After going missing in 2024, the White Rose was back in its usual place on the August Bank Holiday Weekend. This year’s event, the 50th, was held in Dalby Forest near Pickering. As normal all the days were close to the campsite/event centre meaning that having arrived you didn’t need to drive anywhere.
For anyone very keen the weekend kicked off with a mass-start night event on Friday evening, but for most people a Middle Distance on Saturday, at the interestingly named Jingleby, was the first foray into the forest. The area was a stereotypical North Yorkshire one – regular blocks of flat forest in varying shades of green and white with lots of pits (on the Black course 16 of the 18 controls were on pits or depression). Despite such an uninspiring terrain description it was actually very enjoyable. The courses were well planned with plenty of route choice (risk going straight, or take a longer safer route) and almost no “bingo” controls.
The terrain for Sunday’s Classic Distance was similar, but not quite so flat. Most courses also had a section of fast open section at the end. For some this came as a a relief from the tough forest, but for others the change from shade to hot sunshine was less pleasant. A memorable feature of the terrain was the endless parallel planting ridges in otherwise runnable forest. Those with very long stride could probably go from ridge to ridge, but for the majority, every step involved either going down into a gully or up onto a bank.
Results from the Middle and Classic were combined to give overall results. BL’s only prize winner (a White Rose mug, as is traditional) was Anne, 1st in W35S.
Monday’s event was a complete contrast – a forest sprint in an area of mostly runnable mixed wood;and with many paths. Everyone had a 1:5000 map and lots of controls (29 on 3.3km on the longest course for example). The area wasn’t technically difficult but very quick thinking and intense concentration were required to avoid mistakes. The control descriptions showed quite a few “other man-made feature” symbols. They turned out to be Gruffalos:
Limited results and Routegadget for the weekend can be seen here: https://www.clok.org.uk/events2025/250823_WhiteRose.htm.
More will be on EBOR web site when the EBOR webmaster gets back from holiday!
Border Liners Orienteering Club 