Brun Valley Forest ParkSat 22 May, 2021

Regional level event

Results

• • Regional Event results (not including YB courses)
• • Routegadget for Regional Event
• • Interclub results for YB courses
• • Yvette Baker results
• • Full combined results on BOF
• • Yvette Baker Routegadget
• • Photos from event (see info below)
• • Winsplits for regional event
• • Winsplits for YB heat

Report

Planner's comments:

Thank you: To everyone for coming to Brun Valley and competing, especially our friends from WCOC. To all the PFO members for their invaluable time and effort in making the event run so smoothly. Special mention to Jim Mitchell (Controller) and George Crawford Smith (Organiser) for your time and experience. To our landowners for their permission and interest in our events. To Kershaw Printers who have recently taken on the responsibility for printing our maps with absolutely no idea about orienteering but have listened patiently to my requests. I am grateful for their flexibility as competitor numbers surged in the last week and ultimately they have produced clear and professional maps.

Mapping and competition area: The map was recently updated making changes to some of the woodland to reflect increased growth of smaller trees and shrubs. One other notable change was to render the wet ditch south of control 114 uncrossable. Despite this I am aware of a number of competitors who found themselves thigh deep in the ditch! The River Brun which runs through the competition area can be a gentle trickle during dry weather, but after heavy rain is only crossable with considerable care. It was for this reason that competitors were strongly advised against fording the river. The undergrowth and slippery surfaces on either side of the river bank would negate any advantage in any case. The Orange and Yellow courses were planned to finish remotely and competitors were to be advised to return to the event centre via the track running through the out of bounds area on the centre of the map. The night before the event we lost permission to use the track forcing the juniors to return through the competition area. I hope this didn’t adversely affect anyone. Also the day before the event we became aware that Bouncy Castle World were erecting a park within Queens Park. Apologies to those on the Blue course, it was on your route from 116 to 119. I’m not aware that anyone diverted via the bouncy slide or the burger van!

Courses: Brun Valley has a number of different areas offering some challenging orienteering. Some areas are small and all are connected via long paths and tracks. The challenge was to provide a variety of legs whilst offering some route choice on the longer courses.Looking at Route Gadget this morning this was certainly achieved on Blue. The Yellow and Orange courses were planned to introduce line features other than just paths, however the recent sudden growth of shrubs and undergrowth made the yellow course in particular more challenging than initially expected. Unfortunately the one thing you can’t control as a planner is the weather, and the recent heavy rain made for slippery conditions on some of the steeper slopes I hope this didn’t spoil your enjoyment too much.
Comments on the day were on the whole very positive, I suspect if some competitors were expecting a less complicated run around parkland, you may have been surprised!
I hope you all enjoyed your trip to Brun Valley. If you have any comments please feel free to email me ()

Judith Wood PFO - Planner.

Controller's Comments:

Judith and I have worked before as planner and controller, so I wasn't surprised when only a few amendments were needed to her courses. The very quick and efficient placement of controls early in the morning by Judith and Gillian made my on-the-day check very easy. Apologies to Blue runners who must have been inconvenienced by the late appearance of bouncy castles etc in Queen's Park - we were only told about this late on Friday evening!

I hope you all enjoyed the courses, despite the mud and slippery slopes!

Jim Mitchell PFO - Controller.

Organiser's Comments:

The old adage says "Many hands make light work". And so it proved to be. PFO members pulled together to stage today's events - the PFO Regional and, bolted on to it at a later date, the northwest Yvette Baker Heat. This meant a shift in available start times for the Regional, but I heard no complaints about the later than usual start times.

WCOC made the long journey to compete and earned themselves a place in the YB Final later this year. PFO made the short journey and earned their place in the YB Shield Final. Well done both.

Thank goodness we weren't parking in a typical rain soaked Lancashire field - remember Tockholes 2017? I hope you appreciated the hard standing parking even if you were a late arrival parking 800m from the Start line.

The start, socially distanced of course, worked well, with the single exception of the clock that refused to beep. Instead, marshals kept the minute rhythm going in the silence.

I appreciate every club member who helped either before the day (Judith Planner, Jim Controller, Andy and team on SI and Results, John on front-of-house parking) and everyone on the day who welcomed our visitors from the front gate through to Download and beyond. PFO members, young and old, new and seasoned, fit and not-so-fit all chipped in to make it all work. Too numerous to name individually, but you know who you are. Thank you.

George Crawford-Smith PFO - Organiser.

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Photographs

See link above for photos from the Brun Valley event. Email Richard McCann if you want any copies

RouteGadget

Is a web browser app for sharing and comparing orienteering routes. You can draw your own route or upload a GPS track from your watch. It also allows you to watch an animated replay with a simulated mass start.

Go to the Pendle Forest Routegadget now

Last updated: Fri 28 May, 2021

Last updated 19/05/2021.

Control descriptions can now be downloaded here:

CDs for Regional event all courses.

CDs for Yvette Baker courses only.

Important Note:

This event represents a return to more normal orienteering. Please compete safely, by maintaining 2m social distancing, and not risking an incident.

There are two separate events taking place at Brun Valley. See Start time windows below.

