TRAVEL Car parking and assembly will be at Drumlanrig Castle GR NX/852993. The event will be signposted from the A76 about three miles north of Thornhill. Follow the Orienteering signs to car parking, for which there will be no charge. [For competitors with local knowledge of other routes into the castle grounds, please observe one-way restrictions.]

ASSEMBLY Entries, SI-card hire, information and download will all be located in the courtyard, as are the toilets and café. Compass Point, supplier of specialist orienteering equipment, shoes, clothing & safety items, will also be present. Maps for courses 1 and 2 must be picked up from Information.

FIRST AID St Andrew’s Ambulance Association will be in attendance and located at Assembly in the courtyard.

START & FINISH The start is about 400m uphill north west of the Castle and will be signed and taped from Assembly. Competitors on courses 1 and 2 must collect their maps from Information before proceeding to the start. There will be no clothing transfer. The finish is close to the Castle.

Click here to see the start list

ENTRIES/INFORMATION Pre-entered competitors may proceed directly to the start after collecting a hired SI-card if required from Information. Regional event and Colour Coded (White, Yellow, Orange, Light Green and Red) entries will be accepted on the day, subject to the availability of over-printed maps. Entries will be taken from 10 a.m. till 12 noon.
Regional event: Seniors £12 (less £2 discount for BOF members), Juniors & Students £4
Colour Coded: Senior £8 (less £2 discount for BOF members), Juniors & Students £3.

ENTRY DETAILS Please check that your entry details are correct. Email or call the organiser with any queries. Start time requests have been met wherever possible on a ‘first come first served’ basis. Later entry requests for special start times may not have been accommodated.

SAFETY Competitors take part at their own risk and are responsible for their own safety. Courses 6 to 14 cross the minor road that runs though the competition area. Please take care when crossing. The area is popular with mountain bikers. Look out for them especially when crossing or running along cycle trails. The Marr Burn flows west to east through the middle of the mapped area. After or during wet weather this river might be uncrossable except at the marked bridges. You must report to Download even if you retire.

MAP All maps are A4 size and printed on waterproof paper. Maps will not be bagged. Control descriptions will be printed on the front of the map. There is no legend on the map but loose copies may be picked up at Information. Please ensure that you pick up only one map.

PLANNER’S TERRAIN NOTES Various Estate works are in process within the competition area. This includes but is not limited to some thinning of conifer plantations, removal of rhododendron thickets, reconstruction of old Victorian paths and construction of new cycle trails. The map has been updated to reflect the more obvious changes up to the middle of February. Runnability is generally good although brambles have thrived in some mature and thinned areas. Care should be exercised where direct routes entail stream crossings – optional footbridge alternatives are available and will be marked on the map.

CONTROLS Control flags will be hung on a T-bar, which also carries the SI base unit and control code on two sides. In the unlikely event of a base unit malfunctioning use the pin punch to mark your map and report this to the official at Download.

OFFICIALS

Planner - Ian Turner, Solway Orienteers

Controller - Andy Lewsley, Border Liners OC

Organiser - Dave McQuillen, Solway Orienteers, email dnjmcq@tiscali.co.uk, or telephone 01387 261741 – before 10 p.m. please.

COURSE DETAILS

Course No.	Map scale	Classes	length KM	Climb M
1	1:10000	JM1, JW1, White	1.4	20
2	1:10000	JM2, JW2, Yellow	2.4	60
3	1:10000	JM3, JW3, Orange	2.9	85
4	1:10000	JM4, JW4, Light Green	3.7	110
6	1:10000	Red	6.5	185
7	1:10000	M70S, M75S, W50S, W55S, W60S, W65S, W70S, W75S, W75L	3.3	110
8	1:10000	M60S, M65S, M75L, W45S, W65L, W70L	3.7	125
9	1:10000	JM5S, M55S, M70L, JW5S, W35S, W40S, W55L, W60L	4.2	135
10	1:10000	M45S, M50S, M65L, W21S, W45L, W50L	4.9	200
11	1:10000	JM5M, M35S, M40S, M55L, M60L, JW5L, W35L, W40L	6.6	260
12	1:10000	JM5L, M21S, M45L, M50L, W21L,	7.3	260
13	1:10000	M35L, M40L	8.8	315
14	1:10000	M21L	10.7	370

CONTROL DESCRIPTIONS Pictorial descriptions are used for all courses except courses 1 and 2, which have written descriptions. Spare copies for all courses will be available at Assembly.

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS Solway Orienteers would like to thank the following for their assistance in staging this event.

Buccleuch Estates Ltd (Queensbury Estates):

Richard Riley, Head Ranger, Countryside Service

Mr R Clark, Head Keeper

Mr M Caughlin, Forest Manager

First Aid: St Andrew’s Ambulance Association

Mrs Purdie, Johnstone Bridge

Click here for a PDF version of the final details.