East Anglian League; WAGALMildenhall North EALSun 17 November, 2024
Near: Mildenhall
Level of event: Regional
Type of event:
Race
Results
Report
Lost property
- Black +1.50 reading glasses (with organiser)
- Ruggedised mobile phone (handed in at Mildenhall Police station)
Organiser's comments
This was the first event I have organised, but hopefully it didn't show too much! Thanks to Helen Hague for mentoring me and having the confidence in me to say "I'm going home now, so if anyone's lost or injured I'm sure you know what to do". Her organisers' manual was invaluable, even though by the time I started looking at it I'd already missed some of the targets. It was only when I got round to booking the toilets that sh*t got real.
Thanks to all of our wonderful volunteers, partly for their hard work on the day, but also for stepping forwards so readily to make the work beforehand less stressful. The parking team were very efficient and my fears about parking problems never materialised.
I also did some control collection and can sympathise with all the talk about nettles. The vegetation at Mildenhall North is always a moving target at this time of year (having planned there myself in November 2016, I remember altering courses late on because the nettles were refusing to die back), but we also appreciate that some parts of the map need updating.
This was also our first event under the new Forestry England agreement. They were very helpful and supportive, but the financial burden is much higher than it was which is why we were forced to raise our prices. I fear that East Anglian forest events will need to get more expensive across the board, but we will see how it all pans out.
Stephen Borrill, WAOC
Pre Event Info
Location Info
- Postcode: IP28 6AE *
- Lat,Lng: 52.34823,0.55247
- Grid Ref:
- Google Map
- Streetmap (OS 50k)
- Bing Map (OS 50k)
- OpenStreetMap
* Postcodes are not very precise in some areas, so don't rely on them for an exact location.
Latest News
16th November - Advance entries closed. Extra maps printed and number of spare maps added
13th November - Course for M18 corrected to Short Brown
11th November - Final details as below
4th November - Car parking will be very tight. Please car-share where possible.
Summary
Regional level event in Mildenhall Wood (North of A11).
This will be an East Anglian League event and the final WAGAL event of 2024.
Directions / Parking
Post code for SatNav: IP28 6AE should take you to the Barton Mills roundabout and then follow directions below. Event will be signposted from the A1065.
From Barton Mills roundabout on A11/A1101/A1065, take A1065 Northwards (signed to Brandon).
After 800m, turn east (right) off the A1065 signed "Household Waste Site" (postcode IP28 7JQ). There may be a queue for the tip, in which case carefully overtake and continue along the road. This road is a cul-de-sac and is not accessible from the A11.
Parking will be on grass off forest road 303 which you will see on your left Please park where directed on the forest road and walk on to registration. Do NOT park on the main tarmac road unless directed to do so (this is a change from previous events). Do NOT park in the public parking bays on the right as you enter FR303.
Most courses cross the tarmac road and FR303 - please keep an eye out for orienteers crossing.
Parking space is VERY restricted so please car share wherever possible. If you are bringing a coach, minibus or camper van please arrange to park at the Barton Mills lay-by near Walker’s snack bar, close to the Barton Mills roundabout. There is no height restriction if you park in the lay-by along the road (there is a 2m barrier into the car park). Click here for map showing route from Walker's. Route will NOT be taped.
Course Information
This is an East Anglian League event. Please note there is a Short Brown available which will alter the course to enter for some age classes.
These course details are now finalised (11/11/2024)
| Course | Length | Climb | Controls | Age classes for league |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| White | 1.9km | 15m | 13 | |
| Yellow | 2.4km | 25m | 12 | M10, W10 |
| Orange | 3.3km | 25m | 13 | M12, W12 |
| Light Green | 4.3km | 30m | 14 | M14, W14 |
| Short Green | 3.9km | 25m | 14 | M80+, W70+ |
| Green | 5.3km | 35m | 15 | M65+, W16, W50+ |
| Blue | 6.3km | 40m | 19 | M16, M55+, W18, W40+ |
| Short Brown | 7.3km | 45m | 22 | M18, M45, M50, W20, W35 |
| Brown | 9.4km | 50m | 30 | M20, M21-M40, W21 |
Entry Details
Online entries are now closed. There will be entry on the day (EOD) subject to map availability. The number of spare maps available for entry on the day is shown below
| Course | Spare maps |
|---|---|
| Brown | 5 |
| Short Brown | 5 |
| Blue | 5 |
| Green | 8 |
| Short Green | 11 |
| Light Green | 5 |
| Orange | 5 |
| Yellow | 11 |
| White | 4 |
Fees are as follows:
| Until end of 10th Nov | Until 15th Nov and EOD | |
| Senior (21 and over) BO member | £12 | £14 |
| Senior non-member | £14 | £16 |
| Junior or student | £3 | £3 |
| SI card hire | £1 | £1 |
| SIAC touch-free hire | £3 | £3 |
Loss of a hired SI card will incur a charge of £30, a lost SIAC will incur a replacement fee of £65.
Registration and Start Times
Registration will be open for enquiries, entry on the day and hire dibber collection from 10 am to 12 noon.
Starts from: 10.30am until 12.30pm. Start times will not be pre-allocated.
Pre-entered competitors may go straight to the start (unless you need to pick up a hired SI card, in which case you must first go to registration). Entries on the day may go to the start when ready after registering.
Competitors new to orienteering or requiring assistance should enquire at registration.
The start is around 100m from the entrance to FR303 on the south side of the road (which itself is around 300m from registration). The finish is around 500m from FR303.
Terrain and map details
Mildenhall Wood is managed coniferous forest with some areas of beech. Full leg cover is mandatory. Map is 1:10000, 5m contours and A4 size.
Maps and loose control descriptions will be printed on waterproof paper.
Dog restrictions
Dogs are allowed on leads. Note that Mildenhall forest is adjacent to major roads.
Facilities
Registration, enquiries, download and portable toilets are located along forest road 303. Please use the portable toilets we have provided. A café with public toilets is situated just off the A1065 near the Barton Mills roundabout.
Acknowledgements
We would like to thank Forestry England and Natural England for giving permission to use the area and to all helpers from WAOC without whom the event could not run.
Contacts / Officials
Organiser: Stephen Borrill entries@waoc.org.uk
Planner: Rowan Lee
Controller: Phil Halford (SUFFOC)