Darlington is on the main East Coast railway line, and the Event Centre is about 10 minutes walk from Darlington railway station.  (After exiting from the platforms, use the underpass to cross to the west side of the lines.  From the western station exit, go straight ahead down Victoria Road.  At the bottom, follow the pavement round to the right and use the pedestrian crossing to cross the inner ring road.  Across the road, turn left and walk round past the Vue cinema.  Curve right to follow Feethams to Darlington Market square.)
Note: If you need somewhere to leave a bag while you're out on your run, come to Download and show evidence (e.g. a train ticket) that you've come to the event by public transport.

Darlington is also very cycle friendly, with a good network of cycle paths.

If you are driving to the event, the best place to park is the Feethams multi storey car park.  The first two hours are free, after which parking costs £1 per hour.  There are electric car charging points.  The postcode is DL1 5SZ and the What3words reference of the car park entrance is ///chained.intend.transmitted.

Click on the link to see a map.  You can zoom in (and, optionally, switch to Satellite mode) to see the details of the final approach to the event.  You can also get directions by putting in your starting location.

If you're bringing a vehicle (e.g. a motor home) that is too high for the multi storey car park entrance then you'll need to use one of the open air car parks in the town.  Further information is available on the Darlington Borough Council web site.

Darlington is a Victorian market town steeped in history, which reflects both the the lovely original Quakers architecture and the town's railway heritage.

The competition area is mainly within the inner ring road, although the longer courses will use three underpasses to access an additional area to the north.  Please note that if you're crossing the inner ring road (courses A, B and C) you must use the underpasses.

The terrain includes a pedestrian town centre with narrow alleyways and yards.

There are no significant hills.

Please be courteous towards members of the public and be careful not to cause a hazard to yourself or other people.  In particular:-

• Run wide round blind corners.  Another competitor – or an elderly pedestrian – may be approaching the corner from the other direction.
• Take care crossing roads.

Adults may enter any course they wish, but if you wish to score points in the UK Urban League then you should enter the allocated course for your age class.

The course lengths and numbers of controls are subject to final controlling.

The course lengths have been measured along straight lines between the controls.  The optimum rountes are approximately 25% longer than these straight-line distances.

Courses G and H remain within the pedestrianised areas – although they do have two marshalled road crossings.  There are controls on each side of the road crossings.  Remember to punch both of these controls.

Anyone under the age of 16 on the day of the event who wishes to run one of the other courses (i.e. courses A - F) must be accompanied by an adult.

Brand new map by Dennis Hooton.   1:3,000 scale.   Latest ISOPROM symbols.   A3 size

Courses A, B, C and G have double-sided maps.

Map notes:-

• The boulder field symbol has been used to represent ancient gravestones.
• A black X represents a sculpture
• A black circle with a dot in the middle (cairn symbol) represents a memorial or monument.
• The marked out-of-bounds areas include the entrances to some low level car parks.  Don't go in there!

Control descriptions will be printed on the maps, and loose copies will be available at the Start.

SPORTident electronic punching will be used.

The control boxes will be activated to enable SIAC cards to operate in touch-free mode ..... but please note that you will need to punch the conventional way at the Start and Finish.

SI-cards will not be available for hire on the day, but you can arrange to hire an SI-card (not SIAC) for £1 by adding this to your entry in Racesignup.  Please collect your hire SI-card from Download before your run and return it as you download after your run.  Take care of your hire SI-card, as there will be a £20 charge if you lose it.

Important note:  If you have an SI-card 5 (1 - 499,990) or an SI-card (2,000,001 - 2,999,999) and you are running a course with more than 30 controls (i.e. Course A or Course G) then you will need to arrange to use a different SI-card for this event.  If you can't make other arrangements, contact the Organiser, who will arrange to lend you a suitable SI-card.

There will be no Registration at the event and no entry on the day.  If you wish to participate in this event you must pre-enter via the Racesignup online entry system.

The entry deadline is midnight on Sunday 2‑Jul‑2023.  After that, you will still be able to enter until midnight on Thursday 6‑Jul‑2023, but there will be a £2 late entry surcharge for Seniors and your choice of course may be limited by map availability.

CLOK members:  If you are available to help, contact the Organiser for the discount code and please tick the "helper" box on the entry form.

11 a.m. - 12:30 p.m.       Courses close at 2:30 p.m.

The Start is on the bank of the River Skerne just north-east of St. Augustine's Church.  Allow 5 minutes walk.  Follow this link to see a map of the route.

If you have your own SI card then you can go straight to the Start.

Toilets in the Dolphin Centre.

First aid at Download.

No drinks will be provided at the Finish, but the Dolphin Centre cafe will be open and there are various cafes, restaurants and pubs in Darlington town centre.

Covid 19 and other infections – e.g. influenza, respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) and adenovirus) continue to circulate at high levels in the community.

Orienteering is an outdoor, naturally socially-distanced sport.  However, although you should be relatively safe when you are out on your run, there is a risk of virus transmission during the pre- and post-run activities.

Please:-

• Do not attend this event if you have respiratory infection symptoms.
• Maintain good hand hygiene.
• Be mindful of other people's space.  Some people may be more concerned than you are about avoiding close contact.

A comprehensive risk assessment has been carried out by the Organiser, but please remember that competitors take part at their own risk.  Orienteering is an adventure sport – your safety while orienteering is your own responsibility.

Please make sure that you download even if you do not complete your course.

If you have a relevant medical condition, please add this to your competitor details in Racesignup.  Any information provided will be treated in strict confidence and will only be used if you need medical treatment and are unable to communicate at the time.