North Ashdown KNCThu 02 March, 2023

Near: Forest Row
Level of event: Local
Type of event: Race, Night, Score

Results

Report

Thank you all for coming along for some chilly night fun on North Ashdown Forest. Planning wise, using the largest car park towards the west of the map dictated the start and finish locations. It was then much thinking regarding the narrow area early on, having optional loop lengths to suit different abilities and linking the two areas with a safe road crossing.

I was grateful for the dry and sunny afternoon to get set up, the highlight of which was getting to see a herd of about 20 deer roaming through the forest. The lowlight was having to fill and remove a sack full of discarded, very very strange paraphernalia from the woods on the way to 79!

There seemed to be plenty of smiles at download and it was good to have a chance to speak with many of you for some post race analysis. The key to achieving a good score was to work across the gradient on the north side of the road. Well done to Nick and Tommy who both scored maximum points well within the hour.

Please consider drawing or uploading your route to RouteGadget if you've not already done so. Also to note is the way in which RouteGadget works for a score event, it is very quick to display the sequence of controls visited by any competitor even if a route has not been added. This is much easier than trying to analyse it from the results splits table alone.

As always, there is much help required in order for each event to take place. Many thanks to everyone involved:

  • SI and setup - Penny P, Joe and Neil
  • Control collectors - Penny M, Chris, Euan, Hal, James, Liam and Mark
  • Background support - Karen, Chris, Mike, Neil and Steve

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.

Read more about RouteGadget…

Pre event info

Southdown's final contribution to this seasons Kent Night Cup league is a two part tour covering the varied terrain of North Ashdown Forest.

SONiC Series Info

SONiCs are events held during the evening hours of darkness and take place either around streets or in parks/woods. They are score events where you get an hour to visit as many controls as you can, with everyone starting at the same time. For insurance purposes juniors under the age (actual age) of 16 are not allowed to compete in street events unaccompanied. For the street events a small torch is helpful to read the map. For forest events a stronger (head)torch is recommended.

Volunteer here

Enquiries here

Location Info

Nearest town: Forest Row

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

Directions / Parking

Large car park (confusingly named Broadstone) 300m east of Ashdown Forest Centre on Colemans Hatch Road.

A parking fee applies: Up to 2 hours - £2.50. Up to 4 hours - £4.00. Once parked you will have 15 minutes to pay via one of the following methods:

  • Cash machine at Ashdown Forest Centre
  • Phone call 0330 333 8446
  • Parking apps: Horizon Spaces, Your Parking Space, Ring Go, Just Park, or Pay by Phone

Alternatively, you can pay in advance via horizonspaces.co.uk

The Location ID is the same for all car parks in Ashdown Forest: 661122.

Please note that the Conservators of Ashdown Forest retains 75% of park proceeds, which is used to maintain and improve the Forest as a public amenity.

Public Transport

Nearest train station East Grinstead.

Course Information

A 20 control score event. 10 controls (and the start) are located south of the Colemans Hatch road and another 10 (and the finish) north of the road. Collect as many of the southern controls as you want before crossing the road at the single, specified crossing point. There is a non-scoring control which every competitor must punch when crossing the road. Once you have crossed the road you can't cross back over again.

Visibility is good at the road crossing but note that the speed limit is 40mph, so only cross when it is safe to do so.

Entry Details

Pre-entry via Racesignup.co.uk

Fees:

SO/BOF Senior members £5.00 (non-members £6),

Juniors £2.50 (SO Juniors free - use discount code SOjuniors).

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

Registration

7:10pm - 7:20pm. Assembly is at the western end of the car park and we will be leaving at 7:20pm.

Start Times

There will be a short walk for a safety briefing. Mass start at 7:30pm. Course closes 8:45pm.

Map Details

A4. 1:10000 with 5m contours. Surveyed by Roger Maher March 2020.

Terrain Description

North Ashdown Forest is a mixture of heathland and birch woods with two streams and some areas of marsh. The area is split by Colemans Hatch Road, north of road is a fairly exposed north facing slope. The dead bracken isn't completely flat and there are some areas of gorse which can be avoided.

Dog restrictions

Dogs must be kept under close control at all times on the Forest. Please clean up after your dog.

Facilities

None.

Miscellaneous

Although it is unlikely that you will encounter other users at night, this is a shared area and also home to a number of residents. Please be respectful.

Safety: Competitors are advised to wear clothing suitable for the weather conditions on the day. Studded shoes and full leg cover are recommended.

The carrying of backup lighting and a whistle is strongly recommended, a whistle being mandatory if you have existing medical conditions.

In the event of poor weather cagoules may be made compulsory.

Safety bearing - North to road then West or South to road then West, keeping off the road.

Contacts / Officials

Planner: Garry Greenstreet

Organiser:

Controller: