SOG A6Inholmes WoodSat 27 November, 2021

Report

All results now posted.

Despite the dire weather forecast and Storm Arwen it did not turn out too bad and did not put too many off that had pre-entered.

As some of you will be aware as well as planning this event I was also organising it for Chichester District Scouts and Cubs and 29 teams turned up. I am not sure if I will try and do both jobs again.

I had several visits up to Inholmes during the autumn, mainly on my way back from Army orienteering events and saw it change through the early autumn and being up there in shorts and T-shirt to the day itself when the leaves were stripped from the trees and it was very cold and windy.

I was lucky enough to be able to put out the stakes and kites on Friday afternoon which made the job Saturday morning much easier.

I hope you enjoyed the courses, once you found the location. It really is in the back of beyond. It was a very long time ago that I last planned. Mike Gammon was my armchair controller and his guidance certainly improved the original courses I had planned. I tried to avoid the worst of the brambles and also to encourage direct line approaches to the controls on the more technical courses. The times were fast! My apologies for the incorrect siting of control 96 on blue and green with it on the adjoining feature but easy to spot so results were not amended. I must do better next time! Despite this I did have some positive feedback from competitors.

My thanks to the club for letting the district cubs and scouts take part and to the encouragement given for them to do so; to Karen for her persistence in getting the land permit conditions simplified, to Steve Blount for behind the scenes guidance, the SI team in particular for processing the changes to the cub and scout entries, the three control collectors, Andy, Gary and Mike T , Barrie and Sue for their help on the start and my fellow scout active support members, group scout leader and cub scout leader who did the car parking and shuttled cubs and scouts from Stoughton Down Car Park to Inholmes Wood to make it easier for you to park.

Andy and Gary stayed even longer after collecting controls in to help find the back up controls at start and finish which had been buried under the leaves that had fallen during the event.

Michael Merritt

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.

Location Info

Nearest town: Stoughton

• Postcode: PO18 9JG *
• Lat,Lng:50.89566,-0.86763
• Grid Ref: SU812131
• 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

Before attending any orienteering activity, orienteers, including
officials, volunteers and coaches, should self-assess for symptoms
of COVID-19. These are:
- A high temperature
- A new, continuous cough
- A loss of, or change to, your sense of smell or taste
If you, or anyone you live with, have one or more of these symptoms
you should not attend any sporting activity, even if your symptoms
are mild.

Nearest Postcode:PO18 9JG (Wildham Barn)
What3Words: laces,holdings,acre
Grid: SU 812131
Park as directed by marshals on forestry track – beware loose gravel and leaves; registration etc at top of hill. Parking could be tight as scout and cub event as well so please share if possible.

Public Transport

None suitable

Course Information

Yellow 1.5km climb 30m
Orange 2.6km climb 35m
Green 4.0km climb 55m
Blue 6.3km climb 95m

Entry Details

SO/BOF members: Seniors £5.00, Juniors £2.50, SO Juniors free (use discount code SOjuniors).

Non members: Seniors £7.00, Juniors £2.50

'Dibber' hire: Electronic punching (SI) chips are available to hire. SIAC (contactless): £2 (£1 Juniors), non-SIAC (not contactless) £1 (50p juniors)

Online entry only via racesignup

Registration open

9:45 to 10:45

Start Times

10:00 to 11:00. Courses close at 12:30.

Map Details

1:7,500, April 2018 with minor updates to October 2021

Terrain Description

Woodland with network of tracks, rides and earthbanks, with low brambles in places. Some minor paths not mapped

Facilities

None

No key drop.
Please bring your own water to ensure adequate hydration.

Miscellaneous

Safety bearing If south of main track, northwards, and if north of itsouthwards to main track – then head NE

Please:
- Adhere to the British Orienteering Code of Conduct.
- Allow others to social distance if they wish to do so.
- Avoid touching the start, finish and control units.
- Move away briskly from the start and all controls.
- Take time to recover before making your way to download.

Contacts / Officials

Planner: Michael Merritt

Organiser:

Controller: