grampoc

If you go down to the park on Wednesday, you’re sure of a big surprise…

‘Cos David Kirk will be there to welcome you to the first Urban fixture of 2018. One course of medium difficulty (TD 3 / Orange) around Duthie Park and Ferryhill. Everyone welcome – especially beginners – just come and find us by the Gramp Banner in the bottom car park by the model boating lake and we’ll give you some tips and advice on how to read the urban orienteering map of the area.

Calling all GJOs – think you can outrun Mum and Dad?
Remember under 16’s should be accompanied (for insurance compliance) but we will award separate trophies for folk in this category so let’s see if we can get a cross-generational competition going like the GMC?

See our main Urban Series post below for timing and directions etc and come on down…

Summer is whizzing past and it’s time to start feeding you all some details for the next bto SOUL race being staged in Aberdeen. We’re using the Danestone/Grandholm area to the northwest of the city centre and courses are full length urban style mainly on paths through the housing estates, some grassy open areas and woodland.

Assembly: Danestone Community Centre – registration/download, loos and hall to leave kit and have a blether over a cuppa from the kitchen.  Hall will be open for orienteers from 11:00 to 16:00.
Streetmap       what3words: ///cakes.last.laptop

Parking: There are parking spaces immediately adjacent to the hall plus on the roads indicated here.
Please leave gaps between groups of cars parked alongside the roads to allow other traffic to pass each other easily.

Start/Finish: Both close to the Community Centre.
Starts: Punching starts within nominated time bands Early/Middle/Late 11:30 to 13:30.
Courses close: 15:00 TBC

Courses: (provisional lengths)
1  7.70km  MO (M18-35)
2  6.20km  WO (W18-35), MV (M40+)
3  5.00km  WV (W40+), MSV (M55+)
4  3.75km  WSV (W55+), MUV (M65+), MHV (M75+)
5  3.00km  WUV (W65+), WHV (W75+)
6  4.10km  WJ (W16-), MJ (M16-)
7  1.90km  WYJ (W12-), MYJ (M12-)

There will also be an Open category for each course – same length, same course, just non-competitive. Please enter by category as this assists us to process results quickly for the SOUL League points.

Junior courses do not cross any major roads and all courses are designed to make use of underpasses as optimum route choice so there will be no marshalled crossings or timed out legs.

Map: Scale 1 : 4,000, 2.5m contours, ISSOM
For those of you who haven’t tried urban orienteering on an ISSOM map before please take a look at this guide which explains the map symbols so you don’t inadvertently cross an out of bounds area or fence or wall.

Entry fees: includes hire of Emit brikke

SOUL Category: £10 Senior, (£12 Non-BOF/SOA member)  £5 Junior/Student

Any Course X Open Category: £4 Senior, £2 Junior/Student
This is for:
– those folk wanting to run non-comp for the SOUL e.g. regular non-club competitors in GRAMP’s Urban Series as this event counts towards that too or any Danestone locals wanting to try orienteering on their doorstep

Online entries: NOW OPEN via Fabian 4   (some Entry on the Day too)

Officials: Planner – Pete Lawrence, Controller – Tim Griffin, Organiser – Rachel Scott (all GRAMP)

Sunday: And by way of a complete contrast to round out the weekend, Maroc are hosting a Level C at Pannanich near Ballater on Sunday 16th.

Notices
Safety – A risk assessment will have been carried out by the organiser, but participants take part at their own risk and are responsible for their own safety during the event.

Public Liability – Please be aware that British Orienteering Federation (BOF) event insurance only covers non-member participants  for public liability for 3 events in any one year (this includes helpers, parents shadowing and competitors).

Privacy – when entering our events your name may appear in the results section of this website or in newspaper reports. Grampian Orienteers data privacy policy

Photography – In line with the policies of British Orienteering, the organisers of this event request that any person wishing to take photos or video showing children should register their details with event volunteers before taking any such photos or videos. The event organisers reserve the right to ask people to refrain from taking photos or video and may, if such warnings are ignored, refer the matter to the police.

One course of TD3 (Orange) standard about 3 – 4km long in streets and parks.

Make sure you know what Out of Bounds and uncrossable i.e. “forbidden to cross” walls/fences look like on these ISSOM maps – PLEASE TAKE A LOOK AT THIS GUIDE. Uncrossable means forbidden to cross as we don’t have permission for you to do so. If in doubt and the wall/fence/piece of land you’re about to cross looks private then show some respect and don’t do it!

By popular request, here’s a guide to the control descriptions courtesy of the Irish Orienteering Association. Column D shows you what you’re looking for (in urban racing, there’ll be a lot of tree, hedge, fence, steps, building, wall, manmade feature) and column G shows you where the flag is on the feature (especially useful when working out which side of an uncrossable fence you need to be for example.)

Reg/starts 18:00 – 18:30ish,  £4 Senior, £2 Junior/Student
Courses close 19:30 (that means be back at registration to hand in your brikke by 19:35 please)
Times are a bit earlier than Summer Series to catch the light but you still might want a torch for the last couple if the weather’s gloomy.

Juniors under 16 should be accompanied by an adult (to comply with BOF insurance requirements.)

Wed 22nd Aug  Duthie Park     score.tins.pizza*
Wed 29th Aug   Seaton Park     spoke.risky.darker
Wed 5th Sept    Westburn & Victoria Parks   orange.hedge.data
Wed 12th Sept  Westhill     (registration next M&S)  depravity.digested.joyouslyBalgowniel
Sat 15th Sept    SOUL Balgownie/Danestone   foil.turkey.total
Wed 19th Sept  Aberdeen Uni Kings Campus   parking/reg location TBC

Click on the area name above to link through to a map showing the parking/reg location (*what3words codes).
Some are still TBC so check nearer the time before you set out.

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Grampian Mountain Challenge  –  Scotland’s Friendly Sociable Winter Mountain Marathon

The GMC will be back in 2018 staying with its traditional date slot and will be over the weekend of 10 / 11 November 18.
It will be held in the Braemar area. All the usual features will be present, including a remote overnight camp with catering and heating, kit transfer to and from the camp, and orienteering and traditional hill sections over the two days. Ali R has agreed to take on the job of Planner once more, and Dave K and Ian H are again doing the Organising and Controlling.

NEWS: We have the potential to provide Fri night accommodation (sleeping bag on the floor) in Castleton Hall if we get 10 or more takers – email dkirk006@btinternet.com if this is of interest – and there will be Portaloos at the overnight camp.
Check the updated information sheet in the link below for more details.

GMC18 – Information, Rules and Kit List (updated 14 June)
GMC18 – Flyer

*****Online entries via SiEntries now open*****   ONLY 14 PLACES LEFT

Feel free to download the flyer and send it to friends or display at work or whatever it takes to help spread the word and fill the 100 places available.