Braunton BurrowsSun 22 Sept
Caddihoe Day 2 (Middle) - UKOL
Regional level event
What does this mean?
Local events are usually low key and in the 'localised' area, ideal for newcomers to try the sport and Training events are non competitive and used for training and coaching, aimed at members of the club, but they can attract people from neighbouring clubs, and are often ideal for newcomers to try the sport. Regional events attract participants from around the local Region, National events are high quality competitions that will attract people from far away, Major events are Major Events such as a British Championships. Virtual events are where there are no physical controls being used. Your presence at a control is registered using an App on your mobile phone, normally the free MapRun6 App.
Terrain type: Sand Dunes
Results
Final results including overall
Report
Event Co-ordinator’s Comments:
As event coordinator and living fairly close to Braunton Burrows, I dealt with some of the headline issues to get this event up and running. For car parking and assembly, we were unable to use the farmer's field some of you will have visited at previous events, but that was not possible this year. To cope with the numbers, we had to use the two existing car parks that serve the area and a minibus for some competitors, so thank you all for cooperating with our RSU entry questions to allocate parking to each of these, which appeared to work well.
We also had to find a location for assembly as you can't just go anywhere on the Burrows to set this up and the fantastic flora and fauna of this special area must quite rightly be protected. We negotiated with landowner Christie Devon Estates, MOD and Natural England for the specific area we wished to use with detailed method statements to achieve our aim and thank them all for their cooperation.
Beyond this DEVON are keen to provide opportunities for their club officials to gain experience working on larger events and I mentored Karen as our Organiser and hope you all agree she did a brilliant job and kept us all on our toes to get arrangements in place for a wonderful weekend.
Phil Beale
Organisers Comments:
My previous experience of organising orienteering events has been a couple of Level C Devon League events, so a 2-day event, one of which was a Level B, was a bit of a step up! Throughout I was fully supported and guided by a wonderful team, without which the event would not have happened. The wider team of event coordinator, planners, controllers, and mapper were brilliant at providing guidance on the more technical aspects of the event itself and this was borne out by the two challenging days of orienteering, which was well-received based on the very positive feedback to date.
I would like to take this opportunity to thank the very many volunteers, both Devon and non-Devon based, who helped with the setting up of the event on Friday and over the 2 event days themselves. I would also like to include here the services of Podium Catering (delicious food and cakes – thank you Steve), and Compass Point (Rom and team) for travelling a long way and supporting our little event in Devon. You were all fabulous and very much appreciated - thank you.
Of particular note, I would like to thank some specific people who worked alongside me in the weeks preceding the event, and these are Phil Beale (event coord), Alison Reynolds and Andy Reynolds (Race Sign Up wizard and Start List producers) and Martin Yeo (Si timing wizard) – they most definitely took hours of work off my shoulders and were absolutely invaluable as part of the organisation team – and for my sanity!
We were delighted that Christie Devon Estates and Natural England permitted us to have the assembly area on the Burrows itself, as this allowed us to have the start, finishes and admin area centrally located, which we felt lent itself to the friendly atmosphere we wished to create for the event. And thankfully the weather on Saturday played its part (even though the forecast said otherwise) and it was better on Sunday than anticipated.
On reflection and having received lots of feedback (positive and negative feedback welcomed), I feel most things went well, the team adapted and overcame anything that didn’t quite work on the day, and mostly everyone tolerated me with my ‘Army Sergeant Major’ head on, barking out various requests and direction, for which I must apologise and thank them in equal measure. Finally, I hope you enjoyed the event enough that you come back to Devon for Caddihoe 2025 taking place on Dartmoor.
Karen Baker
Day 1 – Planner’s Comments:
This is the fourth time I’ve had the pleasure of planning on Braunton Burrows. ‘Zone 2’, in which day 1 took place is, in my opinion, the best part of Braunton in which to plan, as it offers the full range of terrain types available on the Burrows; the highly intricate area on the western side of the dunes, then the large ridges with some interesting features on their sides and flat areas between them, and, finally, the vague flat area on the eastern side of the map.
