Day 3: 2m Classic

Day 3 : 2m Classic
2m (144Mhz) Classic - Sunday 9th April

Location:
Hambleden Buckinghamshire. Signed from A4155 between Marlow and
Henley.

OS SU 772 855 (sheet 175) Nearest postcode RG9 3GH,
https://map.what3words.com/ranks.blotchy.runners

Postcodes for Satnav: RG9 3GH

Parking:
On a vast grassed area (The Henley showground), on the North side of the road. 200m warning
No charge. NB this not in or adjacent to Hambleden village!
Park along with the Foot-O participants in the main car park and make your way to the Radio-O registration which is in a tent along the West edge of the Car Park field,marked with the Radio-O feather flag. Not in the Foot-O Assembly area.

Here is a diagram: https://drive.google.com/open?id=0B2o0511y6MlrTU9FQmUtLU1XQ0k


General Information:
Thames Valley Orienteering Club(TVOC) are hosting a Foot-O Level-B event at the same site. This is the Chiltern Challenge, and also the Regional Area (SCOA) Championships.

We are privileged to be allowed to run our Radio-O event on this fantastic area at the same time. We would not be able to gain access to this premier area in any other circumstance.

As a result there are a number of items to note.

• The orienteering event and their competitors have priority over us at all times.

• The area will be filled with other orienteers, please be courteous.

• Due to the location of the Foot-O infrastructure there are a number of areas which are out of bounds. Theses are unmarked on the ground, but will at least be on the master map,and possibly on the competition maps.

• Due to the location of the Radio-O start, to get the 750m in sensibly, the following areas are in the Radio-O competition area, out of bounds and must be avoided:

1. The Foot-O Start area: Reasonably well defined, though will have a bunch of loose competitors hanging about
2. The Foot-O Finish area: Reasonably well defined, close to assembly
3. The Foot-O Assembly area   Less well defined but sprawling. There will be people traffic going between the following,

      Assembly -> Start
      Finish -> Assembly
      Assembly <- -> Car Park

    4. String Course:
  There is a string course in a block of wood between the car park and assembly.   This is a No-Go area, Out-of-bounds, There is no excuse for being in the area.   I have promised that you all know how to read a map and will not go in it.   There will be young children 3 - 10 years of age in the area.  DO NOT ENTER.


Terrain:
Hambleden offers classic Chiltern-style undulating slopes, some steep, with a complex path and track network. The area is covered in mature beech, mixed deciduous and conifer. The woodland is open and very runnable, and at its best at this time of year. Last used for JK2013. (Day 2 & Relays).


The map has been completely updated in 2016.

Clothing and Safety Equipment:
Competitors' torso and legs must be covered. ie no vests or shorts. We reserve the right to require a waterproof jacket to be worn or carried if the weather
is bad ­ if so, notices will be displayed in Assembly and on the route to the start. For safety reasons we recommend you carry a whistle. The distress signal is six short blasts, wait one minute, then repeat.

• Steep slopes: Take great care climbing and especially descending steep slopes. They are chalk
• based, and can be very slippery, especially when wet.
• Public Access is only on footpaths & bridleways. These are used by the public for walking, running, dog walking, cycling and horse riding. Please be courteous towards other users, especially those with dogs and horse riders.
• There are many deer in the forest. Although it is early for ticks, orienteers should be aware of them. Ticks are found in woodland areas throughout the UK, and most commonly found from spring to autumn. They are most likely to be picked up when brushing through undergrowth; therefore junior courses are a lower risk. Lyme disease is a bacterial infection spread to humans by infected ticks, and can often be treated effectively if it's detected early on. It is recommended that you check your body for ticks after your run

Other Hazards:

• There is a water jump in the Foot-O assembly area. It is out of bounds to all & fenced off.
• Parents should supervise children.
• A Tough Mudder event will take place in the area soon. Their construction/excavation sites are obvious, potentially hazardous & out of bounds.
• Horse jumps & log piles are unsafe & must not be climbed.
• The (out of bounds) pheasant enclosures can be surrounded by an untaped ankle height wire.

