Ajax Orienteering & Hill Running Club

Event Location: The next Leinster League event will be on Sunday 6th November 2016 at Carraig Na Seabhac, Old Military Road, Co. Wicklow.  Grid Reference: O 103 053.

Event Directions and Parking: If travelling from Dublin the event is approximately 9 km South of the Sally Gap on the Old Military Road.  Parking is on a forest track.  Please car-share if possible.

Terrain: The competition area lies in the upper Glenmacnass river valley.  One side of the valley is forested with thickets of young pine and scattered pine trees.  The other side is open hillside.  There is a lot of rock feature throughout.  The valley is divided by a stream (the upper section of the Glenmacnass river) which is crossable by foot. The terrain underfoot varies from rough heather to grass. There are some forest rides in the wooded part of the competition area, but no paths on the open hillside. The valley sides are moderately steep.

Map: The map was surveyed in 2010-2011 by Pat Healy and partially updated in 2012, 2014 and 2016 . Maps are printed on water resistant material at a scale of 1:10,000 for all courses. Contour interval is 5 meters. Control descriptions for all courses will be available at registration and will also be printed on the map. Boulders less than 2m in height are generally marked on the map with the small boulder symbol. The large boulder symbol is used for boulders larger than 2m in height. The rock pillar symbol (black area symbol) is used for very large boulders.  In very rocky areas  boulders which seem small in relation to its neighbours are not generally mapped.  Crags are mapped both with, and without tags. Dark green (fight) is used to mark pine thickets and young plantation. The semi-open screen is used to map scattered trees. Lone trees are marked with a green dot symbol.

Registration and Entry Fee: Enter at the event. Event registration is located beside the parking area. If you are new to orienteering please let the organisers know and they will show you what to do.

Adult: €8

Junior/Full-time student/Unwaged/OAP: €5

Family: €20

There will be a €2 surcharge for any participant who is not already a member of an orienteering club. The surcharge will be waived if the participant registers with Ajax Orienteers at the event. (Membership is free for the first year).

Timing: SportIdent (SI) timing will be used. SI cards are available for hire at event registration for €2. You must download your SI card after orienteering, whether you complete the course or not. Otherwise event organisers will not know if you have finished.

Start-times: 11:00 am – 1:00 pm.

Courses close: 2:30 pm

Start and Finish: The start for all courses is approximately 800m -1000m from the Parking Area.  Access to the Start is along a public road and rough open terrain. Please take care when walking along the road. The route to the Start passes the Finish. The Finish for all courses is 500m – 700m from the parking area.

Event Officials:

Organiser: Paul

Controller: Donal Wickham

Planner: Aonghus O’Cleirigh

Course Details:

Brown – 8.1k, 275m

Blue – 6.0k, 210m

Green – 4.5k, 160m

Light Green – 2.7k, 130m

Red – 2.8k, 135m

Orange – 2.1k, 100m

Yellow – 1.7k, 85m

The courses are not buggy friendly.  A forest ride used by the short courses is indistinct in places, and is marked by red and white tape.  The Yellow course has one leg which is marked by red and white tape.  The Brown, Blue and Green courses cross the Glenmacnass River.  The other courses do not cross the river.

Competitor Safety:  A cagoule (rain jacket) and whistle should be carried by each competitor.  In the event of bad weather cagoules will be compulsory.

Acknowledgements: Thanks to Coillte and to Wicklow Mountain National Park for granting permission to hold the event. Please do not cause damage or litter.