Brill

Saturday Series

19th March 2022

Location: Brill Common
Nearest Postcode: HP18 9TH

Saturday 7am  Entries remain open, but there are just three spaces available.

Whilst restrictions have been lifted, COVID is very much still in circulation and we encourage a continued responsible approach at our orienteering events. People have different risk tolerances and we ask you to respect others’ personal choices as normality returns particularly in maintaining inter-personal distance.  Please do not attend if you or a member of your household has COVID-19 symptoms, if you have been asked to isolate by NHS Test and Trace, or if you are required to quarantine having been on holiday.

Please make yourself aware of and abide by the COVID-19 Code of Conduct.

This event will be SIAC enabled.

Directions / Parking

Parking and event registration will be located at North Hill off Windmill Road, Brill. Just head for the windmill and you'll see signs. Please be considerate to local residents when parking. Because of the restricted parking space, please share lifts where possible.

UPDATE This seems to only be overnight so will not affect your journeys to Brill. If approaching from the East there is a planned road closure on the A41 between Aylesbury Vale Parkway Station and Waddesdon. There will be a diversion in place but an alternative route is along the A418 towards Thame.

Terrain Description

Brill is a charming hill-top village with wonderful views to look forward to, and some nice pubs for refreshments afterwards.

There are numerous contour features in this open area related to clay workings. A cattle enclosure is surrounded by an electric fence denoted as a purple line on the map. The cattle are Dexters and are friendly. They will not be in the competition area for the event. The fence will still be there but it has already been turned off and will stay off for the event. You can duck under the fence at any point though there are gates marked on the map.

It's a great area for beginners, because it is all open - just with lots of humps and dips so the challenge is navigating through all the contour lines. There are brambles and courses have been planned to avoid the worst of them. Full leg and arm cover are recommended. It is very muddy and slippery at the moment, please wear your grippiest footwear.

There is a pond in the competition area. the courses go past it and it will be taped with a temporary yellow and black fence for the event, this must not be crossed. Please tell unaccompanied juniors not to go near the pond. Yellow course competitors should follow the red and white taped route past the pond, this is also stated in their course descriptions.

The Map

1:4,000, with 1.7m contours. Size A4.

Map updated January 2022 to ISOM 2017-2 by Mark Thompson.

Loose control descriptions available for Light Green and Green courses only.

Start Times

THERE WILL BE NO ENTRY ON THE DAY. You must pre-enter, via Fabian4 see link at the top of this page.

Starts will be from 10.15 to 11.45am. The Start and Finish are adjacent to the carpark.

IMPORTANT: Courses close at 1pm. You must report to the download tent by 1pm latest, even if you retire or have not finished. The controls will be collected from 1pm onwards

Courses

YELLOW: 1.5km, 14 controls, 45m climb. Suitable for juniors with some experience or for supervised newcomers, and for family groups.
ORANGE: 2.3km, 16 controls, 70m climb. Suitable for adult beginners and experienced juniors.
RED: 3.4km (expect to run about 5km), 27 controls, 110m climb. Longer, but less challenging navigationally. Ideal for runners new to orienteering. You still need to be able to read a map, but it is more like an unmarked trail race.
LIGHT GREEN: 3.1km, 27 controls, 85m climb. More challenging; for improvers and those with a bit of experience. Most controls away from paths and more route choices.
GREEN: 3.6km, 27 controls, 120m climb. Most challenging. Only for those with experience at orienteering. More navigation. Double sided map.

Control descriptions will be on the map only.

If you're a runner trying orienteering for the first time, the Red course is ideal - you will probably run 4.5 to 5km doing it; if that is too much, then Orange might be more suitable.
For family groups, we recommend the Orange course, or Yellow if you want something shorter.
For juniors, Yellow is a good course, though juniors new to the sport should be accompanied.

Red, Light Green and Green courses cross a public road - the crossing will be manned and there is one-minute timed-out between the controls on each side of the road.

Course lengths are straight line distances between the control points. You can expect to run at least 20% more than the stated distances!

The new THAMES VALLEY JUNIOR ORIENTEERING LEAGUE now runs in conjunction with TVOC’s Saturday Series. Brill is the first Junior League event of 2022. Any junior aged 18 or under who enters this event as an individual and who successfully completes a course on their own (or in a junior pair on the Yellow course only, or who is shadowed by a parent/carer on the Yellow or Orange courses only) will be automatically included in the Junior League standings. Please note that any junior who enters and participates as part of a family group, or other group, will not be eligible for the Junior League. More League details and full rules can be found at https://tvoc.org.uk/junior-league/

How To Enter

Pre-entry only through Fabian4, link at top of this page. There will be no entry on the day, and we are limiting entry numbers because of the restricted parking.

You don't have to be a member of an orienteering club to enter this event. On Fabian4, just show your club name as IND (for Independent)

Small family or other groups are welcome, but please enter only the Yellow, Orange or Red courses. Enter as a Senior. Change your name if you wish, for example to Jones Family.

Entry Cost

- Red, Light Green and Green - BOF members £6, non-members and family groups £8, Juniors & Students £2
- Yellow and Orange - BOF members £5, non-members and family groups £7, Juniors & Students £2
Timing chip hire £1 (essential if you do not own one). Lost timing chips charged at £65.

Facilities

Two temporary toilets.
No drinks or food available, please bring your own.

Further Information

If you need advice or help in entering via Fabian4, this document may help. If you do find yourself stuck, then email Alun, or phone him on 07967 605307

Cancellation
Click here to read our policy on refunds if you have to cancel because you are required to isolate for COVID reasons

Junior League
More detailed information about the Junior League that runs in conjunction with the Saturday Series can be found here.

Our thanks to
– John Spence for organising toilets and permissions
– Brill Parish Council for allowing us to run on the common

Officials

Organiser: Heidi Lloyd, TVOC    email organiser      07740 600144
Planner: Heidi Lloyd, TVOC
Controller: Peter Riches, TVOC

Helping

TVOC members, PLEASE sign up to help.

Helpers