Directions / Parking

Access by car from most directions will be easiest via junction 2 of the M40. Once off the motorway at junction 2, take the A355 towards Beaconsfield. At the Pyebush Roundabout take the A40 towards Gerrards Cross. After 1km take the left turn onto Potkiln Lane. Follow Potkiln Lane for 3.5km as it becomes Jordans Lane through Jordans village, and then becomes Twitchell’s Lane. At the T-junction, turn left onto Newbarn Lane and follow the road for 600m, and PerkinElmer Ltd will be on your left. Parking will be on hard standing in the PerkinElmer car park.

It is possible to take cross-country roads from junction 17 or 18 of the M25 via Chorleywood and Chalfont St Giles; or on the A413 from Aylesbury and Amersham.

The nearest railway station is Seer Green & Jordans on the Chiltern Railways line between London Marylebone and Birmingham. The station is 2.5km from Assembly, through Seer Green village. There should be an hourly service (in both directions) stopping at the station on Sunday.

The FlightLine 102 (was Chiltern Hundreds 102) bus service operates half-hourly in both directions on Sundays between Heathrow Airport, Uxbridge, Gerrards Cross, Beaconsfield and High Wycombe (Carousel Buses https://www.carouselbuses.co.uk/services/CSLB/102). The bus stop on the A40 at Bulstrode Park, opposite Potkiln Lane, is about 4km from Assembly, through Jordans village.

Terrain Description

Hodgemoor Woods is a 250-acre woodland located between Amersham, Chalfont St. Giles and Seer Green. This beautiful beech wood is gently sloping with a good path network and earth features.
Hodgemoor is a natural heritage area, designated by Natural England as a “Site of Special Scientific Interest” (SSSI). It is owned by Buckinghamshire Council but administered for them by Forestry England. It has a large network of footpaths and riding trails maintained by the Hodgemoor Riding Association, on behalf of and in coordination with Forestry England (https://hodgemoor.org.uk/)

The Map

The map for all courses will be 1:7500 with 5m contours, printed on A3 and then trimmed. Map updated in October 2024, using ISOM 2017-2.
It will be a double-sided map for Blue and Brown courses.
This event will be SIAC enabled.

Courses

Course lengths, amount of climb and number of controls are listed below:
Brown (8.3km; 145m climb; 30 controls)
Blue (6.9km; 125m climb; 26 controls)
Red - not a SCOA League course (4.9km; 95m climb; 14 controls)
Green (5.1km; 90m climb; 24 controls)
Short Green (3.9km; 65m climb; 18 controls)
Light Green (4.2km; 80m climb; 18 controls)
Orange (3.5km; 65m climb; 12 controls)
Yellow (2.6km; 50m climb; 14 controls)
White (1.6km; 35m climb; 11 controls)

The Red course is particularly appropriate for runners who are new to orienteering (and can be run as a pair or group). It is a longer course but without the technical difficulty of the other harder courses.

Newcomers are very welcome to attend this event. Please contact the organiser if you are unsure which course to enter. Families and small groups would find the Yellow and Orange courses more suitable. The White course would be appropriate for very young children.

There will be no road crossings within the competition area, but there will be a marshalled road crossing between Assembly and the Start/Finish which all participants will need to cross.

Start Times

Starts will commence at 10:30; with last starts at 12:15. Courses will close at 14:00.
You must visit the Finish control by 14:00 at the latest, and then report to the download tent at PerkinElmer by 14:10, even if you retire or have not finished your course. The controls will be collected from 14:00 onwards.

The Start and Finish are approximately 500m from Assembly and car park. There is a road crossing between Assembly and the Start/Finish, which has a blind bend, so all under-16s should be accompanied by an adult whilst crossing the road.
All competitors must wear full torso and leg protection (i.e. no shorts).

How To Enter

Entries are now open via SiEntries using the link at the top of this page. Entries will remain open online right through to Sunday. However maps have now been ordered so entry numbers are now capped, and entries will only be available up to those map limits on each course.

There will be no entries available in person at the event, but you can enter online up to 11:30am on Sunday 20 October.

Entry Cost

Senior (British Orienteering member): £14
Senior (non-British Orienteering member): £16
Senior, or Family group, or other small group, on White or Yellow or Orange course: £8
Junior or Student: £5
Hire of individual SIAC (contactless timer): £2
Each extra map (for Family group): £1

Facilities

Car parking, mostly on hard standing
Professional First Aid
Portable toilets
No catering
Note that TVOC will not be providing water out on the courses or at the finish/assembly - please come with your own supplies.

Further Information

Dogs
Well-behaved dogs are allowed on their leads in the car park. Please clean up after your dog. TVOC’s policy is for no dogs to accompany competitors on their runs.

2023/24 SCOA League prize-giving
The prize-giving for the 2023/24 SCOA League will be held at 13:30 in the Assembly area at PerkinElmer. This will take place at the far end of the car park.

Biosecurity
Hodgemoor Woods is administered by Forestry England, who state that “Many of our trees are under threat from the spread of pests and diseases. As human activity is a key factor we ask all organisations and individuals to adhere to this biosecurity advice.”

Officials

Organiser: Paul Taylor (TVOC)    email organiser      0 7712 033 388
Planner: Robin Bishop (TVOC)
Controller: Mark Thompson (TVOC)