-
- Date:
FINAL DETAILS Due to land access problems the Northern Championships has changed venue from Simonside to Dukeshouse Woods.
Venue Located on the south-east outskirts of the market town of Hexham, Dukeshouse Woods is one of the North-East’s premier areas for orienteering.
Terrain Blocks of open runnable woods, with some denser slower woodland. Clearings, rhododendron thickets, ponds, crags, pits and depressions. Full leg cover is required. Extensive path network.
Entries By SIEntries only. Entries are now closed. £12 per adult. £7 per junior.
For beginner orienteers we recommend entering the White (course 18), Yellow (course 17), Orange (course 16) or Light Green (course 15). See here for an explanation.
Start Times 10:30 – 12:30. Timed punching start. Please make every effort to start at your allocated start time. If you are late, we will fit you into the next available start slot. Some courses are very busy so you may have to wait a while.
Courses Close 15:00 (it incorrectly states 14:30 on the maps).
Hired Dibbers On the day dibber hire is available for £1 – choose this option with SIEntries. You’ll need to pick up your hired dibber from Enquires before you go to the Start.
Parking: Parking is at the Wentworth Car Park in the centre of Hexham. There is a mixture of 2 hour, 4 hour and all day parking. The 2 hour and 4 hour parking requires parking discs. Parking discs are available from the Wentworth Leisure Centre, Waitrose and the Wentworth Cafe. Due to the large number of entries this car park may fill up. Please refer to this parking map of Hexham for other parking options.
Public Transport There are good rail and bus links from Newcastle-upon-Tyne and Carlisle.
Enquires/Download: In a Studio Room within the Wentworth Leisure Centre, NE46 3PD. Access is at the double doors signed “Wentworth Bowl” located in between Waitrose and the Leisure Centre. Go through the double doors, turn immediately right, go down the hallway about 10 metres to the Studio Room. This is a small room, so you may need to queue. If you wish to drop off your car keys with us, please bring your own envelope and put your name on it. If you have arrived on public transport you can leave bags in a locker opposite the Studio Room (lockers take a £1 coin) or in the room itself. Otherwise we ask you to leave your clothes/bags in your car. There is an open-plan area/café just inside the double doors, and a paved area outside, which are the best places to congregate. Please remove muddy shoes or shoes with metal dobs before going inside the Leisure Centre.
For the avoidance of doubt you do not need to come to Enquires before your run unless you need to pick up a hired dibber, drop off your car keys/bag, or have an enquiry. You will not be allowed to change the course you have pre-entered.
Facilities There are toilets, changing rooms and showers available in the Wentworth Leisure Centre. Public toilets are also located at the southern end of the Wentworth Car Park.
Starts Follow tapes to the start from the Wentworth Leisure Centre: 2km, 130m climb. Allow 45 minutes. Call up is at -4 minutes.
Clothing Dump This is at the Finish which is en route to the Start. Clothes are left at the owner’s risk.
Finish Follow tapes from the finish back to the Wentworth Leisure Centre. Do not forget to download at the Wentworth Leisure Centre before you leave.
Retiring from a course If you can, please return via the Finish and punch the Finish control. In all cases you must return to Download at the Wentworth Leisure Centre, and notify an official that you have retired/finished.
Punching SPORTident electronic. SIAC contactless is enabled on all controls, except the Start and Finish.
Trophies There will be no formal prize giving for the Northern Championships, but winners of the Long and A classes may collect trophies at the end of the event.
Après-O There is a swimming pool and ten pin bowling alley in the Wentworth Leisure Centre. Hexham has plenty of good cafés and a cinema.
Junior Selection The results of the races will inform selections to the Great Britain teams for the European Junior Orienteering Championships (Hungary, 2nd-4th July), the Junior World Orienteering Championships (Portugal, 11th-16th July) and the Junior European Cup (Germany, 30th September-2nd October). The races will also assist in making decisions on the invitations to the Pre-JWOC 2023 tour to Romania in the summer of 2022 and the make-up of the Talent Squads for the 2022/2 season. Applicable age classes are (M/W16-20).
Results Semi-live results will be uploaded periodically throughout the day onto this web page.
Prize Giving and Trophy Return Unfortunately we are unable to hold a prize giving ceremony this year. Trophies can be returned at Enquires/Download. Trophies can be collected as soon as results are finalised.
Courses Championship courses plus colour coded courses White, Yellow, Orange and Light Green are available. Course lengths and climbs are subject to final controlling.
