Ajax Orienteering & Hill Running Club

Dublin-by-Night 2008 #4 of 5 will be held in Slade Valley Woods near Saggart, County Dublin, on Tuesday February 5th. Slade Valley Woods is a typical working plantation forest and will be better known to most Leinster orienteers as the northern part of the Saggart Woods map.

Two courses are on offer: Long, approx 4KM, Technical Difficulty 4 and Short, approx 2KM, Technical Difficulty 3. The map scale is 1:7,500 with 5-metre contours. Don't expect any help from the moon - on February 5th it is waning 3.2% of full, moonset at 15:04.

Starts from whenever it gets dark enough to 7:30PM. Sunset is at 17:15, lighting-up time begins at 17:45. Courses close at 8:30PM and the controls will be removed at that time. 

The event will NOT be signposted - please use the Slade Valley Golf Club signposts from Saggart village and the orienteering.ie fixtures map. The event will be near the entrance to the golf course.

PARKING
Parking is tight - please only park on the forest side of the road downhill from the registration car. Do not park near the crest of the hill at the forest entrance, this is a dangerous blindspot. Park tight to the side of the road. 

SportIdent will be used - please make sure that your card is properly registered with the orienteering.ie results system. Competitors who do not download will not be welcome at future Ajax Orienteering events. Note that the sportident units will be horizontally mounted, the international standard, not vertically mounted. Maps will be pre-marked on waterproof paper. Control descriptions will be on the map, will be available at the registration car and can be downloaded here: Slade Valley DBN Control Descriptions.pdf

Entry fees €8 - batteries not included.  SportIdent cards can be rented for €2 at registration. Competitors must be over 16 - juniors are not allowed.

See Dublin-by-Night 2008 for league details and tables. 

Dublin-by-Night events have a long tradition of retiring to a local hostelry for sweetmeats and convivial conversation, so we hope see you afterwards in the Brittas Inn, about 2KM south of the event on the N81 (Blessington road).

Orienteering is an adventure sport. Competitors take part at their own risk and are responsible for their own safety.

Marcus Geoghegan
Planner/Organiser

Andrew McCarthy (Ajax) at Glendalough.  Of the Ajax contingent on the Brown course Andrew had the slower start only overtaking Marcus Geoghegan and Paul at the 10th and 12th controls of 19.

Still it is early days yet in the league, next Sunday's event in Donadea on totally different, flat terrain may favour Marcus's and Paul's experience.

My prediction is Marcus, Paul, Andrew.

Peter Kernan 

Photo : Martin Flynn