TVSS 20 – Temple Cowley (Weds)

TVSS

16th September 2026

Location

Temple Cowley
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Entries

TVOC Entry T&Cs

A message for newcomers and infrequent orienteers: We would be delighted to see you at this and other TVOC events. We welcome those with no or little orienteering experience to this event, which is highly suitable for newcomers to the sport. If you have any questions contact the series co-ordinator tvss@tvoc.org.uk.

And please note that, if you’re not currently a member of British Orienteering, you won’t be covered by the organisation’s public liability insurance for this event. You’re very welcome to take part, but please be aware that you do so at your own risk. For example, if you were to accidentally injure a member of the public or damage property during the event, you would not be covered.

TVSS 20 is the last regular event of the season and it will be based at the Marsh Harrier, Cowley, Oxford. Planner: David Newman. Note this event is on a Wednesday.

Entries: Pre-entry via RaceSignUp only, HERE. Entry is online only and must be done before 14.00 on the day of the event.

Entry is £3 for all members and under 21s, and £4.50 for non-members.

Under 16s may run, but must be accompanied by somebody over 16 at all times on their run. If you are accompanying an under 16 runner, enter yourself and then select an extra map for the junior (additional £0.50). The junior does not need to be entered separately.

A MapRun 1 hour score event starting from The Marsh Harrier, 40 Marsh Rd, Oxford OX4 2HH.

There will be 30 controls to try and get within the 60 minutes. Controls may be found in any order. Controls 10-19 score 10, controls 20-29 score 20, and controls 30-39 score 30. 20 point penalty for each minute or part minute you are over the hour. You may complete as many or as few controls as you want.

The event will use the free MapRun app. This is available on phone, as well as Apple and Garmin watches. It’s advised to have this downloaded in advance of the event. The event is available to downloaded, but is protected by a PIN which you will be given at the event. In MapRun, go to Thames Valley/TVSS/Summer26 and the event name starts ‘TempleCowley26’ (to distinguish it from TVSS 17 which was based in Cowley).

Please do stay for a drink and to chat about your run afterwards.

Area: The course covers Temple Cowley, Cowley Marsh, Lye Valley, and South Headington. It is mostly quiet residential streets and parks/meadows, but you may need to cross a few relatively busy roads, albeit mostly with a 20 mph speed limit. The course includes a footpath through the Oxford Golf Club which is a public right of way; however the golf course itself is private land and all other areas of the golf course are out of bounds. There is no public access to the Golf Club from Hill Top Road.

Map: 1:10,000 paper street-O map. Solid and dashed black lines show roads and paths respectively. Purple cross-hatch is out of bounds. A solid purple line is an impassable feature. Orange indicates grassy terrain that can be run across if access shown as permitted. Green indicates vegetation that is assumed impassable. Blue is impassable water.

Transport/Parking: There are frequent buses along Cowley Road, including the 1, 5, 12, 100 which stop at Marsh Road.
There is parking at Cowley Marsh Car Park, which is free for 3 hours, but you must register on arrival!

Starts:  18:15 – 19:00, course close 20:00. Earlier starts are recommended due to the shorter evenings.

What to bring: Yourself, in suitable clothing (high-vis highly recommended) and footwear. A phone with plenty of charge. A Garmin / Apple watch if you own one. A compass (not essential). Sunset is at 19:17 so you’ll need to carry a torch if you’re starting late.

What to expect on the course: As this event uses the MapRun app, there is no physical orienteering infrastructure out on the course. Controls are set virtually, and your phone or watch will register when you have got within a certain number of metres of the specified control site. The finish is close to the pub. We strongly recommend that you do not pass the finish before you intend to finish your course – it is easy to avoid doing so.

If you have any further questions or comments about the event or the TVSS series more generally please email the series organiser Ben Green.

See the TVSS page for more information about the series and the full list of events and latest results.

Orienteering is an adventure sport. All competitors take part at their own risk and are responsible for their own safety.

Please check website for last minute cancellation in case of inclement weather. In the event of cancellation some or all of your entry fee may be retained.

The personal data you give will be used by the event organisers & their agents only for the purpose of processing and publishing the event entries and results, for conducting safety checks and to validate British Orienteering insurance cover. Submission of an entry for the event will indicate your acceptance of this procedure.