Map:
Waterproof map A4, scale 1:15000, with 5m contours. Updated Autumn 2017 by Mark Thompson. Nothing marked on the map. A master map is available before the start after map distribution.

All maps will be overprinted with an Emergency Number which can be used on the day to contact the Foot-O event Organiser for medical emergencies.

Mapping notes:

• Hambleden was last used for the Jk2013 for the long distance and relay. It consists of a NW-SE trending central valley with hills to the west, east and north. There is an additional NW-SE valley in the SW. There are a number of open fields along the valleys and on the eastern ridge.
• Runnablility is excellent and we are expecting fast times. There are some areas of brambles usually limited in extent.
• All fields are in bounds including those shown as cultivated (crops not sown yet) unless shown as OOB. Some fields have long grass up to 1m high as pheasant cover. These are marked as rough open with a wide green stripe (slow run)
• As with most Chiltern woodlands the area is prone to strong winds and there are lots of rootstocks, depression and knolls resulting from erosion of the rootstocks. We have only mapped the larger features, generally 1.5m in height apart from some free standing and conspicuous knolls.
• We have mapped significant log piles. Please stay off them as they are dangerous.
• All pheasant enclosures are strictly OOB (marked with black stripes).

• For further details see the TVOC Chiltern Challenge final details: www.tvoc.org.uk/application/documents/events/2017%20events/Hambleden/2017%20Final%20Details%20Chiltern%20Challenge.pdf

Radio-O Courses:
There will be three courses

3 Transmitters: M70
  Start - 3 transmitters - Beacon - Finish

4 Transmitters: M60, W50, W35
  Start - 4 transmitters - Beacon - Finish

5 Transmitters: M50, M40, M21, W21
  Start - 5 transmitters - Beacon - Finish

Time limit: 150 minutes

Transmitters:
144.525 Mhz : Tx 1,2,3,4,5
144.775 Mhz : Beacon


Timings:  (TO BE CONFIRMED - may move later)

09:30 Gather at assembly for walk to start:
10:00 Transmitters on air
10:00 Beacon on air
10:00 Walk to Start
10:15 Impound of Receivers
10:30 First Start

Call up & Map distribution : Your Start - 10
Reciever collection : Your Start - 5

Course Close :
Last Start + 150

Punching: SportIdent

Start:

Finish:



Facilities:
The Radio-O Registraion tent will be on the West Side of the car park field. Marked with the Radio-O feather flag. The Foot-O assembly area is further into the estate to the West (450m)

Assembly Area
All facilities are located 450m from the car park field. These include:

•  First Aid provided by M&M medical services
•  Ultrasport
•  Tom's Burger Van
•  Toilets (Car Park field)
•  Finish

The area is not open to the general public. Only orienteers have access.
Please support all our traders.

Results:
Results will be displayed near the Registration tent and will be posted on the
RSGB ARDF website (http://www.nationalradiocentre.co.uk/ardf) shortly after the event.


FENCES PLEASE READ AND COMPLY:

• A fence in the open fields in the north has 3 crossing points. If you go over this fence you MUST use a marked crossing point.
• There is a crossing point shown on the eastern hill in the SE of the map, this is not compulsory but advisable. Either side of this crossing point is a double fence (5 barbed wire strands in various states of repair) with thick vegetation along them. It is not straight forward to cross this double fence. You have been warned.

Tough Mudder:
There is an event at the end of April and they may have started to erect several of the obstacles. We have highlighted 4 possible sites where work is likely to have started, excavating holes. These are marked with purple cross hatch and should be avoided as they are dangerous. There may be other sites where material has been dumped which are not marked.


Competitor Details:
Competitor details will be stored electronically. By entering the event you are indicating your acceptance of this procedure.

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


Acknowledgements:
We are grateful to the following:
The Hambleden Estate for use of the forest.
Thames Valley Orienteering Club for use of the area and the map.