What a stunning evening! Running through the powder snow was so exciting and seeing all the headtorches moving across the course, reflecting off the snow and glinting through the woods was mesmerising. 

Thanks to Alex for planning the courses, Robyn for organising the event and to Ian for updating the map. Thanks also to all the other volunteers - Lucy, Pete, Ben, Adam and Dave T - it was a cold night to be on an outdoor shift!

Thanks also to Beauchief Golf club for the use of the golf course and clubhouse for the event.

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Are you up for the challenge of night orienteering? Ladies’ Spring Woods and Beauchief Golf Course offer a mix of fast runnable open and steeply contoured deciduous woodland. There is a choice of 4 courses catering for experienced orienteers and newcomers alike. 

Parking

Parking at Beauchief Golf Course S8 0DB, 100m East of the Junction of Abbey Lane and Abbeydale Road. What3words: poetic.fled.large

Terrain

Located on the other side of the River Sheaf from Ecclesall Woods, the terrain comprises partly of the former Beauchief estate. To the North is the Beauchief golf course which provides fast running underfoot on gentle slopes with scattered trees. To the south of the golf course are Ladies’ Spring, High and Park Bank Woods which comprise steep-sided oak woodland with a few paths and a mix of undergrowth and runnable woodland. 

Map

A4 map.  1:7500,  with 5m contours, mapped by Colin Smith. Map updates by Ian Cooper 2024.

Courses 

Subject to final controlling.

Yellow 1.6k, 45m climb - ideal for juniors trying their first night event. Easy.
Orange 3.4k,45m climb - ideal for adults trying their first night event & improving adults & juniors. Medium difficulty.
Short Green 3.5k, 90m climb
Green 4.7k, 150m climb
Blue 6k, 210m climb

Distances are straight line routes - you will run further than the distances stated. Control descriptions are on the map - no loose control descriptions. There is a map flip on the blue course.

Entry

Via SYO entry system. Entries open on Friday 8th November and close on Monday 18th November  . No entry on the day. 

Entry fees

£6 adults (£5 members)
£3 juniors / students
£1  Extra maps

Dibber hire free.  Pairs just pay for 1 entry. No charge for parent shadowers.

Starts

Adjacent to the club house. From 5.45pm – 6.45pm.  Courses close 7.45pm.  Please arrive early if you think you could take a long while.  You must report to download even if you retire.

Facilities

Toilets and download will be located in the club house. Please remove muddy shoes before entering. Food & drinks also available.

Post event social

Join us for drinks and food in the golf club bar.  Food will be available from 6.15pm-8pm. Food must be pre-ordered by Sunday 17th November via the SYO entry system. Food options as follows;

Burger £5
Cheeseburger £5.50
Chips £3
Vegetable soup & bread £4
Jacket potato (cheese&beans, ham or tuna) £5
Sandwiches (cheese, ham, tuna) £4

Additional Safety & Out of Bounds Info

Full leg cover, whistles and headtorches are compulsory. Spare torches are highly recommended.  Studded shoes with good grip are recommended (particularly if wet). Inexperienced primary aged juniors must be shadowed by an adult.

All courses except yellow have mandatory crossing points across a public road from one part of the golf course to the other. This road is very quiet and provides access to only a few residential properties and a sports club. Warning signs will be provided to drivers either side of the crossing, but the crossing will not be marshalled. Please take care crossing the road.

Adjacent to one of the road crossing is a track which goes between the grounds of Beauchief Abbey and a residential property. Both are strictly out of bounds and have been marked on the map as such. Please remain on the path through the out of bounds.

We are grateful to Beauchief Golf club for permission to use the golf course for the event. All greens are strictly out of bounds. Please do not cross - our use of the area depends on this! They are marked in olive green on the map (out of bounds symbol) with a black outline. The boundaries of these are often marked with white lines on the ground. On the map the greens are as shown below:

Officials

Organiser - Robyn Stanyon
Planner - Alex Forrest
Series Co-ordinator - This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.