Directions / Parking

Pay and display parking at Oxford Brookes University (Richard Hamilton Building). Driving into Oxford on the A420 Headington Road, the entrance is on your right before the road descends through a cutting. It will be well marked by TVOC sail banners. (Note, it's not at the main Gipsy Lane campus, but further to the west and on the north side of the road).

Thornhill Park & Ride (off A40 E of Oxford) buses serve the Brookes campus.

Terrain Description

A mix of university campus and landscaped parkland. The map includes Headington Hill Park, the Headington Hill Hall campus, the Clive Booth Student Village, Cheney Halls, and has been extended for this event to also include the main Gipsy Lane campus. The campus areas are a tricky mix of buildings, alleys, paths and open areas. Headington Hill Park is quite wooded and with some nice vegetation features.

Start Times

Registration open from 10am to 11.30am.
Start a course any time from 10.15am to 11.45am.
Everyone must finish and report back to download by 1pm, even if you haven't finished your course.

The Start for all courses is at the main Gipsy Lane campus, so once you've registered, head out to the main road, follow the pavement to the left, along to the light-controlled crossing and the Start is just on the opposite side of the road, over the crossing (it's just 200 metres from the car park). Parents are advised to accompany children on the way to the Start.

Courses

WHITE 1.1km (15 controls) 15m climb
YELLOW 2.1km (20 controls) 40m climb
ORANGE 3.0km (27 controls) 60m climb
RED 4.4km (30 controls) 100m climb

If you're a runner getting into orienteering, the Orange and Red courses are ideal. For family groups, we recommend the Orange course, or Yellow/Red if you want something shorter/longer. For juniors, White and Yellow are good courses. No courses cross any public roads. Yellow and above cross very minor campus roads - whilst traffic is unlikely on a Saturday, if there is any it will be slow moving. All courses use the footbridge over the main road to return to the northern side.

Course lengths are straight line distances between the control points. You can expect to run around 30% more than the stated distances!

How To Enter

You can register in advance, or just enter on the day.

We recommend you register in advance. This reserves you a map, and avoids you having to fill in a paper entry form. It's really easy, and there is no commitment. Just click on the Reserve a Map link below, and fill in your details, then pay when you arrive. Maps are reserved until 11:15.
NOTE Remember we are now using SI Air. If you have your own SI Air card, then when you use the reserve map facility please go into My Runners (link is on the top line) and add the SI Air numbers (if any) for your saved runners.

If you want to enter on the day, then just come to the registration tents.

Whether you have pre-registered or are entering on the day, come to the registration tents located by the car park in the Brookes campus. There are three tents (1 is form-filling, 2 is paying, 3 is to collect your SI Air timing chip). If you have pre-registered, you can go straight to tent 2; otherwise go to tent 1.

Reserve a map

Entry Cost

£7 Adults / family groups
£5 TVOC / British Orienteering members
£3 Juniors / students (juniors on their own, or shadowed by an adult)
£2 Helpers (open to anyone)

Your entry fee includes up to two special waterproof orienteering maps, with your course printed on it, to keep as a souvenir, hire of a timing chip (SI) to register at each control point around your course, and a print out of your result and splits at the finish.

Facilities

Toilets available at the sports hall on the other side of Headington Road (over footbridge).

Dogs are unfortunately not allowed at this event, as they are not allowed on the Brookes campus.

Officials

Organiser: Mike Shires    email organiser

Helping

Please volunteer to help, and receive a discounted entry in return

Helpers