Mardley
Everybody is welcome to this event on a lovely, small but detailed area:
- For beginners and less experienced people, white, yellow, orange courses will be just like our usual Saturday Series.
- For experienced orienteers, this a Regional event (ranking points are available!) with Middle-style courses from Short Green to Blue.
| EVENT CENTRE | Scout & Guide HQ, Canonsfield Road, Welwyn, AL6 0QA. OS grid ref TL242179 | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| TERRAIN | Mardley Heath is a small but complex woodland, mainly regenerating naturally following gravel extraction in the middle of the last century. A small area of open heathland has been maintained in the northern part of the site. The area is now a Local Nature Reserve owned and managed by Welwyn Hatfield Borough Council, who have kindly given us permission for our event.
Gravel working has left this area with complex contour detail, in addition to the already hilly nature of the site. Public access for walkers, horse riders and cyclists has added a maze of small footpaths. Open areas and the mature remnant former woodland offer fast running, whilst the less mature areas provide plenty of route choice where close contact with the map will be required. |
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| PARKING | Free parking on the road near the event centre and around the A1(M) bridge. Space is very limited and it would be greatly appreciated if people could share transport. Many of the local lanes are not suitable for parking, so to minimise congestion please follow marshals’ instructions. | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| PUBLIC TRANSPORT | Bus 300/301 from Hemel Hempstead, St Albans, Hatfield, WGC and Stevenage stops at the bottom of Canonsfield Road roughly every 20 minutes on Saturdays. | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| COURSES | Courses for everybody from beginners of any age to experienced orienteers. To make best use of the terrain, technical courses will be of a ‘middle’ style.
There will also be a free string course for the very young. |
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| STARTS |
Starts from 10:00 – 12:00. Courses close at 13:30. Start and finish within 200m of event centre. |
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| FEES | Non-members: Adults £8, Juniors £3 BOF (including HH) members: Adults £6, Juniors £2 Adults accompanying juniors are free but £1 for an extra map. |
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| PUNCHING | Sportident punching will be used. Dibber hire £1.00. Charge for lost dibbers £30. |
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| MAP | 1:5000 with 5m contours, courses preprinted on waterproof paper. For map of a previous event see Routegadget.
Loose control descriptions will be available in start lanes. Maps for White and Yellow courses will be issued at registration, all others after punching start. Maps for Green and Blue courses are double-sided. |
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| FACILITIES | Enquiries, Registration, Download, Water, First Aid, Clothing Dump and Toilets will be available at the event centre. It has a wooden floor, so no muddy or metal spiked shoes indoors please. There’s a small entrance lobby where you can leave them. |
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| DOGS | Please keep dogs on leads and clear up behind you. No dogs in the event centre. | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| SAFETY | Some courses cross a lightly used road. Use the marked crossing points.
Orienteering is an adventure sport. You take part at your own risk and are responsible for your own safety. A full risk assessment will have been carried out. |
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| OFFICIALS |
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