Score event with 40 minute, 60 minute or 75 minute time limit. Under 16s MUST be accompanied by an adult. 16 and 17 year olds can compete alone but ONLY with written consent from parent/guardian. Lights essential (+ back-up). High-visibility clothing compulsory.

Venue: Bosden Farm - Pub and Dining, 23-25 Turnstone Road, Stockport SK2 5XT. w3w: salt.atoms.fingernails

Please, no changing in the open pub area. Use the toilets or your car.

Registration on the night opens at about 5.30pm, with start times between 6 and 7.30pm. Fee £6/£3.

The event will be a MapRun event, enabling use of the MapRun app on your phone or the MapRunG app on your watch. 

If you are new to the system, please read the instructions on our website and download the MapRun apps to your phone or watch, as good internet cannot be guaranteed at all venues. The event files will be available a few days before the event. You are strongly advised to download everything you need before you arrive at the event.

Registration

NEW THIS YEAR ... To enter the event, everyone should pre-enter using the RaceSignUp system https://racesignup.co.uk/mdoc-nsl-2. Just select the event, pick which of the 40/60/75 options you want to do, and if you are an MDOC member, use your discount code. This entry process takes your money, so no more queuing to pay on the night - should you need to withdraw, RaceSignUp allows that and gives you a credit for a future event.

Entries will remain open until the event is over, but you won't get a personalised clue sheet or a guarantee of a map if you leave it past midnight two days before (ie. Sun for Tuesday events, Tuesday for Thursday events).

If you are going to run as a pair, you both need to enter the event - all runners will receive a map and be charged for it (£6 seniors, £3 juniors).

We would prefer to avoid entries on the day, but will have a limited number of maps available and can take cash or card payments.

Remember

• you don't have to use MapRun - you can just fill in the answers on your cluesheet,

• in the (unlikely ?) event of a missing "beep" at a control, MapRunners MUST record a written response on their clue sheet.

• you get points if you get a beep or if you write the answer down. Simples. 

• photos of typical control sites can be seen on the Typical NSL Controls webpage

• final details - including a copy of the Safety Notice, and the safety map will be emailed to all pre-entries after entries have closed - they will not be available at registration.

Location

Nearest town: Offerton

• Grid Ref:
• Postcode: SK2 5XT
• Latitude: 53.39097
• Longitude: -2.10689
• Google Map
• Streetmap (OS 50k)
• Bing Map (OS 50k)
• OpenStreetMap

Directions / Parking

There is a small car park at the back of the pub and plenty of on street parking in the surrounding streets. Please park sensibly and don't block driveways.

Course Information

Bosden Farm, Offerton and Hazel Grove : A game of three halves.

Tonights area has 3 distinct parts. The Bosden Farm estate is a typical 1980s estate with curving roads, some connecting green grassy spaces (which may well be damp). There are some surprising hills on the estate. Hazel Grove is a mix of terraced housing and larger semi and detached houses, with fewer connecting footpaths than the Bosden Farm area. The Offerton estate is quite different, with numerous short roads and a large number of open areas and footpaths between the houses. Potentially a very confusing level of detail in the dark but a cool head and careful navigation will see you come out the other side safely.

There is no need to cross the busiest roads on the map, they effectively form a boundary around the three areas. There is one busy road through the middle of the map which has a footway on the NW side only. Please take extra care crossing this road. There are width restrictions handily placed at each end of this stretch of road, they slow the traffic and make a safer place to cross, if you see the need to.

The start is in the “beer garden” at the back of the pub. The finish is at the back of the car park next to a large tree. You will probably get a start beep on entering the beer garden at the back of the pub. If your watch was turned on before arrival and you approach via the car park, you may get a start beep well before your start. When you are ready to run, exit MapRun, then reselect the event. Note that timing is done with dibbers, not the MapRun timing. Remember to punch the box at the finish before going to the registration area to download.

There have been electric cycles seen in the area, particularly on the Offerton estate. They can and do move fast and they are quiet so keep your eyes open. We suggest you don’t have phones in your hands while running, turn up the volume and leave it in a pocket.

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.

Terrain Description

The area is what most would call flat, although there are a few minor slopes, especially on the Shearwater Estate (this is the estate with the pub on it). Areas marked as open are mostly grassy areas. Grass will be ankle height and the ground will be "soft", some might describe it as muddy.

On the subject of mud, the planner has been persuaded to leave off some paths outside the residential areas that would have taken you to some real mud.

The scale of the map is 1:11000. This will be fine for the Shearwater and Hazel Grove parts of the map. It will be more of a challenge in the Offerton estate where there are the usual roads, but also many paved areas, connecting paths and green areas, all of which can be crossed.

Facilities

Friday 7th Nov update. There has been a very recent change of management at the pub and the menu is under review. The pub have offered to provide a Chilli and Rice or chips. If you want to have chilli please indicate to the organiser by email by Sunday night so that we can give numbers to the pub. 

We have been assured the kitchen will be open to feed us, either the chilli or your choice from the menu.

We strongly advise you order your food before your run and indicate what time you will be wanting to eat.

Contacts / Officials

Series Co-ordinator: John Britton

Enquiries to: