Gravetye & YBT/S HeatSun 17 March, 2024

Report

Planners Comments. Thank you for coming out and braving the weather. Unfortunately for everyone, Gravetye and water don’t go so well! The woodland is much less slippy without the rain and I imagine that drier conditions would have resulted in faster times and a more enjoyable experience for everyone. At the best of times Gravetye is a very physical run - personally I enjoy this sort of gnarly orienteering but understand that it might not be for all. With this in mind I tried to channel runners through the best the woods had to offer. Having now planned on Gravetye twice, I very much look forward to seeing what a different planner can produce at the next event.

A big massive thank you to the most amazing Organiser Kate and her merry team of helpers. Thanks also to Steve for being the most solid and reliable Controller who shared his ideas constructively and contributed to the bettering of the courses. Will Heap

Controllers Comments. Gravetye is rough and tough at the best of times, even without underfoot conditions as wet / muddy as they were today. A couple of weeks ago this event hung in the balance as the car park was almost unusable. Fortunately the surface was then scraped and it was game on, albeit with reduced capacity.

Will spent several months almost completely revising his original map from 2021 and it felt very accurate when checking control sites. Will's courses were physically tough and deliberately slightly shorter than usual and other than minor tweaks, there was very little that I felt needed changing. Kate (supported by Di) was a fantastic organiser and always had everything covered.

It was great to see all the happy smiling youngsters from the four clubs (SO, TVOC, DFOK & MV) competing in the regional heat of the Yvette Baker Trophy / Shield. Both competitions were very close and congratulations go to SO in the Trophy, DFOK & MV in a Shield draw, for booking their places in the final (to be hosted by HH) in July. Steve Jarvis

Organisers Comments. Firstly and most importantly, a HUGE thank you to all the amazing volunteers that made a very rain-sodden event such a great success! In the mud-fest car park - Julia, Joe, Einar, Hal and Mark S and in the assembly car park Mark C and Mark S; on the road-crossing - David W, Kathleen, Tim, Clive, David Y and Amaryllis; driveway marshalls - Samantha, Toby and Ed; on the start - Di, Tommy and Scarlet; on newcomers assistance - Mike T; control collectors - Garry, Alan, Chris, Little Dave, Sarah, Scarlet and Tommy; the awesome Si team - Joe, Les, Penny, Paul and Mike R; the map printer extraordinaire - Mike G and lastly, the reserve volunteers who were on standby to help - Neil, Cliff, John, Simon, Robin, Ian and James. It was fantastic to get so many offers of help and to see lots of new volunteer faces - THANK YOU :)

I hope everyone enjoyed a hot drink and some cake courtesy of our local Explorers - a welcome sight after slipping around the forest. I'm sorry we couldn't arrange better weather but despite the rain, things seemed to run pretty smoothly. No major issues, just a couple of items of lost property - an Osprey rucksack cover and some waterproof trousers. Please get in touch if these are yours so we can arrange a reunion. Kate Turner

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

This regional event incorporates the South East qualifying heat for the Yvette Baker Trophy/Shield competition for junior club teams.

Location Info

Nearest town: Turners Hill

• Postcode: RH19 4LL *
• Lat,Lng:51.09125,-0.05958
• Grid Ref: TQ359349
• 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

Due to recent heavy rain the entrance track and car park are extremely muddy and not suitable for very low-slung vehicles. Parking is really tight as some of the car park is now too muddy to use - please car share wherever possible.

Entrance to the car park is on the west side of Vowels Lane.

What3Words twinkled.tabs.annoys

Grid reference TQ359349

Nearest post code RH19 4LL

Take care when turning off the road onto the track - there will be a taped pedestrian route to/from the start alongside the track. Continue 300m and park as directed by marshals.

The entrance track is one way. No exit from the car park before 12pm.

Do not climb on the log stacks in the car park.

Public Transport

Nearest train station is East Grinstead – 3 miles, 20 minutes cycle.

Course Information

YBT/S Courses

• YBT/S Green - 4km / 115m / 16 controls
• YBT/S Light Green - 3.1km / 85m / 16 controls
• YBT/S Orange - 2.4km / 70m / 12 controls
• YBT/S Yellow - 2km / 55m / 11 controls

Regional Courses

• Brown - 8.6km / 240m / 27 controls
• Blue - 5.9km / 180m / 23 controls
• Short Blue - 4.8km / 160m / 21 controls
• Green - 4km / 115m / 16 controls
• Short Green - 3.4km / 90m / 15 controls
• Light Green - 3.1km / 85m / 16 controls
• Orange - 2.4km / 70m / 12 controls
• Yellow - 2km / 55m / 11 controls
• White - 1.4km / 35m / 10 controls

400m flat walk from the main car park to assembly. Start and finish are adjacent to assembly. Exit the SE corner of the car park and follow the marked route against oncoming traffic. The route crosses Vowels Lane which carries fast moving traffic. Please cross as directed by marshals. Recommend juniors under 16 are accompanied by an adult.

