Moneyhole, 7th June 2025
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Planner’s Comments
Thank you to all who ran today’s very green courses in Moneyhole Woods. Planning the courses wasn’t entirely straightforwards…
From the start of planning and first visit to the woods, it was clear that a number of map updates were needed since some major paths had completely overgrown, and the undergrowth in some areas was certainly different to the previous map in 2021. Even after that though, the speed and extent of growth of all that greenery in the last 6 weeks made the woods very different now to how they were just a few weeks back.
Also, we always knew that there was a football tournament happening on the playing fields, but it was only on a reconnaissance mission three weeks ago did the extent of the impact of the tournament become clear with a similar event essentially showing cars driving and parking across the entire fields. This necessitated some hasty changes to the Orange-Short Blue courses to keep competitors away from the fields altogether. After that, it’s not entirely easy to add variety given the compact area and, for Short Blue, split woods. That said, the path network through the greenery provides its own challenge and route choices between ploughing straight through the undergrowth or round it were the order of the day.
Feedback suggested some legs, even very short legs, proved surprisingly challenging, and there were also a couple of controls where the positions on the map were marginally off from the actual location so my apologies for those – I hope they didn’t hamper too much as they were in fairly benign areas of the map.
Huge thanks for Dave for his controlling and excellent advice, suggestions and rapid map modifications when needed. All helped make my job a little easier, especially after the last minute changes. Thanks also to Neil for setting the event up, including working hard on getting permissions sorted. And thanks to all the volunteer helpers who made the event run smoothly.
And of course the weather held out following some fairly gloomy forecasts only 1-2 days earlier and I’m sure that went down well.
Thanks for coming.
Ben
Organiser’s Report
First of all, Many Thanks for running at the event, from feedback and smiles on peoples faces I believe people enjoyed running in what is essentially a new area , apart from one use a few years ago. We also made it different by parking in Panshanger park partially by design and also force of circumstance as there was the football tournament on the playing fields.
Then Very Many Thanks to all the club members who helped. We can’t run our Saturday series events, which are still moderately complicated undertakings, without all the expert and willing helpers in HH. I hope you then enjoyed your runs at the same time . Particular thanks to Ben for very good planning in the rather compressed area, and for Dave being a very good controller, facilitating replanning when we discovered the full extent of the football event.
We did have some extra challenges, I found that the woods didn’t belong to the council, which is what we assumed, and eventually tracked ownership down to Birchall Garden Suburb, an offshoot from Tarmac who have very long term plans (generational I would say) to build an extension for WGC to the SE of the town. Eventually with gratefully received help from Panshanger Park, which is also part of Tarmac we got permission, which now we know how it works should be simpler next time.
We were also warned by Better who run the playing fields that there was a football tournament, but decided to plan round it as the date worked best in this years calendar. Maybe next time we learn a lesson and have our event not on one of the busiest football days of the year, and be able to use the full extent of the pleasant playing fields
Thankfully though, the final last minute challenge of weather warned dangerous Thunder Storms didn’t materialise and we had a lovely summer sunny morning for the event. I would have preferred sitting around a tent in the sun in field, where the introductory course was, but the barn we used to avoid the expected storms worked well.
Lastly look forward to seeing you at the next Saturday Series which is also a London GLOSS series event at Haileybury School and attached woodlands. Another new area, mapped by Simon and where Emese has been running orienteering and DoE training. It should be good, though be warned in advance don’t inadvertently run across the 1st eleven cricket pitch or the main school lawn (they will be marked OOB) !
Photos – more here
