Map and terrain
Map/Equipment/Terrain/First Aid:
The map will be a two-sided map of a scale 1:5000. This means that for every 1cm on the map it is 50m ‘on the ground’. It will not be a true orienteering map, but a map from Open Orienteering Map. This will show roads, paths, walls, fences, building and woodland. It will be simple to understand regardless of your orienteering experience! There will be blank maps in the event village to have a look at!
You will not need to know how to use a compass to navigate around, though as always it would be a benefit. Checkpoints will be located in easy to nav places - the skill is deciding what to go for and it what order! Will you head straight for a prize control or play the long game and build up the points??
The terrain is very runnable and a great mix of track/road and runnable farmland. There are very few grazing sheep on the grounds so underfoot is very stable, trail shoes but not dobs are recommended. There will be very quiet service roads on the course, traffic is expected to be a minimum but as always, be aware.
Where there are walls and fences - please only cross these at crossing points - these are shown on your map with two purple lines pointing outwards, help us keep Broughton Estate happy!
First Aid will be located at information - there are also two remote, self applied first aid bags on the course, shown by a red first aid cross on your map.
Out of bounds areas:
Broughton Hall stately home and it’s private grounds will be out of bounds throughout the event, as will other areas, these are clearly marked on your map with purple hashings. You must respect this at all times - there will be marshals on the course to enforce this. Pictured below are out of bounds areas for before the race - again these will be marshalled, you will not be allowed to warm up in the areas shown in purple hashings, and can only do so in the car park - please look out for each other!
Course information
Format:
60 minute score course - Mass Start at 6pm.
10 checkpoints located around the grounds each worth 10 points - maximum score 100 points. Overall winners will be decided by the highest points achieved in the quickest time, male and female.
- You can visit the checkpoints in any order - once. However you must visit Checkpoint #10 last - this will be clearly marked on your map. This will be located near the Finish and will be placed on the course after the race has started. There is a prize for the fastest run into the finish from Checkpoint 10 for both male/female.
- You will not have the map at the start of the race! At 6pm a Silva Spectra Headlamp will highlight where the maps are located within the grounds - get there as fast as you can to grab one map from the boxes of maps at this location.
- Where you are when you pick up the map (not where the mass start was) will be shown by a triangle on your map.
- At each checkpoint will be an orange & white orienteering flag and an SI Timing box (pictured below) - place your SI Card into the box to record your visit; it will beep.
- The checkpoints will be numbered purple circles on the map - they will be located where the circle is and not the number corresponding to it.
- Once you have visited the mandatory final checkpoint #10, the finish is shown by a double circle - make sure you put your SI Card into the finish boxes to stop your time!
- You will lose 2 points per minute late after 60 mins - time your return! After 15 minutes (7:15pm) you will lose all of your points and any prizes you may have gained throughout the event.
- After you have finished, visit the Download/Information tent to download your SI Card - this will tell us how many checkpoints you visited and in what time. Results will be announced in the prize giving which starts at 7:30pm.
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.