Quantock North

Organiser comments from Karen Lewis:

Thank you to all that turned up for this event.

For organising, it is a great area – plenty of parking, decent area for reception and download, so not too much to fret about.

The weather was kind to us until about 1300 hrs, it then started to rain and a mist developed which reduced visibility considerably. The rain did pass over by end of play and thank you to those helpers that stayed behind to assist with control collection. Hope you didn’t get too cold.

Thank you to all the helpers for making the day a success and making my job that much easier. Extra thank you to those helpers that did a full day at the urban on Saturday and still helped on Sunday - your dedication is much appreciated. Also a big thank you to Roger and Judy for getting there early and doing what they do.

Feedback received from competitors was generally all positive.

Well done to Steve for the planning and a special mention for Mike Anderson for his first foray into controlling – he put his all into it.

Hope you all enjoyed your run – until next time.

Planner comments from Steve Robertson:

The only negative of this event was that I had not realised the extent of landowner management (the many areas of mown moorland) and the ongoing encroachment of the gorse, both of which required map updating.

Fortunately, until the late rain, the weather was favourable and there was no low cloud that often envelopes these hills and would have made the orienteering more of a navigational challenge.

Thanks to all for their positive comments and most competitors seemed to have enjoyed their runs despite the climb involved.

Planning on this highly contoured area is a challenge. All the courses were within BOF guidelines for length and above the guideline after adjusting for the climb involved. However, after considering the speed of competitors at a previous event on this area the expected winning times looked reasonable.

On Sunday, apart for the Yellow and White, the times of the leading runners were about 20 percent below those expected. I suspect, the fitter competitors were able to capitalise on the track/path network and the mown areas, despite the climb involved.

Thanks to Karen for her quiet, competent organisation, Mike for his controlling help, Bill for his mapping support and DEVON for loan of their equipment (QO kit used for the prior day UKOL event).

Show Pre-Event Info

Forest League 2022/23 Series Info

Local events open to all, beginner or experienced orienteer, young or old and there are colour-coded courses suitable for all.

We have six of these events a year and together they form the Forest League (QOFL). The series starts in the Autumn and continues at approximately one event per month until the spring.

Anyone can get a result for an event, but for it to be included in the league scoring you have to be a member of a British Orienteering affiliated club at the time of entry.

Events list for Forest League 2022-23

Code of Conduct

Please make sure you have read and comply with the Participant Code Of Conduct and, if applicable, the Parent Code Of Conduct.

Directions / Parking

The road in West Quantoxhead up to the parking is located: Google Map | Apple Maps (postcode to the rough area is TA4 4DQ)

Directions will be signed from A39 at West Quantoxhead and A358 near Bicknoller.

Course Information

Course	Controls	Length	Climb
White	10	1.8 km	65 m
Yellow	11	2.9 km	90 m
Orange	7	3.1 km	120 m
Light Green	8	3.0 km	115 m
Short Green	9	3.4 km	145 m
Green	10	4.3 km	185 m
Blue	13	6.3 km	325 m

Please note that course details are provisional.

Map is A4, 1:10,000 with no legend.

Entry Details

Pre-entry closes on 25 January 2023.

Please note that if you enter on the day you run the risk that we have run out of maps for your preferred course.

Pre-enter

Class	Pre-entry Fee	EOD Fee
Senior	£10	£11
Senior Novice	£5	£6
Junior	£3	£4
Group	-	£13

Junior - anyone 21 years or younger at the time of the event, regardless of the course they are running.
Senior novice - an adult running White or Yellow.
Group - all going round a course together, two maps provided - please contact us to arrange if wanting to pre-enter a group.

An SI dibber can be hired for £1. Failure to return it will incur the cost of a replacement (£30). Or a SIAC dibber can be hired for £3 (with a replacement cost of £70 if lost).

If you are a helper at this event, please contact the organiser for the discount code.

Please consider buying a pack of pre-entry credits in advance. This costs you the same but saves the club a lot in credit card fees.

Buy Credits

Registration & Start Times

Parking is alongside a moorland track and distance to Start/Finish is 300 – 600 m (20m of climb). Start and Finish are within 200m of each other.

Children should be accompanied between the parking and the start/finish/reception by a responsible adult.

There are no toilets at this event. The nearest toilets are at Watchet or Nether Stowey (if coming from the Bridgwater direction).

Starts: 1100 hrs - 1330 hrs (1030 hrs start for helpers)

Courses close 1430 hrs

Terrain Description

The area is open moorland with extensive areas of gorse and small isolated areas of woodland. The vegetation growth (gorse, heather and bracken) over the last 2 to 3 years means that runnability in many areas has reduced significantly. This has been partially offset by a number of areas that have been cleared by mowing and these are shown on the map as open run. The map was updated in October/November 2022 to reflect these changes.

Safety

	Required?
leg covering	yes
waterproofs	depends on weather
whistle	yes
U16 accompanied by responsible adult	no
reflective clothing required	no
headtorch required	no

The area is exposed and in January can experience weather conditions from blue sky and sun to high winds and snow. Competitors should carry a whistle and if conditions are poor – windproof/waterproof clothing will be mandatory.

Contacts / Officials

Planner: Steve Robertson

Controller: Mike Anderson

Organiser: Karen Lewis secretary@quantockorienteers.co.uk

Important Event Information

Safety and Risk: A comprehensive risk assessment will have been carried out by the organiser, but participants take part at their own risk and are responsible for their own safety during the event. All participants must report to download whether they finish their course or not.

Privacy: when participating in our events/activities your name may appear in the results section of this website or in newspaper reports. Read our data protection page to see how we look after your personal data.

Photography: QO has an agreed policy on the taking of photographs at events, based on national guidance. This provides a sensible balance between the benefits and risks associated with the taking and use of images. If you are unsure about acceptable practice, please speak to the event organiser.

Safeguarding: QO is aware of it's responsibilities in safeguarding and child protection. To comply with The Child Safeguarding Practice Review and Relevant Agency (England) Regulations 2018, we now provide an email address for individuals to report concerns to the Lead Safeguarding Officer. This address is safeguarding@britishorienteering.org.uk.

Photo Gallery

Bicknoller Post, St Audries, looking W
Credit: Sheila Russell

aerial view of NW Quantocks
Credit: Adam Cli