Peter Palmer Relays Broadstone Warren and North Ashdown Sun 13 September, 2026

Report

Check out some great photos from the event.

Planner's Report by Steve Jarvis:

When it became evident less than 2 months ago that our original venue for this event wasn't going to be possible, the hunt for an alternative with accommodation threw up Broadstone Warren as a possibility, but (having planned events there for over 40 years) I was sceptical the area would be suitable in September due to bracken and other summer growth.

With no other venue options identified and not wishing to cancel the event, Anna (Organiser), Neil (mapper) and myself had an exploratory visit to see whether it may be possible to use Broadstone. We were able to identify corridors which avoided the bracken, but the trade off was there was often bramble instead.

But we had a very outdated (and mainly white) map showing Broadstone in winter/spring conditions and it was evident that a significant remap was necessary in a fast reducing timescale. Neil worked wonders to update the map and also stepped up to Control the event.

On the day there were some very impressive times, it's just a shame there weren't more teams there to enjoy it - hopefully that is something that can be addressed.

Delivering this event was a real team effort, in addition to Neil & Anna who have worked tirelessly on many aspects of this event over recent weeks, I'd like to thank Tim & Julia for help setting out the controls, Joe & Penny in the SI tent, Steve, Jill and Ben for assistance gathering everything back in and the army of other helpers involved with the event.

And Thank-you for all your kind words, it's always appreciated, and hope you all have an enjoyable and successful start to the new O season.

Organiser's Report by Anna Chapman:

Back in February this year it looked like there was going to be another year without the Peter Palmer Relays. SO were originally due to be hosting it in 2027. Recognising the value of this event to our own juniors, the Club Committee made the decision to step forward in March and rapidly fill the gap and I offered to organise it, having experienced a number of these events as part of the support team for the SO Junior Squad.

Tilgate was our first choice, having hosted a previous YBT final and Harvester race there. My first challenge was to get the accommodation sorted out. This proved the biggest headache. The ideal sports centre venue was already booked; all the schools I tried wouldn't allow overnight stays due to safeguarding issues and the local Council also wouldn't allow overnight stays in the Recreation Huts. This is what led to the change in venue to somewhere that I knew could accommodate us, albeit at a more costly rate and with a combination of camping and indoor accommodation.

I thought the venue worked really well. There was plenty of parking, the large field provided the ideal games area, the well-equipped kitchen meant that we could provide a meal for everyone and the camping and arena were all very close to each other. It was lovely walking over to the field in the early evening and seeing lots of juniors playing different games or just sitting and catching up with each other.

The only slight dampener was that due to it being a Scout Camp we had to keep quiet up until 7:30am. I would have liked to have had some music going in the morning, but thought there was too much of a risk of upsetting the on-site staff.

We were keen to provide some spectator value, so introduced the loop to enable everyone to see how their team was doing. A special mention goes to Peter Chapman for building a very robust bridge out of scraps. This enabled our juniors to sprint into the changeover area, without risk of an injury crossing the ditch.

The timing of this event (just after the Summer holidays) can make it very difficult to organise at the last minute and difficult for Team Managers to tie down availability of team members. I appreciated all the supportive and kind comments from the other Team Managers.

Most of my role was in the admin leading up to the event and on the day a lot of the work was delegated to the amazing team of talented people that make up Southdowns Orienteers. My thanks go to Steve J and Neil for making the courses work in this area and Karen for drafting the Event Safety Plans, being on the day Safety Officer and her thousands of tea lights; Will, Kate and Pete for providing an amazing meal; Bea and Kasia for managing the lodge on both days; Rob for providing the Volleyball and the photos; Ian for keeping things safe on the campsite; Bea for helping to organise our team; Joe and Penny for SI and Steve B and Jill for map issue; Emily and Lucas for helping with set up and take down. Finally, a big thanks to Emma for solving the who goes where puzzle and helping set up the arena and take everything down again, Peter for doing all the jobs I asked him to do and Ben for welcoming people to the campsite and helping to pack down.

RouteGadget

Is a web app for sharing and comparing orienteering routes. You can draw your own route or upload a GPS track from your watch. It also allows you to watch an animated replay with a simulated mass start.

