Capite and Frenchlands WoodsSun 04 June, 2023

Report

At recent events in this area only the longer courses have ventured south of the open fields into Frenchlands wood. Although parts of Frenchlands have thick undergrowth in June, others are very runnable and there are many beautiful tracts of land. Very few people have the privilege of visiting this part of the private Wiston Estate and it has a strangely remote feel. For a change, therefore, I decided to base the shorter courses here and to give them their own finish in order to avoid dead running.

Simon Ling of MVOC kindly agreed to control this event and I am hugely grateful for his help and advice. Ian Curtis organised everything brilliantly, leaving me with little to do other than putting out the controls with the much appreciated help of Chris and Vince.

Very well done to all who finished, especially those on the yellow and orange courses, both of which were of top difficulty for those categories.

As Euan found at Great Wildgoose, some of the legs weren’t quite as hoped for when planning! A growth spurt is expected in May, but it is difficult to judge just how much the brambles and bracken will proliferate.
Runners on the blue and short green courses had an immediate choice: self-harm or self-preservation. Others had to wait for the chance to shred their kit. On the whole, though, conditions underfoot were better than in recent years.

Would these woods be more runnable in the winter? Not necessarily! Below is the long meadow south of Daylands as seen from Honeybridge Lane, last January and now in June.

Organiser's comments

Thanks to all for coming and to all of the helpers on the day and before. Just about everything went smoothly and we were blessed with fine weather.

I enjoyed working with Neil to bring this event to you. I was able to borrow much of the work that he did as organiser last time around. We had a great walk around the venue on a lovely day back in Feb and Neil shared ideas for the the 2 finishes and the start - the all important interface points between the planner and the organiser.

Simon provided great support and was thorough as controller- even pointing out my spelling and grammar mistakes- nobody likes a cross dual carriageway! Much appreciated.

Derek Crush, the farmer was so enthusiastic and nothing was too much trouble. It was lovely to see him at the venue on Sunday and we look forward to working with him again. If anyone is interested in exploring the area further Derek runs some well appreciated nature tours, some with cream teas… http://www.daylandsfarm.co.uk

I know Neil is sharing thanks with his helpers, so I’ll try to call out others who made the event possible. A big thank you to Simon L, Neil W, Steve J, Steve and Jill B, Ed F, Neil C, Karen A, Mike G, Di T, David M, John M, Gary P, Andy H, Joe, Les, Paul and Penny for SI, John P, Peter D, Lorna L, Amaryllis C, David Y, Garry G, Dave C, Chris H, Coral and James and anyone else I’ve doubtless forgot. They’ve all given up their own time, for which I am really grateful..

Till next time….

Controllers Comments

Thanks to Southdowns for asking me to control this event. It is not an area I have visited before and I was very pleasantly surprised, not least by the wildlife on view and to be heard in the early morning! It does have its drawbacks being quite small, divided into two and having more than its fair share of undergrowth and rough ground. However I though Neil did a great job of fitting the courses into the best bits and many competitors seemed to have enjoyed the experience.

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

Final details now available

Come along to our Regional event and experience running or walking through beautiful Sussex mixed woodland, gently undulating with mostly good runnability. The shorter courses are confined to Frenchlands Wood (south and west of the parking area), the Green, Blue and Brown courses cross open farmland to link with Capite Wood to the North.

Location Info

Nearest town: Ashington

• Postcode: BN44 3AW *
• Lat,Lng:50.94592,-0.35193
• Grid Ref: TQ158176
• 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

What3Words encoded.evoked.rave (Entrance to Daylands Farm)

Parking as directed by marshals at Daylands Farm. Approach from the A24 at The Old Barn Nursery, signed to Ashurst, and NOT from Ashurst village. This minor road is Honeybridge Lane and the entrance to the farm will be signed after 1.4 km

Due to the narrow approach track PLEASE ARRIVE BY 11.30 am AND NO DEPARTURE BEFORE 11.30 am

Public Transport

Perryland farm bus stop (2.4km walk) #23 infrequent MetroBuses between Crawley and Worthing (i.e. roughly two hour intervals on Sunday). Busy A24 dual carriageway to get cross – take extreme care

Course Information

Course details as follows:

White 1.4k 15m climb

Yellow 2.3k, 30m climb

Orange 2.9k, 40m climb

S. Green 3.5k, 75m climb (suitable for Light Green competitors)

Green 4.9k, 100m climb

Blue 6.8k, 125m climb

Short Brown 8.1k, 140m climb

Participants in orienteering must wear appropriate clothing including full leg cover (not shorts). This is a standard rule of the sport to minimise the transmission of blood borne parasites. Activities in cold weather or poor conditions require layered clothing with a windproof and/or waterproof shell garment.

Entry Details

Online entries only via Racesignup.co.uk.

Newcomers are welcome and eligible for a free trial session - if you'd like to reserve a map or discuss the event please email our membership secretary.

There will be no entry on the day.

Seniors: £14 Juniors: £5, SO Juniors free using the regular code

SI-card hire £1 (£0.5 for juniors) or £2 (£1) for a SIAC to allow contactless punching

Registration

Hired dibbers can be collected from 9.45am

Start Times

From 10-12 (no allocated start times), courses close 2pm

Map Details

1:10,000, 5m contours, surveyed by Mike Gammon 2013-14 with updates by Chris Hooker April 2022

Terrain Description

Beautiful Sussex mixed woodland, gently undulating with mostly good runnabitity. The shorter courses are confined to Frenchlands Wood (south and west of the parking area), the Green, Blue and Brown courses cross open farmland to link with Capite Wood to the North

Dog restrictions

Sorry no dogs allowed on this working farm.

Facilities

Toilets will be available near to the parking area

No water, please remember to bring adequate supplies.

Miscellaneous

All units will be enabled for contactless punching.
Check for ticks after running and be aware that adders are present in the area. Give any livestock a wide berth.
Safety bearing: If in Capite Wood head South to the open fields, if in Frenchlands Wood head North-East.
First aider will be present during competition times
Results: Should be available later the same day on the SO website
Refreshements: None at the event, but you are very welcome to bring a picnic. There is a good tea room at The Old Barn garden centre and nice pubs that serve food in Dial Post (The Crown) and Ashurst (the Fountain), Shipley (The Countryman)

If you are able to volunteer to help please email the organiser

Contacts / Officials

Planner: Neil Watts

Organiser: Ian Curtis

Controller: Simon Ling