Last Edited 5/2/24
Hawse End is comprised of four distinct areas on the western shore of Derwent Water. Brandlehow and Manesty woods are fine examples of mature deciduous woods which will provide some good running over fast open forest terrain. Most of the underfoot conditions will provide unimpeded progress. The longer courses will visit the parkland like area near the Hawse End centre, and all courses will visit an area of open scrub and marsh.
There is very little damage from the recent storms.
There are many small sections of board on some of the paths. These are either old, wooden board which can be very slippery if wet or they are newer boards are made of recycled composite material. These have not been individually mapped.
There are a number of gates that must be used. Please close these after you have been through them. The area also has a number of uncrossable walls and fences. These are marked with the thick purple line and must not be crossed. Courses have been planned so that the crossing points provide the optimum route.
There is one mandatory crossing point that has been specially prepared for the event. It has involved removing some wire to allow access across an old wall. The upper parts of the wire are not removeable, but will be taped. Please take care at this crossing point. There will be e a control on it to ensure that competitors use it. Please remember to punch at it. It may also be manned.
The road that borders the area to the West has been marked as out of bounds. Courses have been planned in such a way that the road wouldn’t really give an advantage to runners.
Due to the size of the area, and the need for the distances on the longer courses there are a lot of controls. You are advised to check your control descriptions carefully. Course 1 will have in excess of 30 controls. Runners will need to have a dibber that can accept and record over 30 punches. As a result of the number of controls, control descriptions will be long on these courses.
To improve clarity on the map, most courses have a “map flip”. The courses will have been printed on both sides of the map, so when competitors reach the “map flip” they will need to turn their map over. The only courses without a “map flip” are Course 8 and the Orange
Courses 1, 2, 3 and 4 are printed at 1:10 000. Courses 5, 6, 7, 8 and Orange are printed at 1:7500. The map size is A3. Contour interval is 5m.
All control descriptions will be printed on the map, and loose copies available in the start lanes. All control descriptions are pictorial. The map update has been completed during December of 2023 and January of 2024 by Mike Hind.
The courses have been planned to the latest British Orienteering rules, issued December 2023. The revised course combinations and ratios for winning times based have been used.
All control sites will have a control unit on top of a stake with a kite on. There will also be a manual punch, and in the event of a control box not working, there are three boxes on the map where you can punch to prove that you have visited the control. A few controls that are likely to see a large number of competitors will have two stakes with boxes on, only one stake will have a kite.
The finish is 70m from the common last control and the route will be taped.
The organiser’s mobile number is printed on the map. He can receive calls and messages in the car park and arena area.
During periods of heavy rain, the lake shore has been known to rise and encroach on some of the lakeside paths.
The area has many paths and tracks and is a very popular area with walkers. It is a delightful place to be, with splendid views over Derwent Water and onto the fells – reduced by the lack of daylight. There is a variety of wildlife which occupies the area – you may see deer, hare and there are red squirrels. The latter are not famed for being seen at night.
Andy Bradley