| Notes |
- Our Summer series continues in Oughaval Forest in Stradbally on Sunday 17th May, with starts available from 11.00 to 13:00.
As with all recent events, we prefer pre-entry via the online entry system. There will be entry on the day (but limited by the number of spare maps we print). Larger groups should contact us beforehand (to pre-enter, and to ensure sufficient maps are available.)
If you're not a member of a club, and would like to join CNOC on the day, we're offering free membership for the first year.
Parking at the forest is quite restricted as its a popular spot on a good day, so please carpool and follow the directions of the helpers. For example, you could park in the nearby village of Stradbally and share a lift up with other orienteers.
The course details for this week are:
Adventure (2.5km, 60m climb, 10 controls)
Medium (4.3km, 160m climb, 13 controls)
Long (6.4km, 250m climb, 20 controls)
The adventure course is all on paths/trails, but some of them are a bit rough, so a regular buggy wouldn't be suitable. You might do it with a big 4x4 buggy.
As usual for forest events, course distances are given as-the-crow-flies - you will run a longer distance, especially if you are a beginner, or make a mistake. We would advise all beginners to start on the adventure course, as the medium and long are aimed at experienced orienteers, and require advanced navigation techniques to locate features off the beaten track. If you come back after the adventure course and want more, you are welcome to attempt some/all of the medium course for free.
SIAC (contactless punching) is enabled for all controls, apart from the start and finish which must be punched by all competitiors. There is a short run out to the actual start control this week, but not far - you'll punch the start box, pick up your map, and run down a track to the start kite position on the map.
The forest is in general good condition with many areas of nice clear forest running, and abundant paths. Some of the smaller paths can be indistinct in the terrain, mainly due to fallen leaf cover - they are easier to see when running along then when approaching from the side. The forest is on top of a large limestone outcrop, and there are areas of exposed stony ground, many small crags and boulders, and several large crags in the center of the map that should not be descended. There's also a new felled area towards the south of the map - I suspect it was an area of bad wind damage, and it has been fairly well cleared out - lots of fallen trees still persist around the edges (esp the north end), but it can be crossed with care.
Heres a short video showing conditions last weekend: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JbdA0F3sOdk
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