Event Report

Many thanks to all those of you who came along to yesterday evening's Spunch at Heaton House Farm. Once again over 150 of you including the kids (aka Spunchkins), and a healthy number of first timers! The weather was relatively kind to us, Guy's course setting appeared to be well received, as were the sausage baps! Apparently it was a little damp underfoot between #17 and #11 - but I'm assured no children were consumed by the Axstones swamp!
The links to the new format PROVISIONAL results are above.  Sometimes the results take a little while to load, but when you get there they are very comprehensive including split times, GPS tracks etc!  If your result is not shown, it may be that you need to do a manual upload from your MapRun app.

We hope you enjoyed it!  We are always looking for feedback so please do let me know - what did you like, and maybe what didn't you like?! 

SpunchPix Comp: l have already received some pics, but if any of you have more that you are happy to be shared anonymously on social media etc, please WhatsApp them to me on 07751932749 or email on .  Best pic received by midnight Friday will receive a free entry to a future Spunch.  
Big shout outs to all the management & staff at heatonhousefarm.co.uk and stableyardcatering.co.uk for the excellent venue and catering.  We hope to be back soon (please)!

Planner's Comments

Planning for the Heaton event commenced almost as the dust settled on the Leekfrith event that was held at the beginning of April. Back then the paths were definitely harder going and the wind one day threatened to prevent me from reaching Tofthall between what would become the sites for controls 15 and 16. I comforted myself with the thought that weather would be much kinder in July and so it proved. Maybe not quite as warm as in recent weeks but definitely conditions conducive for being outdoors. The level of undergrowth had shot up in between times too.

The course itself provided a good balance of sweeping ups and downs plus some more level sections. The views were terrific too. Getting the best site for controls I can see is an art which I need to continue to develop. Control 27 didn’t behave as it should have done for everyone, frustrating given that it was checked four times. Additionally the map between controls 44 and 45 clearly had misplaced the footpath on the wrong side of the canal. Ironically the organiser and I had spotted that during one of our planning sessions but I persuaded him that participants were unlikely to try to follow the path as marked on the map as it would be too difficult. Perhaps I should take comfort that so many tried to do so! One other control, control 17, wasn’t popular given the amount of mud in the field below Axstones Spring. If you were caught up in any of these my apologies.

These apart I was content that the course would provide a suitable challenge to seasoned runners while being friendly to those looking for an opportunity to explore this relatively undiscovered area.

I was delighted with the response to the event, particularly from those either new to Spunch or seasoned runners. It was super to see you all and whether you were local or travelled a bit further to take part I do hope that you enjoyed the event and indeed the venue.

Thanks for coming. 

Guy Lingford

Pre Event Info

• 60, 90 & 120 minute score course options
• 20 points per control, 10 points penalty for minute or part minute late
• Registration from 5:30pm to 6:45pm
• "Rolling start" times from 6:15pm to 7pm

Venue:  Heaton House Farm (Wedding Venue!), Coppice Side, Rushton Spencer, Macclesfield SK11 0RD

Please pre-enter via SiEntries:

https://www.sientries.co.uk/event.php?elid=Y&event_id=11939

• Final Details

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FREE On-site Parking, Registration, Loos, Start and Finish all at Heaton House Farm.

Sensibly priced food, drink and much route analysis available after your run!  Run, jog or walk - suitable for trail runners, park runners, fell runners, orienteers, walkers, and newcomers alike.  Great for families and friends to do together.  Suitable for all ages and abilities - lots of help available for newcomers.

Sausage baps & Chips (£6.50), Sweet-treat Traybakes (£1.50) and drinks from the bar after you've finished.  (Vegetarian option available)

Location

Nearest town: Macclesfield

• Grid Ref:
• Postcode: SK11 0RD
• Latitude: 53.15499
• Longitude: -2.07847
• Google Map
• Streetmap (OS 50k)
• Bing Map (OS 50k)
• OpenStreetMap

Course Information

Visit as many checkpoints as you can in the time available, S-punching using the MapRun app on your smartphone or Garmin. 

Explanation of colour courses

• White are very easy with all controls on paths. They are mainly used by 6-10 year olds and family groups.
• Yellow use simple linear features like paths, walls and streams. They are mainly used by under 12’s and family groups.
• Orange progress to basic use of the compass and route choice. They are ideal for novice adults or experienced youngsters.
• Light Green are ideal for improvers as the navigational difficulty begins to increase and uses simple contours and point features.
• Green are used mostly by experienced under 18’s and adults wanting a short but challenging course with a very hard navigational difficulty.
• Blue are a longer, more physically demanding course in comparison to the green. The distances are more varied between controls and the course attracts experienced orienteers.
• Brown & Black are very physically demanding and have a very hard navigational difficulty. They are for experienced orienteers only.
• Score means visiting as many controls as possible in any order in a specific time, like 45mins.

Entry Details

Seniors £5, Age 16-20/students £3. Under 16s go free but must be accompanied by a paying adult.

Contacts / Officials

Enquiries to: Andy Thornton 

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.

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Read our privacy policy to see how we look after your personal data.

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