the road had been under water for about 6 hours!
Helen arrived and signed from Selham at 7.30 at which time the road, though wet, was passable without problem. Obviously with the heavy, persistent rain that situation rapidly deteriorated. By late afternoon we were unable to approach Selham from any direction to collect our signs.
The problem was compounded by our well-intended (but in retrospect poor) decision not to publish the exact location in order to keep traffic away from some of the very narrow lanes in the area. Most found alternative routes to the event and we apologise to those who didn't make it. We shall be giving you a credit in your Racesignup account (usable on any future GO event).
Ultimately, in spite of the spread-out nature of the event and our rather small team of helpers, the actual event ran smoothly enough. The bedraggled line of runners who made their way back to download seemed cheery enough and many said how much they had enjoyed their courses.
We hope that you all got home safely!
Helen and Jeremy
Planner's comments
On Sunday, every one of you had my admiration as you set out into the forest in the torrential rain. These were not conditions that I'd envisaged when planning the courses in sunny September!
I aimed to set challenging courses that made best use of the most runnable parts of the area. Whilst Heyshott and Ambersham is a great area, vegetation has grown significantly since we last used the terrain (JK MIddle Distance 2017). In the areas of high bracken, I tried to choose sites where, despite the bracken, you would still be able to navigate to the feature and thus find the control. Only you can judge if I was successful in delivering this aim.
My congratulations to every finisher, as the courses proved to be significantly tougher than I'd intended. I hope that the challenge of completing your course was worth the challenge of getting through the floods to the event!
Pete Couldery
Controller's comments
A few weeks prior to the event my main concerns were that there was significant thinning / timber extraction taking place in the south-west of the area, while the mapper was already abroad and the planner was about to be. I think we managed to include all the most significant updates to the map, although in places the vegetation could probably do with some more work.
The GO organisation ran smoothly, with just a small team. It was good to have parking to the west of the area, so that the shorter courses could cover different terrain from JK2017, and everyone could experience the area east of the road. My main input on the planning side was around the Yellow and Orange, with the longer courses needing little amendment from Pete's drafts. He tried to give everyone a mix of terrain, including all the better parts.
Until 10 days before the event most of the marshes and ditches really were dry, as it says in the Final details! But you all know what it was like on the day .... One good thing about 10 days of rain was that the bracken had died down a lot, so getting through it was a bit easier. From the comments at download most people appreciated their course, and many said (perhaps slightly wryly) that they enjoyed their day!
Alan Wallis (SN)
Overview
Colour coded courses: Brown, Blue, Green, Light Green, Orange, Yellow and White
Location Info
/-0.67004,50.97880,12/500x400?access_token=pk.eyJ1IjoicGF1bGZyb3N0IiwiYSI6ImNrb3gwYndwbDBhNjMyb3Q2cTAzajhzbjQifQ.s1B_G4dqnxOBH83Gv9EBmw)
Near: Midhurst Lat,Lng: 50.97880,-0.67004 Postcode: GU28 0PL What3Words: ///affair.scoping.trickling
Open an interactive map in: GoogleMaps - AppleMaps - OpenStreetMap - BingMap (OS 50k)
Directions / Parking
Cars should approach from the A272, turning south at W3W ///affair.scoping.trickling. The route will be signposted from Selham.
Those coming from the south, through Cocking, may get to Selham by turning east off the A286 at W3W ///uttering.flagged.walking.
All other approaches are very much discouraged owing to the single-track roads which suffer serious delays with heavier traffic.
Map / Terrain
Natural heathland with some intricate areas. Heyshott and Ambersham Commons were used for the JK in 2017.
Entry Details
Senior: £10 (£12 if not BOF member)
Senior on courses White, Yellow, Orange: £7
Junior/Student: £6 (£7 if not BOF member)
Hire of dibber (normal dibber only not contactless): £1
From 23rd October, late entry fees are:
Senior: £2 extra
Junior/Student: £1 extra
Juniors are under 21 on 31/12/23
Registration and Start times
Start times from 10am to 12:15.
Online entry till noon on the day of the event. Cash-only entry on the day will also be available, subject to map availability.
Facilities
Toilets at the event centre
Dog restrictions
Well-behaved dogs, on a lead in the assembly and start areas please.
Contacts / Officials
organiser at guildfordorienteers.co.uk (Jeremy Wilde and Helen Rivers)