Day 4Bigland Thu 6 Aug

Day4 - Bigland Middle

Parking - Will be in 2 locations. Flat fields at Birk Dault, Low Wood (below Assembly) and a sloping field at Hard Crag Farm (above Assembly).

ENTRANCE TO PARKING 8.30am-12.00 noon 

EXIT FROM PARKING 12.30pm onward 

Access to both Car Parks is via the A590 to Haverthwaite x-roads where you turn south. (SD340842 - Post Code LA12 8AD - W3W like.allowable.thankful). 

LARGE MAIN CAR PARK - Birk Dault 

Suitability: This is the main Car Park and is suitable for cars and moderately sized campervans , minibuses and vans (up to 2m in height) . 

If you are bringing a very large vehicle there is on street parking on Old Barrow Road (just past the Anglers Arms) opposite the Haverthwaite Railway Station.

Directions- Follow the road around into Low Wood and immediately on crossing the River Leven turn right (West) down Fish House Lane (SD345836 - Post Code LA12 8LY - W3W swim.sourcing.handlebar).  Follow signs to parking fields within a couple of hundred metres.

The route to Assembly will be a marked from the Low Wood river bridge. Distance is 1.2km with 80m of climb on woodland paths. This route is unsuitable for push chairs.

There will be limited toilets in this car park - main toilets in Assembly.

SMALL CAR PARK - Hard Crag 

Suitability:  This Car Park is suitable for cars. Should be used by older competitors & families with young children. 

Directions- Follow the road around into Low Wood and immediately on crossing the River Leven turn left (East) towards Low Wood hamlet (SD345836 - Post Code LA12 8LY - W3W swim.sourcing.handlebar).  Continue up the road past Assembly and shortly before the top of the hill you turn left into the drive of Hard Crag farm and immediately turn into the parking field (SD358835 - Post Code LA12 8AQY - W3W roadshow.sitting.stud).

The route to Assembly will be a marked from the bottom of the Parking field. Distance is about 500m with 50m of descent (climb on the return).

Priority Parking: Unfortunately, there is no Priority Parking as we were unable to secure a field adjacent to Assembly.  However participants may be dropped off at the Assembly gate en route to parking at Hard Crag Farm.  Please avoid creating an obstruction to the flow of traffic on this single track road.

Assembly - Is in a large field beside the road up Bigland hill (SD354836 - Post Code LA12 8PA - W3W demanding.offerings.mended).

PUBLIC TRANSPORT The nearest public transport is X6 bus which stops at Haverthwaite Station.  

Starts 

Blue (Near) Start will be about 1km from the main arena with 70m climb.

Red (Far) Start will be a further 250m along a flatter section of the track - total distance 1.25km with 70m climb from the main arena.

Allow up-to 20 minutes. 

There will be no clothing transfer back from the Starts.

Finish

There is a single Finish which will be in Assembly.

Red (Far) Start 1.25km and 70m climb is for courses 1-8

Blue (Near) Start 1km and 70m climb is for courses 9-19

Planners comments 

All courses other than White make use of the wonderful, rocky technical challenge that are Bigland woods.  Overall, the forest is open and offers fast running … if you’re not going uphill! There are patches of low visibility and slower going due to some enthusiastic holly growth and the planner may or may not have taken advantage of these areas.  Any clearings in the forest will inevitably be inhabited by bracken and you may want to pick your routes with that in mind. 

The White course uses large paths in open fell and some open fields.

Some extra notes for the Blue (near) start:

The Blue start will be in an area of open fell.  There is a bird pen on a main path within this area that some courses will pass close by. Please DO NOT run on the path adjacent to the bird pen as this will spook and stress the birds.  The area is marked as out of bounds and the path will be blocked by tape and signs – divert around this path.

The bracken has been particularly virulent this year on the lower slopes and this has affected the courses to some extent.  In a rare fit of generosity, DEE volunteers have attacked areas of the stuff with strimmers, machetes and billhooks to blast rat-runs along some of the more likely route choices.  If you find yourself pushing through head-high bracken, there’s a good chance you’re not on an optimum route!

There is a path network within the open fell.  Marked paths can generally be distinguished from our rat-runs by having been mown and with grass underfoot.

Some extra notes for the Red (far) start:

All these courses are in woodland, including the superb High Stribers Wood.  Before you get too smug, there are some glades and clearings with bracken – however these can generally be avoided with some judicious route choice through the forested areas. 

Courses 1 and 2 enter a fantastic area of wood via a temporary stile over a new fence with a barbed top-wire. You MUST use this stile. 

Competitors will exit the area via an open gate.

All Red start courses will cross a semi-ruined fence and wall.  

At its southern end, the fence is fairly intact and has a barbed top-wire.  Two crossing points have been created and are marked on the map.  

Further north, the fence is more broken and ways over, under or around can be found … here the fence is not marked as an uncrossable boundary.  

There is a gap in the wall at the top of the hill also marked as a crossing point which can be used with a bit of athleticism and care.

Course lengths and start location are given in the attached table:

Map

Original map by Stirling Surveys 1992

Lidar and other updates by Martin Bagness for JK2023, British Relays 2025 & Lakes 5 Days 2026.

© Lakeland Orienteering Club 2026.

Officials

Old Maps

The area was last used for the 2025 British Relay Champs.

Link to the map on British Champs Routegadget page is here