MV Summer Series evening at Claremont Fan Court School

1st event in our 6-part summer series (subsequent event Mon 15 June, Epsom). App-based (MapRun) low-key evening orienteering event suitable for newcomers, improvers and more experienced orienteers.

Summary – read if nothing else:

• Directions: must enter from Portsmouth Road (see google map). Once parked, follow signs for  the Joyce Grenfell Centre (JGC) which is where the assembly is (dining hall)
• Arrival time: not onto school premises before 6pm please
• Event solely run on MapRun app (not using dibbers) – download app and course before arrival due to poor signal on site.
• Read the safety notes below. In case of allergies, warning beehives are on site
• Site fairly wet underfoot; road shoes perhaps not wise on the grass – something with some grip may be preferred.

Entry: Racesignup.co.uk. Free for MV members. For non-MV members: £3.50 seniors (£5.50 if not British Orienteering members), £2 juniors (£3 if not BOF members) [‘juniors’ are under 21]

Meeting point: Assembly in dining hall of Claremont Fan Court School, Claremont Drive, Esher, KT10 9LY (https://what3words.com/prove.upon.tells). Tapes will mark the way from the car park to the bag drop in the dining hall or follow signs for the Joyce Grenfell Centre (JGC). Start is from just outside here.

Getting there: Parking available on site, accessed from Portsmouth Road – see google map / what3words at the entrance from Portsmouth Road is https://what3words.com/loudly.smug.salt. There are two entrances to the school but you will only be able to enter via the Portsmouth Road entrance. Arrival not before 6pm please. Speed limit of 10mph on this driveway into the school please – you may encounter competitors. If coming by train, closest stations are Claygate, Esher, and Hinchley Wood, all are a warm-up jog away.

Courses:

1. For beginners/newcomers: a simple (“yellow” / “orange” standard) 2.4km linear course. “Linear” means you must go to the controls in the order specified on the course map.
2. For the experienced or adventurous: 1-hour score, format 30s/40s/50s see below. “Score” means there is no set course. Your map will show several controls, you choose which and how many to visit. You get points for each control you do visit and lose points if you take more than an hour (penalty rate 1 point per 2 seconds: don’t be late!).

There will be three ‘sets’ of controls, numbered in the 30s, 40s and 50s. Competitors can do the sets in whichever order they want (they can do 30s then 50s then 40s etc.) and they can also swap over to another set whenever they want, but once a competitor has swapped to another set they cannot swap back to the previous set. You do not have to complete a set before moving on to the next set; you may want to change sets before completion to maximise points. All controls are worth 20 points.

Example: A competitor decides to start with the 40s and runs to 47, 42, 45, 41. They then decide to switch to the 30s and run to 39, 38 etc. And then later the 50s. Once they have started on the 30s they will not get any points for reaching further 40s, as they have moved on from this set. The same applies to the 30s when they start the 50s.

Note: If you do happen to run past a control in the wrong ‘set’ and MapRun registers this we can amend this in the results afterwards, so if you are intent on doing as many 50s as possible for example and you register one of the 30s, this will not affect you continuing on the 50s, but you will not get any points for the 30s control you visit (unless you visit it later as part of a 30s round). In general we will assume that if you do multiple controls from a set in order that you have started on this set.

Starts: from 18:30 to 19:30. Courses close 20:40.

Format: exclusively on the MapRun app – the app ‘beeps’ when you visit a control site. No physical controls located in the park and dibbers will not be used. This means using a smartphone with the MapRun app (latest is version 7), or load the MapRunG app onto a compatible Garmin watch. Details of how orienteering works with this app are here. Please download the course to the app before you arrive, because there is very little signal at Claremont: click on ‘Select Event’, and follow the menu path UK > Mole Valley > 2026 Summer Series. The course will not be visible on your phone until you receive the PIN number at the start. You upload your result when you finish. The full procedure will be explained at Registration.

Map: A4 1:3,500 scale waterproof orienteering map (surveyed 2013, updated 2018, 2022, 2026). Example (blank) map at registration. We can explain map colours and symbols to newcomers. No separate control descriptions – they are printed on the map.

Terrain: Mostly parkland with an area of school buildings, and dispersed areas of dense vegetation. Due to the frequent management of the grounds for sport, the map will not show certain features such as athletics track, pitches and disk frisbee course.

Clothing: shorts permitted, may encounter some longer vegetation but this is avoidable. Recommend tick check post-run.

Info about road crossings: Route is entirely contained within school groups so no road crossings. Care should be taken around the long driveway from Portsmouth road to parking as this will probably be crossed multiple times and you may encounter other competitors arriving/leaving. Speed limit of 10mph on this road please.

Results: provisional live on the MapRun app and final on mvoc.org soon after the event. Rank on the score class contributes to summer series league points.

Water: water fountains available near start/finish for hydration

Series information: Best 4 of 6 (or 7, tbc!) events counts towards your total league score. Top male and female competitors get a trophy at the end of the series!

Event official: Organised and planned by Alex Kendall, alexkendall72@gmail.com.

Safety notes based on the event risk assessment:

1. There are no road crossings but you may cross the driveway into the school from Portsmouth Road. Please look out for vehicles when doing so (conversely, when you’re driving in, please watch out for competitors crossing!). The speed limit is 10mph. The linear course should only cross this driveway at the painted zebra crossing (and the course is planned to take you to this crossing).
2. At the southern end of the map there is a cluster of bee-hives. These are marked as out-of-bounds on the map. Competitors with bee/insect sting allergies should make sure they have their Adrenaline Auto-Injector (AAI) with them on their run. The linear course does not go near this area but the Score course competitors might.
3. As a working school, there is considerable sporting and maintenance equipment which will not be on the map e.g. archery targets, cricket wicket covers. Please be vigilant for these items as potential trip/collision hazards.
4. North from the mansion there is a ha-ha which is marked on the map, but which is nearly invisible from up-slope due to the grass. Please take care not to fall off it!
5. There is some vegetation on the courses but all controls are accessible by paths or across low-cut grass. Shorts are acceptable but as there are deer in the area please make sure you check for ticks after your run.
6. You will encounter trip hazards on all courses, including woodland paths/trails, such as tree roots and uneven ground, as well as steps and uneven footpaths; please take care.
7. The weather may be very warm. Please arrive fully hydrated. We recommend you carry water with you. Water available at the start / assembly.
8. Ponds shall not be entered;
9. Safety bearing: look up to the Mansion house and navigate to that.
10. All competitors must report back to the MV team at the Dining room, even if you wish to retire, so that everyone is accounted for. If injury prevents you from returning to Registration, please phone the emergency number printed on the map by 8.30pm, to avoid the need for a search party and to enable help to be provided if necessary.

Nearest Hospital: Epsom Hospital, Dorking Road, Epsom, KT18 7EG.

You are responsible for your own safety and you take part in this event at your own risk. A quick reminder for newcomers: 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. For example, if you were to accidentally injure a member of the public or damage property during the event, you would not be covered. You’re very welcome to take part, but please be aware that you do so at your own risk.