With thanks to Friends Provident for the use of their facilities
www.friendsmilestones.com

MOLE VALLEY ORIENTEERING CLUB

NATIONAL EVENT

                         SUNDAY 9th FEBRUARY 2003
                                             BOX HILL  AND HEADLEY HEATH  -  DORKING

FINAL DETAILS

Venue:		Event Centre at Friends Provident, Dorking. Grid Reference TQ 172 506.  We have been given permission to use the FP Social Club as an event centre , but please note that the main office buildings are strictly out-of-bounds.  Facilities include tarmac car-park, changing rooms showers and bar. 

Travel by road:	From junction 9, M25, head south on A24 to Dorking. After 4 miles, reach a roundabout with brown “vineyard” sign. Turn left, then immediately right into Friends Provident (FP). Continue to main car park (see map attached).   From A24/A25 junction on the eastern edge of Dorking, head north on A24 to “London”. After 800 metres reach “vineyard” roundabout (see above). Turn right and right again.  “O” signed from “vineyard” roundabout.

Travel by rail:	For once the event centre is easily accessible by rail, with two stations within 400 metres. Dorking station is terminus for half-hourly service from Victoria via Sutton and Epsom. Exiting the station, immediately turn left into a car park (before main road). At bottom of this car park, turn left under the railway and left again into the FP car park (this route for pedestrians only. Dorking Deepdene station is a stop on the hourly service between Gatwick and Reading, via Guildford or Redhill and Reigate.  From Deepdene, turn right onto the main A24 road for 100 metres, then sharp right into Lincoln Road, under the railway line and then turn left into FP car park.

Car parking:		We are able to use the normal staff car parking facilities, although spaces close to the main building must be kept clear. Please take care when parking and keep to marked spaces where present. There will be no extra charge for car parking.  Overflow car parks have been arranged in adjacent premises and late comers may be directed to these.  There will be adequate space for larger vehicles (camper vans, minbuses and motorhomes).  Please follow directions from car park officials.  Please contact the Organiser in advance if you are bringing a coach.

Event Centre (see site plan enclosed):	 Registration is located in the FP Sports Club. It would be appreciated if muddy people could clean themselves in the showers before entering the main part of the club. Also no spikes or metal studded shoes to be worn in any part of the building please. There are separate gents and ladies changing rooms with toilets and showers. Please use them before putting on spikes or muddy shoes. There will also be limited portable toilets close to the East start. Kit may be left in the changing rooms at your own risk. Small items such as car keys may be left at enquiries.  Please put them in an envelope with your name on it.

The bar will be open from mid-day serving drinks, sandwiches and pies. Friends Provident have been very helpful providing these facilities so please spend some money in the bar to encourage them. Other facilities in the club include table football and pool machines.

Ultrasport, Compass Point and Wilf’s will be attending – see site plan. 

Safety and First Aid:	First Aid will be provided by Medicman at the Finish and our safety officer is Julianna Grant (MV).  Remember that competitors take part at their own risk and are responsible for their own safety. You are requested to carry a whistle, and cagoules may be made compulsory on the day if the weather is particularly severe. If you are travelling alone please leave car keys (or return rail ticket) at Registration in a named envelope.

Competitors who wish to retire while still on Headley Heath should walk East until they reach a North/South road.  There are two large car parks on the West side of this road.  In the North car park is a café where emergency help can be contacted if necessary.  The drop off point for the East start is located in the South car park, so turn south to reach it.  

Competitors retiring on Box Hill should report to the Finish which can be found by walking South to the road and finding the large National trust car park and café area.  The Finish is South East of this car park (on the same side of the road).  Do not attempt to descend the scarp slope.

In either case you must download on returning to the Event Centre.

Registration:	This will be situated in the Social Club and will handle entry on the day for colour-coded courses. It will be open from 9:15 to 12:00. Start times 10:00 to 13:00. Fees: Senior £5.00, Junior £2.50.  Premarked maps will be used.

National Event competitors who have pre-hired SI cards should collect them from Registration – please quote your entry number.  If you have not already paid the hire fee please bring £1 per card with you.  Colour Coded competitors will be able to hire SI cards on the day for £1 per card.

National Event competitors who have their own SI-cards may go straight to their starts – there is no need to visit registration.