1. Brun Valley Regional event. (This event is open for anyone to enter). Individual entries via SIEntries.
   
2. Brun Valley Yvette Baker NW heat (this is a closed event for junior members of orienteering clubs). Team entries via SIEntries.

Entries for both events are accessed via the PFO Brun Valley Regional event on SIEntries. To enter the Yvette Baker Heat look for the link underneath the PFO logo on the opening page. Your O-club YB Team Manager will confirm which course to enter.

Please make sure you enter the correct event.

Location Info

Near: Burnley, Lancs
Lat,Lng:
OS Grid Ref: SD851334
Postcode: BB10 3LB

Directions / Parking

Signposted off Queen's Park Road, Burnley. From the gate, proceed along the access road and park as directed.

If you are unfamiliar with Burnley, the best approach is to find Burnley Turf Moor football ground, then proceed north on the A6144, Belvadere Road, turn right at the first lights by the Fire Station on to Ormerod Road, then after 400m left at the roundabout on to Queen's Park Road. After 250m enter the gate on the right and follow the access road.

What3Words coordinate: rarely.dozed.soaks (entrance to Brun Valley parking)

Map / Terrain

Brun Valley Forest Park is adjacent to more formal parks (no dogs permitted), so there is a combination of fast grassland and traditional forest.

The forest area runs along either bank of the River Brun and its tributaries. It is a patchwork of mature standing forest, old mine workings partly covered with regenerated young plantation and some contoured fields. (Some fields are marked OOB, but where a legitimate path crosses these fields a clear corridor is shown.

There is a network of paths for public access around Rowley Lake and the forest. The new pedestrian river bridge makes planning the shorter courses much easier. See Course Information for river crossing details at points other than bridges.

Note: There are numerous smaller incidental paths through the woodland areas that are not mapped.

Other users: Brun Valley is popular with walkers, runners, cyclists and horse riders. Please give way to other users. There are two vehicle access roads that run partway through the competition area. There is very little traffic as they serve only a handful of properties and some small car parks. All courses will use these roads, so do take special care when you run across or along them.

Registration and Start times

There is no Registration as all entries are on-line here (https://www.sientries.co.uk/event.php?elid=Y&event_id=8100) - full details below.

Yvette Baker Heat

Dibber collection from 10:00 till 11:15
Starts from 10:30 till 11:30.
Courses close at 13:30.

Regional Event

Dibber collection from 11:00 till 12:45
Starts from 11:45 till 12:45.
Courses close at 14:45.

Course Information

Social distancing: At all times, please maintain 2m social distance from officials and other competitors.

Start: There is one Start for all courses. Allow up to 10 minutes, depending on where you are parked. There will be 4 lanes with -4 minutes call up, set out for the Yvette Baker courses. This will be reused for the Regional event.

Maps: All course maps will be at a scale of 1:7500. All maps are A4, except Blue which is A3. Loose descriptions will be available here to be downloaded in the week before the event. There will be no loose descriptions available in the Start lanes.

Blue course only: Map is A3. This course visits an area of parkland across a wide but very busy main road. You may be delayed if you choose this option, but it can be avoided by choosing the underpass alternative.

All courses, except Blue: The A4 maps do not have a legend on them. Map legend can be downloaded here.

Punching: Start and Finish boxes must be punched. All course controls are contactless for those who have a contactless SI dibber.

River crossing: All courses, with the exception of Yellow and Orange, will cross the River Brun. After heavy rain the river is not fordable. You are strongly advised to use the available bridging points as there is little advantage to be gained by fording, due to vegetation along the banks.

Wild Garlic and Bluebells: Take care in the wet as their leaves are very slippery.

Finishes: There are two Finishes. Yellow and Orange will have an 800m walk (10 minutes) to Download. The Fisnish for all other courses is near to Download.

Entry Details

Yvette Baker Heat

Pre-entry only: Via SI Entries until Wednesday 19th May. No EOD.

All entries should be made with the approval of the relevant team coordinators
Junior (M/W20-) £4.00.
Dibber hire £1.00, but £40 if lost. (Note: These are conventional dibbers and NOT Contactless SIAC)

Regional Event

Pre-entry only: Via SI Entries until Wednesday 19th May. No EOD.

Adult (M/W21+) BOF members £8.00, Non-members £10.00.
Junior (M/W20-) BOF members £4.00, Non-members £4.00.
Dibber hire £1.00, but £40 if lost. (Note: These are conventional dibbers and NOT Contactless SIAC)

If the event needs to be cancelled the PFO Event Cancellation Policy will apply.

Dog restrictions

Dogs are not permitted on courses. There are sheep with young lambs in some of the field areas.

Dogs are permitted under control in the car park. You may exercise your dogs responsibly around the parking area and, after your run, in the whole of the forest park.

Facilities

Portaloos at parking.

Nearest cafe is in Queen's Park, a walk of 800m from Download, though you can re-park in Queen's Park Road from where the distance is c. 350m.

Map legend can be downloaded here. The A4 maps do not have a legend on them.

Miscellaneous

Contact for general enquiries and Yvette Baker information:

Contacts / Officials

Planners: Judith Wood PFO and Gillian Rowan-Wilde PFO.
Controller: Jim Mitchell PFO,
Organiser and Yvette Baker contact: George Crawford-Smith PFO