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Manchester & District
Orienteering Club

Regional Event - Philips Park

and Prestwich Forest Park

A Regional Event in Philips Park and Prestwich Forest Park, near Bury in North Manchester.

All enquiries to

Sun 10th Feb 2019

Type of event: Regional
Type of terrain: Parkland, Woodland
Info updated: 13th Feb

Results

Pre Event Info

The Final Details are now available to download:

Safety

There is a Mountain Bike Trail within the area. This will be marked on maps and attention drawn to it on the start lane maps. This must not be followed by any competitors, and great care must be taken when crossing it. This Trail crosses the path from the Upper Car Park to the Start – and a marshal will be in place to ensure that competitors do not impede it.

Prestwich Forest Park extends Philips Park to the N bank of the Irwell. In addition there are several ponds and reservoirs. Do NOT enter any of these water features!

The area is used by dog-walkers, horse-riders and mountain bikers. If there are riders of any type approaching you on a path during the event, please give them a wide berth.

Full leg cover is advised. 

Competitors take part at their own risk & are responsible for their own safety.

Location

Nearest town: Bury, N. Manchester

Directions / Parking

From M60, Junction 17, head N (towards Whitefield) on the A56. A left fork at traffic lights (with McDonald's and Aldi on your left) takes you onto Higher Lane (A665). After about 1K, turn left (O-signed and a white “Philips Park” sign) at traffic lights onto Park Lane. Follow this to a mini-roundabout, go straight across (still Park Lane), and follow this to the entrance to Philips Park (M45 7QJ) . Soon after entering the Park, the road crosses a bridge over the M60. This is restricted to single vehicle use, and has a 32 ton weight limit. Do not go onto the bridge, either entering or leaving, until you are sure that you can get off the other side.

The main car park will be a right fork (signed) shortly after the bridge. When this is full, the other (lower) car park will be used – don't fork right but drive slowly down this road because the route to the Start and many dog-walkers also use it. Parking in the overflow car park is constrained by the fact that some courses pass through it – and we do not want to impede them.  

Registration & Start Times

Registration (etc.) is in the Barn Countryside Centre – about 200m from the main car park (further along the tarmac access road). From the overflow car park it is about 300m (up some steep steps).

Start: From the main car park, there is a marked direct route to the start (about 300m) – ending along the access road to the overflow car park - take care! 

Finish: The start is adjacent to the overflow car park and visible en route. The finish is within 100m of the start, and the route to download (in the Barn) is about 250m, including ascending the steep steps mentioned above. 

Times:

Registration: 10.00-11.45

Starts: 10.30-12.30

Course closing: 14:30

Because of the low number of pre-entries, it has not been necessary to allocate start times. It will be a punching start.

Course Information

White to Brown – with a Long Orange, but no Short Green, as follows: 

  Length(Km) Climb(m) Controls
Brown 8.2 195 23
Blue 6.2 130 15
Green 4.3 100 11
Very Short Green 2.7 50 9
Light Green 3.6 75 10
Long Orange 5.2 80 16
Orange 2.6 45 11
Yellow 2.1 45 11
White 1.4 35 11

SI timing will be used, but contactless punching will not be enabled.

Map: Partially updated 2018/19. 5m contours, scale 1:5000 for White and Yellow, 1:10000 for all other courses. Control descriptions (pictorial – except for White and Yellow) will be printed on maps, with loose copies available in start lanes.

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

Pre-entry via www.fabian4.co.uk. Entries will close at midnight on Sunday 3rd February. 

Seniors £8.00, Juniors (under 21) and students £3.00.  

Limited entry on day at £1 supplement for Seniors, 50p for Juniors

*There will be a £2 surcharge for seniors who are not members of British Orienteering.

Car parking: No charge.

SI card hire: £1 for Seniors, no charge for Juniors. Lost SI card fee: £30

Terrain Description

Undulating mixed park/woodland. Many paths, tracks, cycleways and ponds.

Facilities

Enquiries, SI hire, registration, download and toilets will be in the Barn Countryside Centre.

First Aid will be available at enquiries. North Manchester General Hospital (M8 5RB) is the nearest hospital for any emergencies – Enquiries will have a map if you need one.

At Enquiries, there will be a place to store car keys. All lone drivers should leave their keys here.

Dogs allowed?

Yes. Obey local bye-laws, but no dogs on courses.

Contacts / Officials

Planner:    Ian Gilliver (MDOC)

Controller: Tom Gray (PFO)

Organiser: Chris Kirkham 0161 903 9023 (not after 21.00 please)

Enquiries to:

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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