Transport to the starts:	Courses 1 to 13 will be using the East start on Headley Heath and a bus service will operate from the Event centre in 60-seater coaches.  See site plan for pick up point.  Buses will run at intervals of 10 to 15 minutes and the journey time is about 20 minutes.  The start is about 50m from the drop off point.  

Courses 14 to 22 and colour coded courses will be using the West start on Box Hill.  There is a taped walking route of about 2.0 km which is mostly level with 50 m climb in the final 500m.  Alternatively there is a shuttle minibus service in 16-seater minibuses also from the event centre.  See site plan for pick up point.  The buses will run at about 10 minute intervals and the journey time is about 10 minutes.  Bus passengers will have to walk the final 500m (with 50m climb) from the drop off point to the start. 

The bus services will start at about 9.00 am.  Please be sure you get the right bus, and remember your SI card, compass and whistle before you get on the bus.

Starts:		Start call-up will be at – 3 minutes, and you will be timed from your start time as listed in the start lists.  There will be no allowance for late starters who will be accommodated at the discretion of the start officials.  Exceptional arrangements may be made for second split start runners or any others unavoidably delayed by circumstances caused by the organisation of the event.  Blank maps will be displayed in the start lanes.  Course 21 and 22 competitors (only) may take their map prior to starting.  Do not show it to any other competitor. Clothing dumps will be located close to the each start and bags will be transported to the Finish for collection.  Remember the number of the bag in which you left your clothing.

Finish: 	One finish is used for all courses. Squash will be available at the Finish and there are also a National Trust café and toilets close by.  A minibus shuttle service will operate from the Finish to the event centre but competitors are asked to return on foot if possible as space on the buses will be limited. It should take about 20 – 25 minutes. The route will be taped but for the most part it follows the North Downs Way, which is waymarked. The route crosses the river Mole by a bridge and then meets the main A24 road. Turning left (south) brings you to FP. There is a wide footpath for this section along the main road. The walk is about 1.8 km and is very steep down hill for 800m - there are extensive sections of steps provided but take care particularly in wet or frosty conditions. Once back at FP please remember to download!

Download: 	It is essential that all competitors download their SI cards at the Event Centre as soon as they arrive back, whether on foot or by minibus.  You will be directed to download on arrival, located in the Registration room.  Do not use any of the other facilities in the Sports Club after downloading until you have changed your shoes.

Split start competitors:  	In view of the transport difficulties we will be allowing second runners some latitude in the matter of start times.  Second runners are advised to bring their offspring to the Finish using the minibus shuttle from the Event Centre via the West Start in time to meet the first runner.  The minibus route returns via the West start or car transport will be available for the second runner to the East Start.  If any family has a particular problem with the allocated start times or transport please contact Simon Ling or Nick Green to discuss it.

Results:	Results will be displayed at the Event Centre during the course of the event and will be published on the Mole Valley Web site (www.mvoc.org) as soon as possible after the end of the event.  Results booklets will be sent out after the event.  These will have been pre-ordered by National Event competitors, but further copies may be ordered on the day at a cost of £1 including postage.  If any competitor wishes to lodge a complaint this should be done in writing to the Organiser with a fee of £10 (refundable if the complaint is upheld).  A jury will decide on the validity of the complaint and the action to be taken.

Terrain and courses:	Box Hill and Headley Heath is an area of contrasts.  It combines some of the steepest slopes in southern England with areas of mixed woodland, chalk grassland and open heath.  There are extensive views and challenging route choices.  Many courses have significant climb.  The area has a good path network and is well used by the public.  You are asked to respect other users of the area.  

Box Hill includes a twisting minor road.  Competitors may cross this road at any point but may not run along it.  Please exercise care when crossing the road. 

Two large areas of Headley Heath are enclosed by low two strand electric fences.  The orange strands can be difficult to see and usually the bottom strand is high enough to roll under or the top strand low enough to step over.  The current may be ON and you are encouraged to use the many gates available and shown on the map.  On Box Hill there is a short orange mesh electric fence with a ladder stile.  This is shown on the overprint.  Please report any fence damage to the Finish officials.

Courses 1-13 start on Headley Heath and include a 1km marked route linking it to Box Hill.  Please keep to the marked route and respect out of bounds areas.  The length of the marked route is not ideal and has been forced by land access problems.  Headley Heath and Box Hill have both been used even on some of the shorter courses to make best use of the terrain.  

