Local Event (Come and Try It) Saturday 26th April 2025

Provisional information
Northern Navigators Orienteering Club invite you to a local event at Elemore Country Park. All abilities catered for and newcomers welcome.
Location: Elemore Country Park is situated to the south of Hetton-le-Hole, only about 6 miles from Durham. Head NE on Elemore Lane from High Pittington for just over 1.5 miles and the signed entrance is on the left, or from Easington Lane head west for 0.5miles on Elemore Lane, entrance on the right. Parking will be in the car park adjacent to the visitor centre. Nearest Postcode: DH5 0QS, ‘what 3 words’ https://what3words.com/loitering.regulates.hazelnuts Grid ref: NZ 355 455
The nearest bus stop is in Easington Lane High Street, about a 0.5mile walk on footpaths.
The are bike racks for securing your cycle at the visitor centre.
Parking: Will be in the visitor centre car park, no charge. Parking will be limited, so please car share if possible.
Overflow parking will be roadside in Easington Lane. Please park thoughtfully; there is a roadside footpath to the Park entrance.
Registration/Enquiries: located near the visitor centre and open from 10:30. Register / pay at the table, collect a hire dibber if needed; any other enquiries can be dealt with here.
Entries: Pre-entry before Wednesday 23rd April using the following link or enter on the day. Pre-entry is appreciated so that map numbers can be more accurately estimated, however please pay on the day by cash or card.
Pre-entries requiring a hire dibber – please collect them from registration/download.
Fees: Seniors £4.00, juniors £2.00. Groups welcome and charged as one senior/junior. Please bring the correct change (cards also accepted).
Start: Starts from 11.00 -12.00. Route to the start will be taped from the visitor centre.
Punching: This event will use the SportIdent electronic system. SI cards will be available to borrow free of charge on the day, but competitors will be charged for any loss. Please bring your own SI card if you have one. There will be a sample control near registration for you to see the SI card in action and instruction in the use of the system will be available on the day. Lost or non-returned SI cards will be charged at £30. Control stations will be enabled for touch free punching (SIAC) but competitors will need to punch the start and finish control.
Map & Area: Scale 1:5000, 2.5m contours, A4, updated this year.
Control descriptions only on the map (no loose descriptions).
Terrain: Elemore Country park is on the site of an old golf course, there are still signs of the golf course with many of the bunkers marked as depressions. The area is gently undulating, so note 2.5m contours have been used. The park is still being developed so there may be paths under construction. There are several wooded areas but a lot of the area is runnable rough open. There are three large enclosed Fenced areas, however there are multiple crossing points – squeeze points or kissing gates. Only use the marked crossing points, do not climb any fences. The competition area extends to adjacent public parkland for some courses.
Safety Information: There are no roads in the park, however some of the tracks are used by horse riders; competitors should ensure they warn the riders of their presence well in advance if approaching from behind. There is evidence of powered bikes using the area, though unlikely at the time of the event, please exercise caution should you come across one. All competitors that have registered to start must report to registration after they finish (even if they do not wish their score/time to be recorded). Competitors are welcome to carry a phone when they compete. There will be a first aid kit and first aiders at registration and a contact phone number on the map.
Control descriptions: descriptions will be on the map (no loose descriptions).
Facilities: Unfortunately the cafe and toilets are currently closed, pending a change of management. We will update this page if the situation changes prior to the event.
There are toilets at Hetton Lyons country park about 1.5miles away – w3w ///officer.radiated.digs
Dogs: Dogs will be allowed, but please clean up after your dog.
Thanks: Many thanks to the park management who kindly gave us their permission to use the area.
Officials:
- Organiser – Debby Warren
- Planner – Julian Warren
- Controller –
Courses:
Provisional lengths: Yellow (2km), Orange (3.1km), Light Green (3.3km), Green (4.2km), Blue (5.0 + map flip). More details to follow.
Please give space and be courteous to members of the public.
Participants take part at their own risk
Courses close 1:30pm, if you are still out then, please make your way back to registration.
Results will be published here following the event.