Location Info

• Postcode: SG8 9FB *
• Lat,Lng: 52.04842,-0.03987
• 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.

Directions / Parking

Therfield Heath is adjacent to Royston, which is easily accessible from the A10 and from the M11 and A1M via the A505.

Royston has a rail station, and the journey from London is less than 50 minutes.  The Sports Centre is approximately 15 minutes walk (~1km) from the station.

Parking will be in the Heath Sports car park. Postcode for SatNav: use SG8 5BG

Course Information

A range of colour-coded courses will be on offer from White to Blue, incorporating the Park-O courses.

Controls will be set up in SIAC beacon mode, allowing non-contact punching for those with SIAC dibbers.

Course	Difficulty	Length	Climb
White (Park-O Short)	very easy	1.1 km	30 m
Yellow(Park-O Medium)	easy	1.7 km	40 m
Orange(Park-O Long)	moderate	2.7 km	75 m
Light Green	harder	2.5 km	105 m
Short Green	hard	2.8 km	100 m
Green	hard	4.2 km	120 m
Blue	hard	5.9 km	160 m

Course distances may be slightly shorter than typical for East Anglia, to compensate for the climb involved.  

Please note that the Blue course involves a road crossing and for that reason is limited to entrants aged 16 and older on the date of the event.

There is a golf course on Therfield Heath, and it is very important that orienteers keep off the course, marked as out of bounds on the map by purple hatching.

Entry Details

Entry details are same as usual for Park-O courses. The longer courses use a different pre-entry system.

Park-O entry

For entry fees for the Park-O courses, See the Park-O page.

In order to ensure an entry, you may pre-register to take part in this event, which you can do at WAOC entries at oentry.uk (Entries will open one month before the event date and close the day before).

You will be allocated a hire dibber, if you do not have one, which you can pick up at registration. No payment is required until you turn up for the event. (Entry fee for these courses includes dibber hire where required).

We will also accept entries on the day. Just turn up any time between 1pm and 2:45 pm, to allow time to register and get ready before the start closes.

If you haven't been before, please read the information on our Park-O page so that you know what to do - we will have officials around to help if needed.

Colour-coded courses - White. Yellow and Orange

Entry to White, Yellow, and Orange courses will be as for Park-O (they are the same courses!). See details above.

Colour Coded courses - Light Green to Blue

Pre-entry is now closed. Entry on the day will be available subject to map availability.

Fees for courses from Light Green to Blue are as shown below.

Seniors (BOF members)	£8
Seniors (non BOF)/ Group	£10
Juniors (Under 21) /Students	£2
Standard SI-card (dibber) hire	£1
SIAC hire	£3

For these courses, hire of an SI-card is in addition, as shown above. You can choose to hire either a standard SI card (dibber), or a SIAC dibber, which allows contactless punching.

If you are bringing a school party or other group, please inform the organiser in advance using the Group Entry Form. Please provide this information by 15th February.

Registration and Start Times

Park-O starts will operate between 1pm and 3pm.

Starts for Light Green to Blue courses will be from 12:30 pm to 2:30 pm. Start times for those already entered can be viewed on the Fabian4 site.

Registration will be open for entry on the day and for hire dibber collection, from 12:30 pm to around 2:55pm. If you are planning to run toward the end of the start period please remember to give yourself time to register and get ready to start by 3pm absolute latest.

Please note that courses close at 3:30pm. If you wish to do the Park-O Long course (or one of the other longer courses) you need to start by 2:30pm, unless you have sufficient experience that you will be able to finish before 3:30pm.

Terrain and map details

Course maps are A4 size, printed on waterproof paper. Scale 1:10,000 with 5m contours.

Therfield Heath is mainly open heath land with some woodland. 

Longer courses (not Park-O) run close to the Golf course on Therfield Heath.   Courses are planned to minimise associated hazards, but participants must not run across fairways, greens or bunkers (marked OOB on map).  You are advised to keep an eye out for golfers.

There may be sheep grazing on part of the Heath.  

Dog restrictions

Dogs must be kept well away from sheep, and be under close control on the golf course.

Facilities

There are toilets at the Heath Sports Centre. If you do enter the Sports Centre, please note no muddy footwear allowed inside.

Acknowledgements

We are grateful to the Conservators of the Heath for their permission to hold this event.

COVID-19

People should NOT attend any this or any orienteering event:

• If they are unwell with a cough, fever or other respiratory symptoms.
• If they have been in close contact with a suspected or confirmed case of COVID-19 until they have completed the prescribed quarantine period, even if they are completely symptom free.
• If they have returned from any overseas country until they have completed the self-quarantine period for 14 days, even if they are symptom free.
• If they are undergoing COVID-19 testing, until they have received negative results and are symptom free.
• If they have been advised to stay at home by a health professional.

If you have been asked to isolate by NHS Test and Trace because you are a contact of a known COVID-19 case, do not exercise outside your own home or garden and do not exercise with others. We also advise competitors who fit within the higher at-risk groups to take particular care and/or make decisions on attendance with due consideration to the risks associated with COVID-19.

Contacts / Officials

Organiser: entries@waoc.org.uk

Planner: Peter Duthie

Controller: Mike Bickle