All courses finish on Box Hill.  All courses close at 2.45 and early controls will be collected from 2.15.

Some parts of the area, especially on Box Hill, are extremely steep.  The chalk slopes can be very slippery, particularly in wet or icy weather.  Please take care.  

Any competitors on Headley Heath who need assistance should return to their start (open until 1pm) or head east to the road and then north to the main National Trust car park which contains a refreshments caravan. 

You must download at Friends Provident even if you retire.  Please download as soon as you return and before you get changed.  If you do not download we may think you are still out on your course and feel obliged to mount a search party.  
Map:		Surveyed and drawn by Mike Elliot during winter 2002/3 based on PG plot of Box Hill and previous Headley Heath map.  1:10,000 and 1:15,000 with 5m contours.  Maps will be bagged and overprinted.

Courses 4, 7, 9, 11, 12 & 13 will have maps of Headley Heath and Box Hill back to back in the same map case. You will need to turn over your map during the marked route linking the two areas.  A section of the marked route is common to both maps. 

Control descriptions will be on the map and spares available at the event centre.

Provisional course details:	The provisional details of all courses are shown below.

Course	M	W	Length (km)	Climb (m)	Controls	Scale	Start	
1	21L		11.7	555	23	15	East	
2	20L,35L		10.9	530	19	15	East	
3	40L		9.7	390	19	15	East	
4	45L		9.5	360	20	10	East	
5	18A		9.5	360	20	15	East	
6	21S	21L	9.0	395	18	15	East	
7	50L		9.0	395	18	10	East	
8	35S,20S,16A,18B	35L,20L	8.5	290	18	15	East	
9	55L		8.5	290	18	10	East	
10	40S	40L	7.4	310	13	15	East	
11	60L		7.4	310	13	10	East	
12	65L,45S	45L,18A	6.6	200	12	10	East	
13	50S	50L,21S	6.0	175	12	10	East	
								
14	70L,55S	55L,35S,20S,16A,18B	5.3	260	13	10	West	
15	75L,60S	60L,65L,40S	4.9	170	13	10	West	
16	65S,70S	70L,75L,45S,50S,55S	3.5	120	11	10	West	
17	75S	60S,65S,70S,75S	3.1	145	10	10	West	
18	14A,16B		5.5	285	11	10	West	
19		14A,16B	3.4	100	11	10	West	
20	12A,14B	12A,14B	2.9	130	9	10	West	
21	10A,12B	10A,12B	2.5	80	11	10	West	
22	10B	10B	1.7	115	13	10	West	

Colour coded courses will be yellow, orange and light green and will use over-printed maps.

Blank maps and control descriptions for all courses including colour-coded will be displayed at registration. All courses use pictorial IOF descriptions, with written descriptions also shown for courses 21 and 22.

String course:		The String course will be in the Event Centre grounds.  Free entry at the special registration point.
 
Sport England:	Steve Padfield of Sport England will be attending the event.  There will be a short ceremony at 10.30 am outside (weather permitting) or in the bar at the social club at which the SEOA SI equipment will be officially handed over to Neil Crickmore on behalf of the SEOA.   After the ceremony Steve will have a chance to use the equipment by running a course.

Other events:		Cambridge (CUOC), Oxford (OUOC) and London (ULOC) Universities are using this event as a BUSA league match.  Supporters are welcome to make their way to the Finish if they wish to see their runners come in.

On the Saturday night (8th February) South London Orienteers are staging a round of the regional night league at Wimbledon Common (Grid ref TQ 231712).   Full details on their website (www.sloweb.org.uk) or from the organiser Andy Robinson on 020 8255 7176.   

Dogs: 			Dogs are not welcome in the Event Centre and they are not allowed on the buses, so we recommend that they should be left at home if possible.

Officials:		Organiser:	Simon Ling, tel: 01372 813047  simonlingco@compuserve.com
Entries:		Nick Green, 01483 285861  njgreen@btinternet.com
			Planners:	Tony Burton and Sandra Vogel (MV)
			Controller:	Hedley Calderbank (HH)

For any further information see MV web site: www.mvoc.org.  Any last minute changes to details will also be given on the MV message line 01372 279295.

ALL COMPETITORS TAKE PART AT THEIR OWN RISK

Organiser:	Simon Ling