Control descriptions available in the start boxes.

Controls will be enabled for Si contactless swiping except for the start and finish boxes which must be punched.

Safety bearing is NW until you reach Vowels Lane then SW to assembly. Do not walk on the road.

Please report to download even if you do not finish your course.

Full leg cover compulsory for all. Gaiters/bramble bashers recommended. Whistles recommended. Footwear suitable for weather conditions. Cagoules may be required.

Entry Details

Pre-entry via Racesignup. There will be no entry on the day.

By 23:59 10th March

Seniors: BOF members £12 / non-members £14

All YBT/S regional heat entries - please discuss with your team captain. See more details below.

By 23:59 15th March (subject to map availability)

Seniors: BOF members £14 / non-members £16

Non-YBT/S juniors: £6 (SO juniors free - use code to enter)

NB: Novice seniors can enter an Orange, Yellow or White course for a reduced fee of £8.

Dibber hire

Standard SI-card: Seniors £1 / Juniors 50p

SIAC: Seniors £2 / Juniors £1

Registration

No entry on the day. Please collect pre-hired dibbers from the Si tent.

Start Times

From 10.30am - 12:30pm. Courses close 2:30pm

Map Details

A4 map. Double-sided on Brown only. 1:10000 with 5m contours on Brown, Blue and Short Blue. 1:7500 with 5m contours on all other courses. No legend on the map. Power lines are not mapped. Survey and cartography by Will Heap Nov 2021 with map updates Jan 2024.

Terrain Description

Gravetye Estate comprises a mix of working forest with reasonable runnability in most areas. Recent forestry work means the area has improved for orienteering and at this time of year, it doesn't get any better. The area is undulating throughout with evidence of historic ground workings. Some areas have low-level Pendulous sedge and long, whippy brambles which are generally easy to pass through, but the going is physical. Woodland is often edged by brambles but you never have to travel far to find a gap. Fields are often edged with a single strand of barbed wire, sometimes found on the ground - these ruined fences are easily crossable and shouldn't represent a barrier when planning your route. After recent heavy rain, many pits are full of water.

Dog restrictions

Dogs allowed on courses, but must be on a lead - landowner request. Please clean up after your dog.

Facilities

Enquiries, first aid and download in assembly.

Toilets in the main car park only. No toilets in assembly or at the start.

Refreshments available in the main car park. All proceeds to Scouts Explorers.

Miscellaneous

Yvette Baker Trophy and Shield (YBT/S) Competitions

This qualifying round for the inter-club Yvette Baker Trophy and Shield will be run in accordance with British Orienteering’s Competition Rules.

Entry to this qualifying round is not limited to clubs within the South East Orienteering Association (SEOA); it is open to all clubs that want to participate.

The Yvette Baker Shield competition is for smaller clubs. British Orienteering determine which clubs are eligible to take part in the Shield competition and publish this information on their website. The Trophy and Shield competitions are treated as entirely separate competitions taking place at the same event.

All competitors must be Juniors in age classes M/W18 or under. Eligibility for each course is defined within the Competition Rules document. Anyone competing on a course for which they are not eligible will be disqualified.

The courses used for both Trophy and Shield are Yellow, Orange, Light Green and Green. Men and women are scored separately on each of the 4 courses, giving 8 classes in total. Competitors from the same club on the same course must start at least 4 minutes apart.

For the Shield Competition, each club counts its 5 highest scorers from across all 8 classes to produce its total points (subject to certain maximum limits). For the Trophy Competition, each club counts its 9 highest scores from across all 8 classes to produce its total points (subject to certain maximum limits).

Any club team that wants to compete in the Yvette Baker Trophy or Shield competitions for juniors at this event must contact the event organiser via juniorteam@southdowns-orienteers.org.uk before midnight on the 3rd March to register their intention to participate (and give contact details of the team manager).

Gravetye Manor was built in 1598. Today it is an award winning hotel and Michelin starred restaurant surrounded by one of the most beautiful gardens in England set in the middle of a 750 acre estate. In 1884, the estate became the home of the great gardener William Robinson (1838 -1935) who laid out the garden we see today, the surrounding woodland, and also built the famous, and unique, oval walled garden. Robinson was the champion of ‘wild gardening’, a concept more popular than ever today. His legacy is fiercely protected by renowned head gardener Tom Coward who in turn works closely with executive chef George Blogg in providing the very best of seasonal food for the restaurant. The gardens can be visited by booking a tour and the estate, with views of the manor, is criss-crossed by public footpaths

Kingscote Vineyard also borders the estate and is well worth visiting - after your run.

Our thanks go to the William Robinson Gravetye Charity and Balcombe Estate for allowing us to run on the Gravetye Estate.

Contacts / Officials

Planner: Will Heap

Organiser: Kate Turner & Di Turner

Controller: Steve Jarvis