PFO Day & NightHameldon Hill RegionalSat 02 December, 2023

Regional level event

Results

• • Results and splits
• • Routegadget

Report

LOST PROPERTY:

• see photo. Is it yours? Black beany hat found on the walk down from the Regional Day Finish.
• also a yellow hooded sweatshirt left at the Hapton Inn. Email the Organiser to claim:

Organiser's Comments

Thanks to the team of PFO helpers who made yesterday’s event possible, to Steve and Eddie for well received courses on a challenging area and to all you brave competitors who ventured out on a bitingly cold day to support the event.

We are very grateful to the Agra restaurant for use of their car park and to the staff of the Hapton Inn whose comfortable base meant we could run both events on the same day. Restrictions on the Parking times meant that we could not arrange for the regional event start times to be later (thereby reducing the waiting time between the two events), but earlier start times for the night event seemed popular.

Thank you all and hope to see you at another event soon.

Helen Smethurst PFO and Ginny Anderson PFO - Joint Organisers

Planner's Comments:

Thank you to everyone who turned up and I hope you enjoyed your run despite the bitterly cold wind on the day. Feedback was very positive and the smooth running of the event made it all worthwhile. The day before was a beautiful day for putting out the controls but the day after, when collecting controls, it was in snow and mist which would have led to a much slower and trickier event for the competitors. It shows how much the weather at this time of year can affect how events play out on an area like Hameldon. Many local sporting events were cancelled this weekend so it was pleasing for both events to pass off successfully.

Hameldon was originally pencilled in for a regional slot in October but permissions and access made it shift over to the December date. Our first choice parking area on the NW edge of the map was declined and we came very close to cancelling when the Agra restaurant also said no to using their car park on a Sunday. Fortunately Helen went back and asked about using it on the Saturday and they said yes so the event was back on! Many thanks to them for letting us use their car park, as we almost certainly would have given up if they had declined.

The map used is only half of the area (see 2012 UK cup on routegadget for the full map). A test run in September put me off the Hameldon Hill part of the area as it was very exposed and marshy and not interesting enough to warrant making use of for a winter event. It would be nicer to use this part of the area in late Spring. The highlights of the competition area were the quarry area on the top and the contrasting woodland in the NW of the map so I tried to get all of the courses into those areas where possible.

Long legs were difficult to make use of due to the profile of the terrain with paths running East-West meaning you could miss out technical areas by using paths on any long legs. I wanted to keep people in the technical areas where possible rather than bypassing them, so the result was more controls than I originally intended. The brown course was a late re-plan and I managed to get a few longer route choice legs into that. In hindsight I should have done a similar pattern to the 2 blue courses to add a bit more leg length variety to them.

Finally, the venue worked out better than expected considering it was not our original plan A to use the same event centre for both events. As a long day for many of the helpers, having the Hapton Inn available all day was brilliant as you could warm up, recover and get fed and watered. It was a great team effort by PFO and showed the club in a very positive light. Particular thanks to Helen and Ginny for their perseverance in making the event happen when the easy option would have been to cancel it. Also, thanks to Eddie Speak MDOC (Day Controller) for waiting patiently whilst we sorted ourselves out with which areas to use and getting the map updated. His input was appreciated and it was a credit to him that we had no negative comments about the technical aspect of the courses.

Steve Wilson PFO - Planner

RouteGadget

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Last updated: Sat 16 December, 2023

Though originally scheduled for December 3rd, for reasons of parking restrictions, this event has been chaged to run on Saturday December 2nd.
The PFO Night event will remain as planned and be run on the evening of December 2nd.

Hameldon Hill is a classic long distance Regional event.

Safety: This is a winter event over high exposed moorland - WHISTLES and WATERPROOF JACKETS are MANDATORY and must be worn or carried - unless specifically relaxed by the organiser. To cope with wind, rain and cold, carrying hats, gloves, additional thermal layers and waterproof trousers may also be necessary. Be prepared!

Mobile phones may be carried as a safety measure only. Emergency help numbers will be printed on your competition map.
Respect the fundamentals of orienteering and do not use your phone as a navigational aid, except if you have retired.

Crags: There is an escarpment of significant vertical CRAGS running from West to East and a number of small quarries with vertical faces, both of which require GREAT CARE especially when approaching them from the South. These crags are marked as uncrossable using either the thick black line or the thick black line with tags.

Cattle: There is a herd of Cattle who roam freely on the Moor and are used to walkers. Nevertheless, please be aware and give them space.

Water courses: Most streams and marshes are very minor, but If there has been recent heavy rain these may be deeper or wetter than implied by the map. Watch for advice notices and always take great care when crossing.

Retirement: If retiring, proceed to the main track to the east of the competition area, then head north (downhill) on this track to the main road. Follow this to reach Download and the car park. You MUST report your retirement to Download.

Control descriptions: They will be on the map and available as loose descriptions in the start lanes.

Permissions:
We are indebted to United Utilities (landowner) and tenants for permission to use the area.

The same evening, Saturday 2nd December, there will be the NWNL Hameldon Hill night event using some of the same area.

Location Info

Near: Burnley
Lat,Lng: 53.77539,-2.31152
OS Grid Ref: SD795311
Postcode: BB11 5QJ

Open an interactive map in:
GoogleMap - Streetmap (OS 50k)
OpenStreetMap - BingMap (OS 50k)

Directions / Parking

Parking, less than 2 miles from the M65 and A56, will be at the Agra Restaurant car park. What3Words ///jokes.acted.caged
Please ensure that you have removed your car from the car park by 3:00PM

To reach the Event Centre at the Hapton Inn, walk alongside the busy A679 in a SW direction for 300m to 400m. The pavement is on the opposite side of the road to parking. Children must be accompanied. Road marshals will be on duty. Take great care.
The Hapton Inn will be open from 10:00AM for Dibber Issue, toilets and, later on, Download. Access is to the left of the building via the rear entrance.
The competition area is a further 600 to 800m uphill

If the car park is full, you will be directed to other locations.

