WGC Urban, 25th October 2026
Welcome to the second Welwyn Garden City Race, an urban orienteering event in Hertfordshire easily accessible from London and the home counties.
Beginners
First timers are very welcome. Look for our greeters in hi-vis jackets.
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.
Location
Our Event Centre is at Oaklands College located off The Campus in Welwyn Garden City town centre at postcode AL8 6AH. w3w: ///jokes.boat.scout
By Car
Access from The Campus, a large gyratory system where all main roads leading into the town centre meet. On the NE side of The Campus, look out for the college sign. Take the next turning left along College Way (this is the first, northern, junction with College Way). There is a pay car park adjacent to the event centre off the first corner of College Way (£2.50 for 4 hours). Free parking is available in council car parks, of which two are located off College Lane and are 2-5 minutes walk to the event centre. Alternatively another large free car park is available at Campus West, accessed from The Campus, which will be close to the start and finish. Please do not use the Waitrose car park.
Public Transport
Public transport is an excellent option for travelling to Welwyn Garden City. The train and bus stations are both within easy walking distance of the event centre.
Welwyn Garden City rail station is 10 minutes walk from the event centre and is served by Great Northern trains. Up to 4 trains per hour arrive from central London (1 or 2 fast trains from Kings Cross; 2 stopping trains from Moorgate). All trains stop at Finsbury Park to connect with Thameslink trains as well as the Victoria and Piccadilly lines. From the north, 1-2 trains per hour run from Royston (for connecting bus from Cambridge) via Stevenage (for connections from Peterborough and Leeds).
Welwyn Garden City Bus Station (6 minutes’ walk from the event centre) is served by several local bus services as well as the 724 Green Line limited stop service between Harlow and Heathrow Airport via St. Albans. Service 301 Stevenage to St. Albans) also serves ‘Campus East’ southbound or ‘Campus West’ northbound (2-3 minutes’ walk from the event centre)
Terrain
Ebenezer Howard began work on Welwyn Garden City in 1920 after financial failure of his first attempt to create a ‘Garden City’ in Letchworth, a few years earlier, His vision was to create a town that was a mix of town and country, with wide tree lined roads, well spaced housing and industrial premises to provide employment for the population.
The result is a mix of green spaces and generously laid out commercial and residential areas, onto which more modern estates with complex path networks have been added.
To the west is Sherrards Park Wood, a feature-rich forest area with a dense path network. Adult courses will enter it and it will be the main area for the Junior (Under 16) courses
Map
1:4000 pre-marked maps for all courses on waterproof paper.
Please familiarise yourself with the symbols used, in particular the features that must not be crossed, either for reasons of safety or because we do not have access. A guide to the full symbol set is available at https://maprunner.co.uk/resources/Maprunner-sprint-map-symbols.pdf
Course Timing
Start Times: 10.30 – 12.30
Courses Close: 14.00
Sportident punching will be used.
For those with ‘contactless’ dibbers, SIAC will be enabled for controls, but you must punch the Start; the Finish will be “fly-by”.
Facilities
Toilets, bag drop, enquiries, download and dibber hire will be available in the event centre.
The town centre is 5 minutes’ walk away with a good selection of cafés, restaurants and pubs. As a result there will be no refreshment facilities at the event centre other than a drinking water point.
Dogs
Dogs are not allowed in the event centre.
Safety
By participating in this event, you acknowledge that you do so at your own risk and are responsible for your own safety.
Members of British Orienteering—which includes those who have joined an affiliated club such as HH—are covered by the organisation’s public liability insurance. Please note: If you are not a BOF member, if you accidentally injure someone or damage property during the event, you are not covered by this insurance.
A full risk assessment will have been carried out.
Officials
| Planner | Daniel Hodson |
| Organiser | Adam Leaf |
| Controller |
Courses
You may enter any course, except that unaccompanied juniors (under 16 on the day of the event) may only enter courses 6 and 7.
Newcomers: Don’t feel you have to enter the course for your age class and compete against the experts. We recommend “Course 6 other” for families or people walking, anything up to “Course 2 other” for fit runners used to map reading.
| Course | Classes | Optimal running distance* | Climb | Controls | Scale | Map | Descriptions |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | M Open | 10.6km | 1:4,000 | A3 2-sided | Pictorial | ||
| 2 | W Open, MV (40+), Newcomer Long | 9km | 1:4,000 | A3 2-sided | Pictorial | ||
| 3 | WV (40+), MSV (55+) | 7.3km | 1:4,000 | A3 2-sided | Pictorial | ||
| 4 | WSV (55+), MUV (65+) | 5.6km | 1:4,000 | A3 2-sided | Pictorial | ||
| 5 | WUV (65+), MHV, WHV (75+) |
4.3km | 1:4,000 | A3 | Pictorial | ||
| 6 | MJ, WJ ( 16-), Newcomer Short |
4.4km | 1:4,000 | A4 | Pictorial | ||
| 7 | MYJ, WYJ (12-) | 2.6km | 1:4,000 | A4 | Text |
*The “Optimal running distance” assumes you pick the shortest route every time and execute it perfectly. These distances are provisional as the courses are still being refined.
Course Notes
Most running is on hard surfaces or mown grass so road shoes are most suitable, spikes not appropriate. Shorts and vests are allowed but all courses use paths within Sherrards Park Wood that may be overgrown in places.
Starts
When you enter, you can choose a 15 minute start block between 10:30 and 12:30.
Courses close 14:00. Please choose a start block to allow yourself plenty of time to finish before then.
Entry & Fees
Entries are via SI Entries. You must enter on line. Online entry will remain open until 12:00 on the day, while maps and start slots are available.
Fees
Senior: £11
Young Adult (born after 2001): £7
Junior (born after 2006) or student in full time education: £3
Supplement for non-members of BOF: £2
Supplement for late entry (after 18 th October): £2
If you cancel more than 7 days before the event we will refund your fees less an amount for admin and transaction costs. There is no refund for cancellations less than 7 days in advance.
If we have to cancel the event we will try to reschedule it. We will transfer your entry to the rescheduled event unless you ask for a refund.
Results
Interim results will be published direct to the club website every few minutes during the event. There will be no printed results (apart from your own splits) or WiFi available.
Full results will be published to the same location and to Routegadget; we aim to do so on the day of the event.
The small print
This event is registered with British Orienteering, number 88407.
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.
