Balfour
Sun 31st Oct 2021
Type of event: Regional Race
Type of terrain: Forest
Info updated: 31st Oct
Results
Balfour was first used for Day 2 of Royal Deeside 2017 and has only been used once since then for a Regional event in August 2018. It has been a reserve area for the recent Senior Home International held at nearby Glen Tanar. The terrain is classic runnable Deeside forest with minimal heather and some areas of complex contour detail. For the first time access will be from the southern side of the forest.
Pre-entries only via the following link by Sunday 24th October. Entries will be accepted after this date subject to map availability.
Note: Clocks change overnight!
SIAC contactless punching will be enabled for all controls but not the Start and Finish.
Location
Nearest town: Aboyne
- Grid Ref: NO564945
- Postcode:
- Lat/Lon: 57.03892,-2.72029
- Google Map
- Streetmap (OS)
- Bing Map (OS)
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Pre Event Info
Covid
Subject to Scottish Government COVID rules in operation on the day of the event, as well as Scottish Orienteering’s COVID rules.
A Covid Risk Assessment will be completed for the event.
All participants need to take note of the following important information:
- If you're displaying one or more Covid-19 symptoms you must not attend.
- If you are in Covid-19 quarantine you must not attend.
- People in higher risk categories as set out by the government should be aware that attending could put you at increased risk.
- The 1 metre rule applies at all times, including at controls, so please move away from controls as soon as you have punched and wait if someone else is at the control when you arrive.
- Please give way to other non-orienteering members of the public, including walkers and cyclists.
- Please keep young children with you at all times.
- Please do not congregate at the start, finish, download or car park. The official British Orienteering guidance is to go directly from the finish (download) to your transport, and to leave the event once all members of the party have returned.
- By taking part you agree to British Orienteering’s code of conduct
Other things that will be different from normal local events:
- Please use the hand sanitiser provided at the start and at the finish
- Please avoid touching the controls.
- Avoid unnecessary contact with fences and gates.
- We won’t have a communal car key drop box.
Directions / Parking
GR NO564945
What3Words: prickly.caskets.flippers
Parking is in a field beside the minor road to Glencat. This will be signposted from the B976 (Aboyne to Finzean road) at Bridgend, approximately 200m south of the Butterworth Gallery at Ballogie.
Registration & Start Times
Note: Clocks change overnight!
Pre-Entry only. No 'entry on the day'.
Please show your SI Card and pay for your run at Registration. Card preferred but cash accepted.
Hired SI Cards can be collected at Registration.
White and Yellow maps must be collected at Registration.
You will be allocated a 10-minute start window between 11.00 and 13.00Hrs. Please arrive at the start within your time block. Punching start as directed by the Start Official.
Brown to Orange courses: start is 1km/90m (15mins) from parking.
White and Yellow Start is 0.5km/40m (7mins) from parking on the way to the longer courses' Start.
Finish is 200m from parking.
Course Information
SIAC contactless punching will be enabled for all controls but not the Start and Finish.
Standard Colour coded courses (length/climb subject to final controlling)
Length (km) | Climb (m) | Controls | |
---|---|---|---|
Brown | 8.8 | 285 | 21 |
Blue | 6.2 | 155 | 16 |
Green | 4.2 | 115 | 12 |
Light Green | 3.3 | 75 | 10 |
Orange | 2.8 | 80 | 9 |
Yellow | 2.4 | 70 | 12 |
White | 1.7 | 30 | 9 |
Map Scale: The Brown course will have a 1:10,000 map whilst all other courses will be 1:7,500.
Explanation of colour courses
- White are very easy with all controls on paths. They are mainly used by 6-10 year olds and family groups.
- Yellow use simple linear features like paths, walls and streams. They are mainly used by under 12’s and family groups.
- Orange progress to basic use of the compass and route choice. They are ideal for novice adults or experienced youngsters.
- Light Green are ideal for improvers as the navigational difficulty begins to increase and uses simple contours and point features.
- Green are used mostly by experienced under 18’s and adults wanting a short but challenging course with a very hard navigational difficulty.
- Blue are a longer, more physically demanding course in comparison to the green. The distances are more varied between controls and the course attracts experienced orienteers.
- Brown & Black are very physically demanding and have a very hard navigational difficulty. They are for experienced orienteers only.
- Score means visiting as many controls as possible in any order in a specific time, like 45mins.
Entry Details
Pre-entries only via the following link by Sunday 24th October. Entries will be accepted after this date subject to map availability.
£6 for adults and £3 for Juniors/Students/adults on orange course or below, and £1 for a hired dibber.
Facilities
No toilet facilities, nearest public toilets are in Banchory and Aboyne.
Dogs allowed?
Dogs are welcome, provided they are kept on a lead in the parking field and while walking to and from the forest (due to cows with calves being in adjacent fields) and provided that any mess is cleared up.
Contacts / Officials
Organiser: Paul Chapman.
Planner: Nick Hale. Assistant Planner: Jonas Newey.
Controller: Roger Coombs.
Safety and Risk
A comprehensive 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.
Participants in orienteering should be aware of the risk of tick bites - more information here.
SPORTident timing will be used
Please note that a lost hire SI-Card will be charged for at a rate of £30, unless the Club Commitee agrees that there are special circumstances.
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