Cockle Hill and Butterwick Crag Local Event – Final Details

Saturday 13th May 2023

Venue: Cockle Hill and Butterwick Crag (east part of Bampton Common), 10km south of Penrith. The car park and finish are at High Howe Farm – this is the same place as for recent events on Bampton Common , but the courses are mostly in an area that will be new to many. It was last used (but only for the short courses) at the Compass Sport Cup in 2019 ( see Routegadget )

Travel Directions: The event will be signed from the road between Askham and Bampton, 1km south of Helton at NY 5066 2108. It’s not recommended to approach along the minor road that heads west from Bampton – it has multiple gates and potholes. Campervans by prior arrangement only.
IMPORTANT – ROAD CLOSURE – the A6 at the river bridge in Eamont Bridge will be closed on Saturday. If approaching from the north, west, or east you need to use the B5320 through Pooley Bridge or the B6262 through Brougham

Entries: Pre-entry closes 23:59 Wed 10th May. Entry on the day is available on the Novice course (£6 adult, £2 junior, £1 additional maps).
Some late entry on other courses may be available – email the organisers to check.

Terrain: Open fell with gorse and rock detail. Runability is generally good but with some marshy sections that can be hard going particularly after wet weather.

Courses:
· Blue 7.1km, 190m climb
· Green 5.1km, 100m climb
· Short Green 3.6km, 90m climb
· Very Short Green 3.1km, 70m climb – **see note below
· Novice 2.2km, 60m climb

**Very Short Green – this is the same course as Short Green but with some controls missed out towards the end. If you want to do Very Short Green, enter Short Green and pick up a Short Green map at the start. The map will show which controls to miss. You can decide while on the course whether to take the Very Short Green cut-off

Blue and Green courses cross a minor road – please take care

Start Times: 11:00 – 12:30. Courses close 14:15

Starts and Finishes: There are two starts and two finishes.
West Start: Blue, Green and Novice. 150m from car park entrance – turn left out of the gate.
East Start: Short Green and Very Short Green. 600m (no climb) from car park entrance – turn right out of the gate.
West Finish: Blue and Novice. 150m from car park.
East Finish: Green, Short Green and Very Short Green. 800m from car park.
If you have pre-entered and have your own SI card just go straight to the start. There is no need to register. Entry on the day and hire SI card collection are in the car park.

Map: 1:7,500 for all courses. Control Descriptions are on the map, but not available loose.
Maps will be at the start for all courses, but there will be copies of the Novice course at Enquiries for anyone who would like to look at it in advance.
Blue course: The map is double sided with part 1 on one side and part 2 on the other.

Map Notes: Open fell is shown in white rather than the standard pale yellow. Fields are 100% yellow.
Solid green indicates gorse that is tall and/or impenetrable.
Green vertical stripes indicate low gorse or gorse which you can find ways through (if you don’t mind getting scratched).
Some mapped boulders are smaller than you might expect.

Dogs: Allowed on leads in car park

Clothing: If the weather is bad, cagoules will be compulsory. Shorts are permitted but be aware that there is a lot of gorse in parts of the area

Refreshments: Cakes and hot drinks will be available to purchase (raising money for Camps International Ecuador). Bring your own mug if possible.

Standard Safety Information:
Wear appropriate clothing and footwear for rough open fell which can be very exposed in bad weather. Cagoules may be compulsory
Be aware of members of the public, sheep and horses in the area. None are dangerous but treat them with respect.
Check for ticks after running.

Queries: Contact planners/organisers Karen and Dan Parker (BLdanandkaren@gmail.com) or via the BL website borderlinersorienteering.org