Lovely to see you all out sliding around Limb Valley today, a cracking start to 2025! Looks like you all enjoyed your courses planned by River Edis-Smith, controlled as ever by Colin Best on a new map by Adam Conway and Ian Cooper - Thank you all.

As ever thank you to all of our helpers, those of us inside had a very plush registration and download area thanks to Whirlow Hall - I hope you all enjoyed you drinks and cakes either at the hall or the cafe.  I hope the helpers on the start and parking have managed to thaw out.

Results and splits are on the links above, Schools team results are below and individual results on the 'other' link above. If anyone spots any errors please let us know. League results will be calculated in the next couple of days.

We had a few gloves and a pair of O shoes left at the end of the event, if they are yours please get in touch to arrange collection.

This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. Schools Individual Results

Information

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 and they will be serving tea, coffee and cake. There is also 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 on the optimal route you can take - you may run further!

Course	School Years	Distance	Technical Level	Who is it for?
White	Y4,5	1.6km 30m 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. Year 3 pupils can compete with Y4s.
Yellow	Y6,7	2.1km 80m 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. It will also no longer have a control everytime you need to decide where you are going. For example you may need to make a couple of turns on paths between controls.
Orange	Y8, Y9	3.1km, 100m 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+	3.6km 120m climb	4	Ideal for improvers  The navigation difficulty increases and you start to use simple contours and point features.
Green		4km 150m climb	5	As techincally difficult as the area allows but avoids the most physically difficult terrain.
Blue		5.5km 250m 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. Recent wet weather has made the slopes in the woodland very slippy. Please wear shoes with good grips, particularly on the orange, light green, green and blue courses. Full leg cover should also be worn.

Event Officials

Organisers - Pete & Pauline Tryner
Planner - River Edis-Smith
Controller - Colin Best