Course Classes Distance [km] Climb [m] Map Scale 1 M21E 11.1 325 1:15,000 2 M20E, M18E, M35L, M40L, M21L, W21E 7.1 230 1:15,000 3 M45L, M50L 6.5 190 1:10,000 4 M55L, M18L, M20L, W21L, M21S 5.9 160 1:10,000 5 M60L, M16A 5.3 120 1:10,000 6 W20E, W18E, W35L, W40L, M35S, M40S 4.9 125 1:15,000 7 M65L, M45S, W45L, W50L 4.6 145 1:7,500 8 M70L, M50S, M55S, M20S, M18S, W55L, W21S, W20L, W18L, W16A 4.1 110 1:7,500 9 M75L, M60S, W60L, W35S 3.4 90 1:7,500 10 M65S, W65L, W70L, W40S, W45S, W50S 3.7 70 1:7,500 11 M80, M70S, W75, W20S, W18S, W55S, W60S 2.8 40 1:7,500 12 M85, M90, M75S, W80, W65S, W70S 2.3 55 1:7,500 13 W85, W90 1.4 25 1:7,500 14 M14A, M16B 4.0 105 1:10,000 15 W14A, W16B, Light Green 3.1 60 1:10,000 16 M12A, M14B, W12A, W14B, Orange 3.1 55 1:7,500 17 M10A, M12B, W10A, W12B, Yellow 2.4 55 1:7,500 18 M10B, W10B, White 1.6 30 1:7,500 Map Contours 5m, A4, ISOM2017 by Francis Shillitoe. Maps will be printed on waterproof paper.
Special Symbols An X marks a a shelter, hide or machinery.
Out of Bounds There are arable and grazing fields within the competition area. These are marked as out of bounds on the map and forbidden to cross.
Windblown There are areas of windblown trees from Storm Arwen that are not mapped. Juniors on courses 17-18 may have to divert from the path around these trees. The courses will be difficult to follow with buggies.
Rhododendrons Some thinning work has taken place recently and these should not be relied on for close navigation.
Water Levels and Vegetation Mapping was last updated for an Autumn event so vegetation and water levels may be different on the ground.
Embargoed Area After the loss of Simonside, this event has been created in just two weeks to ensure that a full weekend of orienteering was available as promised. It should be understood that the area was used for an event as recently as October 2021, and that a handful of competitors will have in effect broken the normal 12 months embargo by taking part in that event. In the spirit of fairness and good fellowship, it must therefore not be seen that their breach of any embargo was their fault, and consequently no protests will be upheld regarding ‘substantial advantage’ (Rule I ¶2.6.1)
Safety Full leg cover is required as there are brashings and brambles. A whistle must be carried. Courses 1 – 7 go near to Devils Water (a river) where there are dangerous crags. These are avoidable but a path goes quite close to the top of these. They are not taped off. If the weather is poor competitors may be required to carry waterproofs.
If you get completely lost there is a road at the western edge of the map; following this to the north will take you down the hill back into Hexham town centre. There is also a wide track running east-west through the centre of the map, which you generally hit if you head uphill from any direction.
Orienteering is an adventure sport. A comprehensive risk assessment for the event has been prepared and identified risks have been mitigated, however please be aware that participants take part at their own risk and are responsible for their own safety during the event.
Planner Francis Shillitoe (NATO)
Organiser Paul Gaines (BL): paul.gaines at tiscali.co.uk
Controller Ray Barnes (NOC)
Northern Champions 2022 (Provisional)
Class Name/Clubs Trophy Notes W10 Beau Elliott, SYO [3] W12 Hannah Champman, SYO [1] W14 Charlotte Chapman, SYO [1] W16 Yolanda Hampshire Wright, NN [1] W18 Laura Brown, LOC [1] W20 Natalie Martin, CLOK [1] W21 Fay Walsh, AIRE [1] W35 None W40 Pippa Archer, CLOK [3] W45 Hannah Woods, SYO [1] W50 Amanda Crawshaw, SYO [1] W55 Karen Parker, BL [1] W60 Charlotte Somers-Cocks, LOC [1] W65 Allie Wilson Craw, NATO [2] W70 Christine Kiddier, BL [1] W75 Karen Blackburn, BL [3] W80 Joan Selby, CLOK [1] W85 None W90 Eileen Bedwell, CLOK [1] M10 Louis Bryant, SYO [1] M12 Maxwell Groom, SYO [1] M14 Robbie Lightfoot, SYO [1] M16 Conrad Reuber, SYO [1] M18 Euan Tryner, SYO [1] M20 Finlay Johnson, SROC [1] M21 Alasdair Pedley, EPOC [1] M35 Chris Williamson, SYO [3] M40 Nick Green, NATO [2] M45 Peter Tryner, SYO [1] M50 Jamie Rennie, WCOC [3] M55 Simon Martland, EPOC [1] M60 Quentin Harding, CLARO [1] M65 Peter Haines, AIRE [1] M70 Steve Whitehead, EBOR [1] M75 Peter Gorvett, SYO [1] M80 Allen Barnes, CLARO [1] M85 Stanley Johnston, LOC [1] M90 None [1] – Trophy Collected
[2] – Trophy not collected and with Frank Shillitoe (NATO).
[3] – Trophy not collected and with the previous winner. The Guardian of the Trophies will be in touch with further information.
Lost Property
A hat, a buff, and a glove. If you wish to be reunited contact Frank: fshillit@hotmail.com
-
- View the Results