Local event and final event of North West Urban League for 2025. The urban courses cover the central shopping area as well as housing and a small area of parkland.
FINAL UPDATE (2/12): Entries close Friday 5th December. Limited EOD on the day. Distances on control descriptions are optimal. Road crossings marked on the map are not mandatory. Busier roads are highlighted in a darker brown on the map, which courses avoid as much as possible. Collect hire SI cards from the event centre. Toilets in the event centre and also Sainsbury’s (from 10am).
Event Centre & Facilities: The event centre will be based in the Conservative Club in Penrith where we have access to a large function room with toilet facilities, this will be open from 10.00am. The entry to the event centre will be through the Function Suite entrance signed through an alley archway from Crown Square (Post Code CA11 7AB, W3W plot.animated.hazelnuts). Clothing and bags etc., can be left here and this is where download will be situated. The bar will be open from 11.00 am and hot drinks will be available from there. No dogs in the event centre please nor very wet or muddy shoes.
We are expected to be out of the function room by 3pm. If you intend to head into Penrith to go shopping after your run please first remember to take all your personal belongings with you when you go.
Parking: There is no official designated car parking, but there is Sainburys car parking with a free 3 hour limit (CA11 7FG); it has cameras so don’t over-extend your stay. Please note that the multi storey section has limited headroom; for those that may bring a campervan or motorhome, there is on street free disc parking for2 hours.
Courses: Courses as below. Due to the need to cross busy roads ALL CHILDREN aged 16 years and younger on the day of the event must be accompanied by an adult. It is recommended that adults run their course first. You can enter any course you wish, with each course also having an “Open” option, however, in order to qualify for North West Urban league points you should select the course appropriate for that class. No Dogs on courses please.
| Course | Classes | Length | Optimum | Climb | Scale |
| 1 | M Open, M Vet 40+, W Open, Open1 | 6.1 km | 8.2 km | 80m | 4000 |
| 2 | M Supervet 55+, M Ultravet 65+ W Vet 40+, W Supervet 55+, Open2 | 4.2 | 5.8 | 70m | 4000 |
| 3 | M Hypervet 75+ W Ultravet 65+, W Hypervet 75+, Open3 | 2.7 | 3.5 | 50m | 3000 |
| 4 | MJ/WJ (M/W16- i.e. born between 1/1/2009 and 31/12/2012), Open4 | 2.9 | 3.8 | 60m | 4000 |
| 5 | MYJ/WYJ (M/W12- i.e. born after 1/1/2013), Open5 | 1.2 | 1.5 | 20m | 3000 |
Entries & fees: Online entries are now open via SiEntries. Adults £7, Juniors £3. Courses will be designated by their usual urban acronyms (eg MO, WHV) as well as Open courses 1-5. There will limited entry on the day.
Times: Start times are between 10.30 to 12.30. Courses close at 2.00pm.
Start: The start is 20 m from the event centre therefore we would ask for this area to be kept clear to enable a smooth operation to take place. The alleyway is also a pedestrian access to the shopping area. There are no set start times so turn up when you are ready. Loose control descriptions will be available in the start lanes. You may or may not have to queue for your course depending on who else is at the start at that time. At the start remember to clear & check your SI card. It is a punching start. The start box will be handheld. You will be asked to punch the start box before you pick up your course map. (Note that Course 5 maps will be available at the event centre).
Finish: The finish is situated 400m from the event centre/download and will be taped. It is a punching finish. Follow tapes back to download. Please remember to download after running.
Punching: SportIdent will be used with punching start and finish. SIAC contactless punching will be possible on all controls on each course.
Controls: Controls will be secured with gripples to trees, lampposts and fences. Standard kites will be used.
Terrain: Mostly urban terrain with a small amount of parkland. There will be a need to go through the shopping area which is mostly pedestrianised so care and courtesy will be the order of the day. There a few busy roads that will be crossed so please use the suggested crossing point for greater safety but they are not compulsory.
All competitors should be aware that there is historical site that is strictly out of bounds and is clearly marked on the map. If any competitor is seen to cross this area they will be disqualified and as a club it would compromise future permissions. We ask all competitors to be aware of all uncrossable walls/fences and out of bounds areas (see more below) and please be aware of pedestrians and dog walkers.
Map: Mapped to ISSprOM 2019-2. The contour interval on the map is 5m. All courses will be printed on waterproof paper with descriptions printed on the front. Course 5 on A4 Courses 1- 4 are A3. To aid legibility of courses on the map control circles are larger than standard, being 7.5mm rather than 6mm, with control numbers having a small white boundary to highlight them.
All competitors are expected to be aware of urban map uncrossable walls/fences & out of bounds mapping. On the Penrith map efforts have been made to significantly reduce the use of thick black lines to try to aid navigation (ie they are mainly used where there is a need to highlight a boundary). Olive green with black borders (out of bounds private property) is used extensively across the map; the black border could be anything: high or low wall, fence, hedge or even just a grass edge where the garden area or driveway is believed to be private. Please respect all areas marked as private or out of bounds.
Whilst the map is ISSprOM there are some special symbols used on the map as follows:
Results: Results and Routegadget will be available shortly after the event on the BL website – borderlinersorienteering.org.
Safety and risk: Orienteering is an adventure sport. A comprehensive risk assessment will have been prepared by the Organiser and identified risks mitigated. However, please be aware that you take part in this event at your risk and are responsible for your own safety. Please consider wearing bright clothing when out on the course and suitable clothing & footwear for conditions on the day. In an emergency Penrith has a minor injuries walk in unit at Penrith Community Hospital on Bridge Lane, near to the A66.
Officials: Planner – Tricia Davies, Organiser – Brian Davies.
Acknowledgements: Thanks to Penrith Town Council and to Penrith Conservative Club for use of their hall.
Next event: Saturday 17th January 2026: Hammonds Pond, a local event with a new map in a Carlisle park that has not been used for orienteering in 10 years or more.
Border Liners Orienteering Club 