When I last planned at Braunton Burrows (day 2 of the 2018 Tamar Triple), the courses started on the south-eastern corner of the map used for this event, with some shorter courses missing out on the intricate western area, as the finish needed to be in a similar location to the arena for Caddihoe 2024. With that in mind, I wanted to ensure that everyone was able to experience the intricate area on this occasion. This desire, along with the location of the arena I was given, was a significant factor in determining the shape of the courses. As many of you will have noticed, I used the large ridges as features to provide route choice, and it was certainly interesting to observe the varying reactions of people at the start of a long leg which crossed the ridges; some people ran off very quickly, seemingly planning to tackle the hills head-on. Whilst others took longer to decide before heading off on various carefully considered route options. I’m still undecided about which way to approach these legs was best – I guess the answer is probably different to each of us, depending upon how your legs are feeling when faced with the decision! I hope that you all enjoyed the variety between the longer legs which required a route choice decision to be made, and the shorter more intricate legs on other parts of the course. Hopefully, there was plenty to keep you ‘on your toes’!
I had been fortunate with the weather on my visits to the dunes prior to the event and, given how the forecast was looking at one stage prior to the event, we were extremely lucky with the weather on the day of the event. Consequently, including the day of the event, I can claim to have enjoyed five days of glorious Devon sunshine on the dunes in preparation for this event. Having experienced Braunton Burrows in the rain on a tagging visit for another event, I know how unpleasant it can be in those conditions, so I was very grateful for the weather luck on this occasion; in particular, for the control hanging the day before the event which, with 72 controls to hang, took the greater part of eight hours!
Finally, I would like to say thank you to the following:
• Phil Beale and Karen Baker, as weekend co-ordinator and organiser respectively, for arranging a great arena, in addition to all the other logistics they put into place to ensure an enjoyable event took place.
• Richard Sansbury, who, as controller, provided helpful guidance during the course planning process, and was also a willing ‘kit carrier’ for part of the control hanging process at the southern end of the map.
• Chris Johnson, the mapper, who was proactive in reacting to the many map amendments suggested by Richard and I. No mean feat given the constantly changing paths and vegetation! Furthermore, Chris assisted with waking up SI units on Saturday morning, which was much appreciated.
• All those who helped to collect controls at the end of the event.
• The fantastic cattle which have been grazing the area I was planning on for the whole summer and have done a fantastic job keeping the vegetation down so that we could enjoy largely ‘Bramble free’ running.
• You, the competitors, for making the long trip to North Devon, and for your many favourable comments about the courses I planned.
See you all at an event somewhere, sometime!
Ben Chesters.
Day 2 Planners’ Reflections:
It is always a great relief to receive positive feedback from you and to eavesdrop discussions of competitors “how did you tackle that leg” or “damn I didn’t see that route!”. It was a privilege to be asked by my new club to be the Planner at the prestigious Caddihoe event. A new area to me and my first ’sand-dune’ area to plan on.
The area given to me had two major factors which I tried to use to our advantage in the route choice process you were to experience. Firstly, the East to West dividing fence and its permitted crossing points (we lost one 6 weeks before the event which affected most of the courses). Secondly, the ferocious undergrowth; we tried to avoid the worst and absorb the ‘kinder' into your route choice options (you may not believe it, but we did examine all areas where routes may go). (Note: Savlon is good for your cuts n’ scratches!)
The good-natured feedback of some courses being too short is noted and I do understand and sympathise. For a middle-distance event, however, regulated by British orienteering guidelines my hands were tied with course lengths and winning times. Then factor in competitive age class groupings you can see where I’m coming from. Perhaps an item for a future BO forum? I really enjoyed planning this day for you and truly hope you all enjoyed your courses.
See you out there!
Phil Headford
Overview
UPDATE!: Final details in a downloadable version here.
Pre-entries CLOSED. Entry on the day (EOD) will be limited subject to availability of maps.
