Ice, snow and rain don't seem to put you all off!  It was a little muddy at Limb Valley today but there still seemd to be plenty of smiles, I imagine a few of you are looking at piles of muddy shoes and clothes and wondering where to start!

Results and splits from today are available on the link above.  Schools results are on the 'Other' link and the team results are below.

Thank you to the staff at Whirlowbrook Hall for accomodating us again, I hope you all bought tea and muffins.  A huge thank you to our planner Bronwyn and controller Colin who had to deal with half of the area being chopped down, we had a big debate over Christmas if we would be able to re-plan courses in time that were of the appropriate level of difficulty given that we would only be able to use the steep slope, I think they did a great job.  Thank you as well to all of our helpers some of whom must have got pretty wet out there.

The next schools event is at Norfolk Park on 5th Feb but there is orienteering next weekend at Blacka Moor with a night event on Saturday and a regional event on Sunday.  Both events need to be entered in advance on the website.

Schools Results

Information

Our 4th Saturday Series event aimed at introducing adult and junior newcomers to orienteering. There is also a green and blue course which will provide a good technical challenge to experienced orienteers. The event also incorporates the SFSS schools' league for primary and secondary pupils.

Limb Valley and Whirlow Brook Hall provide a stunning location for orienteering.

Registration will be located inside Whirlowbrook Hall. (It's the plushest you will have ever been to - oak panelling and a roaring fire! - please no dob spikes on their oak flooring!) and will open at 12.30pm.  You can start any time from 12.30pm – 3pm but the courses close at 3:30pm so those on longer courses should start earlier. Start and finish are adjacent to the Hall.

PLEASE WEAR A FACE MASK INSIDE THE BUILDING AND REMOVE MUDDY SHOES

The catering team at Whirlowbrook Hall will be opening from 12.30pm to 3.30pm especially for our event serving hot drinks, soup and a wide range of cakes. Please do support them.

Please note the valley south of the stream is out of bounds due to felling. This means courses will use the gardens and the area north of the stream. This area is steep and muddy and the courses will be more physical than our normal Saturday Series events. Please wear shoes with good grips. The white course crosses 2 stiles so is definitely not suitable for pushchairs and is not ideal for really young children. The upside is that the white, yellow and orange courses visit different areas to normal!

Travel and parking

Postcode: S11 9QD.  There are two car parks within the grounds please drive slowly within the park, there is also parking available on the crescent outside the park gates.  If these fill up then there is good parking on Whirlowdale Road (about 100m back from the crescent towards the city centre on the right along Ecclesall Road South).

NB Please do not park on the private road (Whinfell Court) that has a junction onto the crescent outside the park gates.

Buses seem to be pretty regular with a variety of routes (20 minutes from the city centre with a 5 minute walk through the park to the hall) Plan your journey

Schools Event

Running alongside the public event is an event in the SFSS Orienteering League for both Primary and Secondary pupils.  Entry to the schools event is free if your school is part of the SFSS and you are in Y3 or above. Information about the SFSS Orienteering League is here

Costs

Adults £5, SYO members £4
Children £2 (Free for the first run if you are in Y3 or above and your schools is in the SFSS)
Any additional courses will cost an additional £1 (Or £2 if your previous run was free)
If you would like to go around in a group you would just pay for one entry, plus £1 for each extra map.

Facilities

Whirlow Brook Hall will be providing drinks and snacks.  Toilets are available at the hall.

Entries

All courses are entry on the day.  You just have to turn up, pick a course and fill in an entry form.  There will be people on hand to help you if you have any questions.

If you ran one of the previous schools events in the series then you should have completed an entry form an been given a number. With the number we are able to add you into the results system much quicker.  You can download an entry form with your details on from the registration page using the registration number and email address.

For those who would like to do a second run you will need to complete another entry slip with the same details as before.  You are welcome to fill this out in advance and bring it with you when you download (with the £1 entry fee for the second course) and we can give you a map to save queuing again.

Courses

If you complete a course and there is still time you are welcome to try another.

See below for details on the courses on offer.

Clothing, Equipment & Safety 

Shoes with good grips are important on all courses. Those competing on orange courses and above must wear full leg cover. Children can be shadowed or can take part in pairs. Competitors on light green, green and blue courses will need to use the driveway up to the Hall - max speed limit 10mph. Please keep to the side of the drive and watch out for cars.

COVID Guidance for competitors & volunteers

You must not take part in any form of orienteering if you have tested positive for covid, have Covid symptoms or have been asked to self-isolate. Please be super courteous to any members of the public that you come across before, during or after the event and try to maintain social distancing.