Map / Terrain

A4 1:7500, originally surveyed in 2012 with minor updates in 2016 and 2023.

Hameldon Hill was previously used for the UK Cup race and a Regional in 2012 and for a Regional and night events in 2016.

The area consists of 3 distinct areas:

1. Woodland - 2 areas of woodland will be used for this event. The eastern area is mainly coniferous plantation with slower runnability. The western area is a mix of natural woodland with some nice intricate sections along with plantation on the higher slopes.
2. Pastureland - Lower slopes of the open hillside with marsh, rock and contour features along with a varied path network.
3. Quarry area - A steep climb onto the quarried sections on the top. This features a lot of intricate rock and contour detail and requires accurate navigation. Note that there are some very large crags within this area and some of these are not tagged crags on the map. Courses are planned to avoid the most dangerous sections but extreme care must be taken when navigating through this area.

Above the quarries, is Hameldon Hill, which is open moorland, steep in places, with old mining pits and contour features.

Registration and Start times

Start times from 10:30 to 12:00. When entering, choose your 15 minute start block.

Courses close at 14:30PM

Course Information

Regional Courses: (Subject to final controlling.)

Control descriptions will be on the map and available as loose descriptions in the start lanes.

The Start is approximately 600m with 45m of climb from Dibber issue / Download. Allow 15 to 20 minutes.

Planner's Notes:

• Brown course is a 2-sided map. Turn over onto part 2 half way around the course.
• Crags on Brown/Blue/Green - Legs go through craggy sections when in the top part of the area. Take special care in these sections.
• Crags on Red/Light Green - These courses pass through part of the quarry section but should not encounter the more dangerous crags.
• Cattle - The pastureland has several herds of mostly good natured cattle roaming the area. Give them a wide berth if you encounter them. They spend most of their time near the farm on the eastern edge of the map, near the Start and Finish.
• Out of Bounds - There is a small area of private woodland, marked OOB on the map. Do not enter.
  
• Nearby Dwellings - There are farm buildings near the start and finish for both events. Please be courteous to residents when passing.
• Ruin between woodland areas - Many courses will pass by a ruined and burnt out farm. Take care when passing through the yard.
• Steep Slopes - Access to the quarry is via 30-40m of very steep slopes. Most courses have the option of a track route but take care on these slopes whichever route you take.
• Rocky Areas - direct lines through rocky sections on the steeper slopes will be very slow going (subtle hint).
• Ice - Weather forecast for the days around the event is dry and cold with temperatures below freezing especially higher up the hillside. Please take special care on steep or rocky sections.
• Misty conditions - In low visibility the area can be very challenging. If unsure of your navigational capabilities in misty, technical terrain we recommended you enter a less technical course.

Entry Details

On-line pre-entry only via SIEntries.
Online entries will remain open on race day. However, late entries (see below), up to the number of available maps, will be at the premium rate. Payment by cash or card cannot be accepted at registration. Please enter on line via S.I.Entries only, even if this is on the day.’

Start times from 10:30 to 12:00.

Courses close at 14:30PM

Standard entries will close at midnight on Thursday 30th November.
Adults (M/W21+) £9.00 (Non-BOF £11.00)
Juniors (M/W20-) £3.00 (Non-BOF £4.00)
Dibber hire £1.00 but £40 if lost! Collect hired dibbers from Download.

Late entries on or after Thursday 30th November, until race day. Entries will close at 10:30AM on race day:
Adults (M/W21+) £11.00 (Non-BOF £13.00)
Juniors (M/W20-) £4.00 (Non-BOF £5.00)
Late entries will be limited by the number of printed maps available.

Dog restrictions

No dogs on courses. This is sheep and cattle country.

Facilities

Dibber Issue and Download, will be in the Hapton Inn, which is on your route to the Start.
Access for competitors is via the rear door, accessed from the car park, to the left of the building. Please remove muddy footwear in the rear vestibule.
Ladies and Gents toilets are available indoors.
You may leave your belongings in a bag here, for example dry shoes, socks and clothing, if you intend to stay for drinks or a meal.

The Hapton Inn will be open ALL DAY for orienteers, staying open between the events. They will be serving normal pub drinks as well as tea and coffee. Soup and Sandwiches or Meat and potato Pie will be available at a cost of £6.50 between 1 -3pm and 7 -9pm, as well as a limited Pub food menu. Please order and pay for food at the bar. It would help the kitchen if you would reserve your hot meal before running.

The Agra Indian Restaurant (where you will be parked) opens for meals at 3:00PM.

Showers: If you are staying to compete in the night event later in the day, showers are available for all competitors at St Peter’s Leisure Centre, Burnley at £5 per person. There is free parking and the Centre will be open until 7pm. There is also a Health Suite (Sauna and Steam room) but Saturday pm is a Men Only session, cost £10. The address is St Peters Leisure Centre, Church St, Burnley, BB11 2DL Tel 01282 664444 (16 mins and 4 miles by car).

Miscellaneous

General enquiries -

Event number 82196

Contacts / Officials

Planner: Steve Wilson PFO
Organiser: Helen Smethurst PFO & Ginny Anderson PFO
Controller: Eddie Speak MDOC