Location Info
/-4.19584,51.09419,12/500x400?access_token=pk.eyJ1IjoicGF1bGZyb3N0IiwiYSI6ImNsZTZ6cjhiaDAwcTczeXF4cm42c293cnIifQ.GaQX1WYv6yGRcz_eEwmevQ)
Near: Braunton Lat,Lng: 51.09419,-4.19584 OS Grid Ref: SS463351 Postcode: EX33 2NU What3Words: ///nature.simulations.thumbnail
Open an interactive map in: GoogleMap - OpenStreetMap - AppleMaps - BingMap
Directions / Parking
Parking: it is important to read the full details on the Final details.
Directions will be given to Sandy Lane car park (cars only), or to Crow Point car park (Campervans and additional cars).
Pre-event Details
Map / Terrain
Updated mapping notes here: Braunton Burrows Map Terrain info 2024 v2
Please DO read them as they contain lots of useful information about the terrain and mapping.
Course Information
See the Final details
Read more about Course lengths and Difficulty here
Entry Details
Pre-entries CLOSED.
‘Entry on the Day’ still available for all courses subject to availability of maps - CASH ONLY.
Volunteers:
Karen is still looking for control collectors on Day 2, so if you missed the opportunity to volunteer before entering, it’s not too late to change your mind, and obtain the helper’s discount of £5!
If you wish to volunteer or reserve a map for ‘entry on the day’, please contact the email hidden; JavaScript is required by email.
Registration and Start times
See the Final details
Facilities
See the Final details
Dog restrictions
Dogs must always remain on a lead within the assembly area and under strict control. Dogs are not permitted on the courses. Dog mess on the burrows promotes the growth of unwanted vegetation that threatens the endangered plants. It is a health risk to the cattle and of course, highly unpleasant to visitors – please pick up your dog mess and dispose of it appropriately.
Contacts / Officials
Event Coordinator: Phil Beale
Event Organiser: email hidden; JavaScript is required 07970 886010 (before 8pm)
Planner: Phil Headford DEVON
Controller: Jeff Pakes QO
Nearest A&E Hospital
North Devon District Hospital, Raleigh Park, Barnstaple EX31 4JB
NHS Urgent care search
Safety Notes
Safety bearing: Should you get lost, maps displaying the safety bearing will be displayed at the start within the assembly area.
Safety: All competitors must report to download before they leave the event area regardless of whether they complete the course or not.
Course hazards: The clue is in the name! Braunton Burrows is a warren with many rabbits living in the dunes. Although most rabbit holes are under vegetation, please be aware as you run, since rabbit holes could cause sprained/broken ankles.
Snakes: Adders are present on Braunton Burrows from March to October although they generally move away quickly when approached. NHS guidance if bitten by a snake advises ‘Do not try to squeeze or tie anything tight around the bite area. Try to take note of the pattern and colour of the snake and try to remain still’. If bitten, use whistle to alert another competitor and tell them you have been bitten. Any competitor notified of a snake bite, must make note of the casualty’s location, and then report immediately to First Aid at the Assembly area to notify the whereabouts of the casualty so you can be found quickly.
Ticks: Due to cattle grazing on the Burrows, there may be ticks present, so please check yourselves for ticks after your run.
Other users: Participants are asked to respect other users of the area (vehicles, walkers, cyclists, horse riders, wildlife etc). There may be grazing cattle on Braunton Burrows which should be given a wide berth to avoid startling them. Please shut all gates after using them.
Braunton Burrows is a military training area. Please do not touch any discarded military pyrotechnics, ammunition, or other material.
There are many pits and gullies, some steep-sided and over two metres deep. Runners should be aware and approach these hazards with caution.
There are also ponds in the area and these should not be crossed.
Braunton Burrows overlooks the Bristol Channel and can experience severe weather. Please bring a jacket/cagoule with you in case the Organiser must make these compulsory on the day, because of cold and/or wet conditions.
If it is very windy with dry conditions, the sand can whip up and be blown around. Competitors may wish to bring some form of glasses which would provide partial protection if these conditions were forecast.
Miscellaneous
Accommodation:
See Final Details
Acknowledgements:
Thank you to Christie Devon Estates and Natural England for the use of their land for the Caddihoe 2024 event. Thanks also to Max at Sandy Lane Car park and the Crow Point toll road team for the event car parking.