Saturday Series 4
- When:
- Saturday 4 January 2025
- Where:
- Whirlow Brook Hall & Limb Valley - Sheffield
- Category:
- Local
Details
This is our 4th Saturday Series event in the 2024/25 league 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. The terrain is highly varied, ranging from the steep wooded valley and plantation to the formal gardens around the hall and intricate quarry area.
Timings
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 before 2.30pm. Start and finish are close to the Hall.
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 are 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.
Map
1:7500, 5m contours. Updated 2024 by Adam Conway & Ian Cooper.
Facilities
Toilets are available at the hall. There is a cafe within the grounds. Please take off muddy shows when entering 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. Course lengths are provisional.
Please note - courses distances are measured straight line. You will run significantly further.
| Course | School Years | Distance | Technical Level | Who is it for? |
| White |
Y4,5 |
1.5km 40m climb |
1 |
The easiest course and a great place for children to start. The course is entirely on paths and each time you have to make a decision - which path to take, there will be a control point. |
| Yellow | Y6,7 | 2.0km 70m climb |
2 |
The next step up and a good place for teenagers etc. to start. The course will use paths but also other line features - Fences, streams etc. |
| Orange | Y8, Y9 | 2.9km, 110m climb | 3 |
Harder still, the Orange course introduces choosing routes - e.g. should I go round the paths to the left or right, using 'Point Features' as control site and basic use of a compass. It is a good place for adult beginners to start. |
| Light Green | Y10+ | 3.1km 170m climb |
4 |
Ideal for improvers The navigation difficulty increases and you start to use simple contours and point features. |
| Green | 3.4km 150m climb |
5 |
As techincally difficult as the area allows but avoids the most physically difficult terrain. |
|
| Blue | 4.5km 200m climb |
5 |
As technically and physically hard as the area allows. |
Additional Safety Info
The area will be busy with members of the public. Please watch out for cyclists and dog walkers and treat everyone you come across courteously.
Event Officials
Organisers - Pete & Pauline Tryner
Planner - River Smith
Controller - Colin Best
Safety & risk
A comprehensive risk assessment will have been carried out by the organiser, but participants take part at their own risk and are responsible for their own safety during the event. If a competitor has a pre-existing medical condition that they think should be declared, please complete a medical form at enquiries. The sealed envelope will only be opened in an emergency.
Photography
SYO has an agreed policy on the taking of photographs at events, based on national guidance. This provides a sensible balance between the benefits and risks associated with the taking and use of images. If you are unsure about acceptable practice, please speak to the event organiser. Read our photography policy.
Privacy
When entering our events your personal details (name, gender, age class & club) will appear in the results section of this website. Read our privacy policy to see how we look after your personal data.
Venue
Limb Valley includes Whirlowbrook Park, Whinfell Quarry Garden and the woods either side of Whirlow Brook.
The woodland is mixed conifer and deciduous. Much of it is very runnable though partly steep valley sides, but there are patches of bramble and holly.