Writtle Forest

Near: Chelmsford
Event Type: Local forest
Postcode: CM4 0PR
Google Map: View map
Directions: Jump to directions

On-line entry: Click here to enter (before Sun 20th September)
Pre-entries close: At end of Sun 20th September
Entry on the day: No
Entry fees:

• Juniors (U21)/students: £ 3 (member) / £ 3 (non-member)
• Adults: £ 10 (member) / £ 12 (non-member)
• Timing chip hire: £ 1

This event is open to all, and is a local (Level D) colour coded event associated with JIRCs 2026. The JIRCS weekend is organised by EAOA. The Open event will be held on Saturday 26th September, in Writtle Forest. A limited range of colour coded courses are on offer: Orange, Short Green, Green and Blue. PLEASE NOTE THE PERIOD FOR STARTS IS EARLIER THAN NORMAL. Open event starts will run from 9.30 to 11.00am. Courses close 12.30pm. We will not allocate start times but the intention is for the forest to be clear of open course participants prior to the JIRC races. Slower participants running longer courses are encouraged to start early.

Dogs

Entries

There will be no facility to accept entry on the day, so all entries must be made online in advance, via Racesignup up to the entry closing date of 20th September. See above for entry fees. Helpers on the day can enter at half price if paying the adult rate. Please contact entries@waoc.org.uk BEFORE you enter to obtain the discount code.

Acknowledgements

We are grateful to the landowner, Lord Petre, for allowing use of the forest and to the owner of Monks and Barrows Farm for allowing use of the farm as the event centre.

A limited range of Colour coded courses from Orange to Blue.

There will be a punching start. SIAC (non-contact) punching will be enabled for all course controls. Start and Finish controls will NOT be in beacon mode and must be contact-punched by all competitors.

Details shown below are subject to final controlling.

The blue course involves two marshalled timed-out road crossings. Blue course maps will be double sided with part 1 on one side and the continuation to the second part of the course on the reverse.

Writtle Forest is made up of ancient woodland with some areas of complex contour. The two main blocks are private woodland with little public access, so apart from a large footpath across each, are rarely walked and the limited paths need care in locating and following. The forest is very runnable. The map scale is 1:10000, 5m contours.

A previous map of Writtle Forest can be found on the SOS routegadget: https://www.sos.routegadget.co.uk/rg2/#96

Qualified first aiders will be on duty near download/enquiries.

Portable toilets will be available.

Parking, download, enquiries and portable toilets will be situated at Monks and Barrows Farm. Access is along a single track road which is navigable by cars and minibuses. There will be ample space for parking.

The farm is situated on Maple Tree Lane, off Mill Green Road, Mill Green. Access is from near Ingatestone CM4 0PR.

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A £3 parking charge is payable per vehicle. This will be included in the entry fee when you enter online.

Organiser: Will Harrison (SUFFOC)
Planner: Paul Beckett (HAVOC)
Controller: Peter Woods (WAOC)
Welfare: Helen Hague, WAOC

Safety and Risk: A risk assessment is carried out by the organiser in advance of each event, but participants take part at their own risk and are responsible for their own safety during the event.

Insurance: Our events and activities are registered with British Orienteering, and have been risk-assessed. Our event officials have appropriate training for the level of event involved. This means our events are covered by British Orienteering's public liability insurance. For insurance purposes, we ask that when you register for an event that you provide full names of anyone who goes out on a course, even if just accompanying a junior or part of a group (these additional names won't be recorded in the results - for example they can just be noted on the back of your registration slip).

Please note: By entering an event, you acknowledge that you are taking part at your own risk. From 1st January 2026 onwards, participants who are not members of British Orienteering are not covered by British Orienteering’s public liability insurance. If you are not a member of British Orienteering and were to, for example, accidentally injure a member of the public or damage property during the event, you would not be covered.

Privacy:

WAOC process entrant information on the basis of legitimate interest to produce competition results, to provide participation and results information to British Orienteering, and we retain details for a period to meet our insurance requirements. Published results may include (but not limited to) name, any club affiliation, race times and age group. Read our data protection page for further information about how we look after your personal information.

Welfare and Safeguarding:

We want everyone to feel safe and welcome at our events.

If you would like special assistance, such as a quiet start or other request, please do let us know. Ideally by contacting the organiser in advance, otherwise ask on the day and we will help if we can.

As a club, we support and follow British Orienteering’s safeguarding policies,which can be found via the links below:

• Child Safeguarding Policy
• Safeguarding Adults at Risk Policy

Taking Photographs

In line with the policies of British Orienteering, the organisers of this event request that any person wishing to take photos or videos showing children should register their details with event volunteers before taking any such photos or videos. The event organisers reserve the right to ask people to refrain from taking photos or videos and may, if such warnings are ignored, refer the matter to the police.

Club's use of Images

We may sometimes publish photographs of event participants in news items or publicity. At events where we have arranged for photography we will advertise this at the event and in advance in the event details.

We aim always to obtain the permissions of parent or responsible adult before we publish any picture showing a junior participant as the main focus. Although we cannot guarantee that an event photographer will not take photographs of any given individual, we will do our best to avoid publishing images of individuals who have told us they do not wish to be photographed and will remove images that we are notified about.

Read our data protection page for further information about our policy on photography and use of images.