Mardley
Welcome to one of our Saturday series events. Beginners are very welcome and there are courses for all standards.
| Beginners | First timers are very welcome. Look for our greeters in hi-vis jackets who will give you socially-distanced help.
You can go around individually, in pairs or in a larger family group. From an entries perspective, pairs and groups are treated as a single runner – it’s one entry, you get one map, one timing chip (“dibber”) and one finish time listed in the Results. We charge per “entry” not per person and it’s easiest to enter in advance – see Entering for the first time for more info on how to do this. If you’ve not orienteered before, we suggest most people start with the yellow course. Young juniors, say primary school age, and family groups are better on white. People confident with a map and compass may start on orange. If you find your course too easy, club policy is to offer you a run on the next course up at no cost, provided there’s enough time and there are maps available. Don’t forget to download between runs! |
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| Location | Mardley Heath near Welwyn. | ||||||||||||||||||
| Parking | The event centre is Scout & Guide HQ, Canonsfield Road, Welwyn, AL6 0QA. OS grid ref TL242179. 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. | ||||||||||||||||||
| 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. | ||||||||||||||||||
| Map | 1:5000 pre-marked maps for all courses on waterproof A4 paper. For a previous event on the area see RouteGadget
White and yellow course maps are available at the pre-start. Control descriptions will be on the map. |
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| Courses | Courses for everybody from beginners of any age to experienced orienteers.
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| Course Notes | The event centre is close to start and finish. Courses close 12:45. |
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| Starts | You may choose a start time between 10.00-11.30.
Courses will close promptly at 12:45. Please choose a start time that will give you ample time to complete your run by then. |
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| Entry & Fees | All entries are made online through SI Entries. Entries will open nearer to the date of the event. You can enter up to 11:00 on the day (subject to map availability).
If you don’t have your own dibber (timing chip) you’ll need to hire one. SIAC (contactless) dibber hire £2. Charge for lost dibbers £65. |
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| Timing | Sportident punching will be used. SIAC will be enabled for those with ‘contactless’ dibbers, but you must punch start and finish. | ||||||||||||||||||
| Facilities | Enquiries, Dibber issue, Download, 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. For download you need only approach the back door. | ||||||||||||||||||
| Results | Interim results will be published direct to the club website https://www.herts-orienteering.club every few minutes during the event.
Full results will be published on the same page and on Routegadget as soon as possible after the event. We aim to put provisional results up that evening. |
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| Event cancellation | Extreme weather conditions could result in late cancellation of the event. If cancellation is needed a message will be posted on the www.herts-orienteering.club website and an email sent to all those entered as soon as is possible after a decision has been made.
Please check before travelling. |
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| Dogs | Keep under control and clear up behind you. | ||||||||||||||||||
| Safety | Orienteering is an adventure sport. You take part at your own risk and are responsible for your own safety. A full risk assessment has been carried out.
You must go to Download even if you don’t finish your course. We need to confirm you’re back safely. |
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| Officials |
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The small print
This event is registered with British Orienteering, number 85672
Orienteering is a great sport for youngsters. If you bring children, please help us to keep to our safeguarding policy and British Orienteering’s photography policy.
Your personal data is used for results and insurance, see our privacy policy.
