Race report
Planners Comments - Graham Lloyd
Firstly thanks to all of you who came to Hardcastle Crags to the joint EPOC/PFO event.
Extra thanks to Hannah Kay and Andy for organising, to Alasdair for the map, and Jonathan for controlling.
In fact the planning was a bit of a joint effort as I’d not planned for 10 or so years, so I was very rusty, and a lot has changed in that time.
We recognised that the courses were physically demanding, but we wanted you to get to the best areas from the best directions, which meant some effort was required.
The area is full of pockets of loveliness interspersed with some awful bits. We avoided the worst bits…really!
We were also constricted by the narrowness of the area, and the pinch point at Gibson Mill.
We wanted to get the longer course over to Crimsworth Dene, which is completely different.
Due to the path network our legs were primarily about route choice and secondly fine navigation to the control.
We also wanted you all to get into the “Scottish” bit, which meant concentration when tired!
With Guisecliffe coming up, and Hardcastle Crags under our belt, you should all be well practiced for the British at Mulgrave.
Thanks again.
Mappers Comments - Alasdair Pedley
https://www.alasdairpedley.com…
Map and terrain
The Hardcastle Crags area has been recently remapped using modern mapping techniques (LiDAR data e.t.c.).
All maps 1:7500 scale : A3 size for Brown, Blue and Red; A4 for all other courses.
The area comprises the steep sided wooded Pennine valleys encasing Hebden Water and Crimsworth Dean Beck. This provides a mixture of runnability and, in some areas, an abundance of rock features, including the titular Hardcastle Crags. The climbing can be “ironed out” with careful route choice
Course information
Regional Courses: (Subject to final controlling.)
| Course | Length | Climb | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Brown | 8.5k | 320m | 30 controls, TD5 |
| Blue | 6.3k | 245m | 19 controls, TD5 |
| Green | 4.0k | 155m | 16 controls, TD5 |
| Short Green | 2.8k | 105m | 13 controls, TD5 |
| Very Short Green | 2.0k | 95m | 12 controls, TD5 |
| Light Green | 3.1k | 95m | 11 controls, TD4 |
| Red | 4.9k | 150m | 14 controls, TD3 |
| Orange | 3.0k | 90m | 9 controls, TD3 |
| Yellow | 2.2k | 50m | 8 controls, TD2 |
| White | 1.4k | 20m | 7 controls, TD1 |
Control descriptions will be on the map and also available loose in the start lanes.
The Start/Finish are adjacent to the Event Centre at Gibson Mill.
Pre-existing medical conditions: What you should do.
Insurance: From 1st January 2026, participants who are not members of British Orienteering will no longer be covered by British Orienteering's public liability insurance. By entering any event from 1st January 2026, you acknowledge that you are taking part at your own risk. For example, if you were to accidentally injure a member of the public or damage property during the event, you would not be covered. British Orienteering's public liability insurance used to cover non-members at events before this date.