Day 2Bessyboot Mon 3 Aug

Parking

Will be in fields at Rosthwaite Village in Borrowdale about 10km south of Keswick on the B5289. Turn right (if approaching from Keswick) at the signed and marshalled junction at the entrance to the village. Park as directed.
The car park will be open from 08.00, last arrival by 11.30. No exits before 12:30pm.

Livestock. There are chickens & ducks from the farm in the parking fields. Dogs must be on leads at all times.

Assembly

Will be in fields at Stonethwaite approximately 1km from parking. Most of the route from the parking to assembly is along a footpath but there is a road crossing and short length of minor road. There are two assembly fields. Enquiries, download, first aid, kit tent and traders will be in the main field. There will also be room for club tents in this field. The toilets will be in a second field, reached first from the main parking, along with the pre-allocated priority parking and more room for club tents. Please keep to the footpath on the way to assembly and be careful at the road crossing and along the road to and between the assembly fields. Please follow the instructions of the marshals.

The String course is very close to Assembly in the grounds of Borrowdale Primary School. Again, please take care along the minor road.

Starts and Finishes

There are three starts and two finishes, all remote from assembly.  

Red (High) Start for courses 1-12

2.2km and 300m climb from assembly. Allow up to 60 minutes from Assembly.

Blue (Low) Start for courses 13-17

1.7km and 150m climb. Allow up to 40 minutes from Assembly.

The Main Finish for all courses from Red and Blue Starts is at the north end of The Combe, 1.2km from Assembly.

White (Near) Start for Courses 18 and 19, White and Yellow

300m and 0m climb.

The Finish for courses 18 and 19 (White and Yellow) is near the White Start.

We have tried to make this as family friendly as possible for competitors within the constraints of accessing a high fell and parking availability. The White Start is on the route to the other starts. Parents/shadowers of White and Yellow course competitors can proceed on to the main starts from here.

The route to the Red and Blue Starts begins from the White start. It initially climbs up marshy rough open ground to join a rough path up to the fell wall, where there will be a clothing dump and the routes diverge. The route to the Red Start then climbs steeply up the fellside passing close to the Finish. The route to the Blue Start climbs gently from the fell wall to cross a stream to the start.

Parents/carers of competitors using the Blue Start, who want to accompany them to the start, can then retrace their steps 200m back to join the route to the Red Start for their own course.

Please follow the exact taped routes to the starts and back from the Main Finish, so as not to impinge on the competition areas.

Planners comments

The Red (High) start courses use the high undulating plateau around Bessyboot summit (one of Wainwright’s 214 fells) and Tarn at Leaves. It is mainly runnable sheep-cropped grass with varying areas of rocky ground. There is plenty of intricate contour detail, numerous crags, boulders, marshes and ponds. There is virtually no bracken but significant patches are mapped. There is significant climb on all courses at or above 5% of length. The area rises to over 600m. 

All courses from the Red Start have a steep descent to the finish over their last few controls. In practice this is around 200m descent within the final 600m.

Anyone not enthusiastic about the description of this wonderful challenge may wish to consider entering one of the courses at the Blue Start, which venture onto slightly tamer and lower terrain.

The Blue (Low) start courses use a long, flat-bottomed valley, surrounded by towering cliffs, known as The Combe. The valley floor contains many grassy knolls of varying size (glacial moraines), marshes, numerous watercourses and intermittent rock features.  The lower slopes of the valley are mainly grassy with varying amounts of stony ground and detailed rock features. There is virtually no bracken. The major cliffs around the upper rim of the valley have been marked to aid navigation but courses do not venture anywhere near these cliffs. NOTE that the upper slopes under the major cliffs have not been mapped in detail. 

The absence of many paths in The Combe means that Course 17 (Orange) makes use of streams, ditches and some marsh edges as line features and handrails. Where routes are not clear, sections of taped route will be used. 

NOTE that The Combe, whilst a distinct enclosed valley, is a real mountain experience and juniors unused to, or unsure of, the challenge outlined above, may wish to be accompanied.

The White (Near) start hosts Courses 18 and 19, the White and Yellow Courses. These courses follow paths and walls in an area of rough open and around grazed fields. A small section of the course will be along a path close to where competitors are going to the Red and Blue Starts and returning from the Main Finish.

We have given considerable thought how to provide the best option for the two shortest Courses 18 and 19 (Yellow and White).  We have fitted both into a small area of fields and rough open land a short distance from Assembly.  Given some permission restrictions, the courses are very tight with crossovers and both courses visit at least one control TWICE.  You MUST punch the control both times.  The line features competitors will be following are big walls, fences and paths.  Please be careful to take the controls in the right order and check your control codes.  Each course has its own last control and is then taped to the Finish.  

Both courses will be on display in Assembly and you are strongly encouraged to examine your course before going to the start.

Final course lengths and start location

Mapping Notes

Bessyboot and The Combe are at a scale of 1:7500 and 5m contours for all courses.

White is Rough Open, which is mainly rough grassland with varying degrees of stone and rock.  The stony ground symbol (black dots) has been used where the amount of rock significantly impedes progress.
There are numerous significant crags across the area, particularly on Bessyboot. Tags are generally not shown on crags, to aid clarity.

NOTE: Course 1 has a double sided map, labelled 1-1 and 1-2.

Low Buck How (White Start) for Courses 18 and 19 is at a scale of 1:5000 with 5m contours, using standard ISOM yellow for open land.

Printing is A4 portrait for all courses.

Safety

Bessyboot and The Combe are rocky mountainous areas requiring care particularly in wet weather and poor visibility. Footwear with a good grip on rock is strongly recommended.

Competitors heading to the Blue (Low) Start will cross a stream; in normal conditions this is rocky, but straightforward. A rope will be provided to aid crossing of the stream.

Bessyboot is bounded by walls and fences to the East, North and South.  The western edge is steep and rocky, but less so on the route to the start and on the descent over the final controls to the Main Finish.  Anyone retiring from their course on Bessyboot needs to head back to the Red Start or the Finish.  Do not head off the hill any other way.

The Combe is bounded by a wall to the north and north-west and by high cliffs to the south, east and west. The safety bearing for anyone retiring from their course in The Combe is to head north down either side of the valley to the Blue Start or the Main Finish.

There is a steep and hazardous ravine on the Bessyboot map which must not be crossed. It is marked as out of bounds on the map.

This is a mountain event on high, exposed fell. It will be a wonderful experience in good weather with great views all around.  In inclement weather it will be a real challenge and minimum clothing requirements will be mandated and checked. A whistle will be mandatory regardless of the weather. 

Officials