Pre event info

Welcome to Ashdown Forest for the classic Peter Palmer Junior Team Relay. Come and enjoy the atmosphere when dawn breaks!
There’s a choice of the epic 6 leg Peter Palmer Relay or the 4 leg Daybreak Bowl. The 6 leg relay starts in the dark and the 4 leg relay starts at the crack of dawn.

There are courses from yellow to green for all juniors aged M/W12 to M/W18.

FINAL DETAILS RELEASED 6TH SEPT 2026

The event will be run according to British Orientering rules.

Please direct any enquiries to Anna Chapman.

Location Info

Nearest town: East Grinstead

• Postcode: RH18 5JS *
• Lat,Lng: 51.07805,0.02781
• Grid Ref:
• Google Map
• Streetmap (OS 50k)
• Bing Map (OS 50k)
• OpenStreetMap

* Postcodes are not very precise in some areas, so don't rely on them for an exact location.

Directions / Parking

Broadstone Warren is off the A22 about 1km south of Forest Row. The entrance is well signposted at w3w///movements.coasted.piglet Postcode is RH18 5JS.

Those camping will park in the main car park and those staying in indoor accommodation will check in at the teepee and then drive around to the back of the accommodation block.

Course Information

Peter Palmer Team Relay:

Lap 1 Red 4.8km/4.7km 160m climb, 18 controls, gaffled

Lap 2 Red 4.8km/4.7km 160m climb, 18 controls, gaffled

Lap 3 Light Green 4.3km 155 climb, 19 controls, gaffled

Lap 4 Orange 3.0km 140m climb, 14 controls, non-gaffled

Lap 5 Yellow 2.2km 90m climb Yellow, 10 controls, non-gaffled

Lap 6 Green 5.6km 205m climb, 26 controls, gaffled

Daybreak Bowl course details:

Lap 1 Red 4.8km/4.7km 160m climb, 18 controls, gaffled

Lap 2 Orange 3.0km 140m climb, 14 controls, non-gaffled

Lap 3 Yellow 2.2km 90m climb Yellow, 10 controls, non-gaffled

Lap 4 Red 4.8km/4.7km 160m climb, 18 controls, gaffled

Entry Details

Juniors in the age groups M/W12 to M/W18 are eligible for this event.

Entry fees are based on £21 per competitor and £13 per supervising adult.

Team entries are now closed Racesignup

Team declarations will need to be made to the organiser by 23:59 on Wednesday 9th September with minimal changes up until 8pm on Friday 11th September.

Start Times

Peter Palmer Relay 5am Daybreak Bowl 6:30am

Map Details

1:7,500 with 5m contours

Terrain Description

Most courses will be located within the Scout Camp which is forested with a good path network. The Green course will head out onto Ashdown Forest which contains a network of grassy rides and heathland.

Facilities

Broadstone Warren is a well equipped campsite, which is generally quiet at this time of year. We've currently reserved some indoor accommodation and a large camping area. There are plenty of toilets and drinking water taps on site.

Miscellaneous

Trophies
There are three Trophies to be presented for the Peter Palmer Junior Team Relay:

• Peter Palmer Trophy - all team members from the same club.
• Joan George Trophy - all team members from the same club, combined British
Orienteering ages to total 90 or less.
• Norwich Orienteering Club Anniversary Trophy - all team members either
i) from the same ‘small club', or
ii) from two 'small clubs' forming a combined team

The Daybreak Bowl is a separate race with its own trophy.

Acknowledgements
We are grateful to Scout Adventures, operated by The Scout Association and the Conservators of Ashdown Forest for permission to hold the event.

Conservation of Ashdown Forest
Ashdown Forest, as many of you will know, is a very special place. It is managed by the Board of Conservators of Ashdown Forest, an independent body. In recognition of the ecological importance of Ashdown Forest and to ensure its protection, it is designated as a European Natura 2000 site and as a Site of Special Scientific Interest under UK legislation. Ashdown Forest is also within the High Weald Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty.

The Conservators have duties laid down by statute which include the following:
To regulate and manage the forest as an amenity and place of resort
To conserve it as a quiet and natural area of outstanding beauty

The Conservators are keen to raise the public’s (and hence our) awareness of their legal duty and, within this, their aim of balancing the interests of all users of the forest.

Contacts / Officials

Planner: Steve Jarvis

Organiser: Anna Chapman [email protected]

Controller / Event Adviser: Neil Crickmore