Day 5 – Urban Sprint Race
Tuesday 16 July at Wester Hailes
Urban Sprint Race - Wester Hailes
Wester Hailes is a residential area in the south-west of Edinburgh. It was largely developed in the early 1970s, which is reflected in the dominant housing styles, mainly purpose-built flats and tower blocks.
Extensive redevelopment in more recent years has involved replacement of high-rise flats with newer low-rise housing. Westside plaza is the main social and shopping hub of the area; it includes a cinema and is served by buses and trains from the centre of Edinburgh. The Edinburgh and Glasgow Union Canal runs through the area.
Running surfaces are a mix of paved roads, paths and communal grass areas between housing. The area is mostly flat with only limited gradients.
Final Details
- Type of event
- Sprint, urban
- Day Event Centre
- Canal View Primary School, 4 Hailesland Place, Edinburgh EH14 2SL. Open 10:00 ‒14:15.
- Location
- 55.915742, -3.2817103 ///worked.songs.liver
- Start times
- 11:00-13:00
- Starts
- There is one Start location today, 1 km from the Day Event Centre (taped). Under 12s must be accompanied by an adult to the Start and shadowed on their course (see below). There is plenty of warmup space before reaching the Start.
- Finish
- The finish is nearby
- Courses close
- 14:00
- Map
- New map for WOC 2024. 1:4000 and 1:3000, with 2.5m contours, mapped to ISSprOM 2019-2 v6 (Peel Land Surveys 2023) with additional survey and cartography by Alasdair Pedley, 2024.
- Food
- Shops in adjacent Westside Plaza shopping centre
- Footwear/clothing
- Metal spikes/dobs are not permitted. No restriction on clothing.
- Safety
- The area is very low traffic, but is not traffic-free. You are responsible for your own safety.
- Special Information
- There is a time-out on all courses at a set of traffic lights where you must punch the controls either side of the road. The maximum time allowed between the two controls is 1 minute. There will be marshals at this crossing and at other points on some courses.
Late in the planning process building work started in a area near the Finish that is visited by most of the courses. This has resulted in a lot of small temporary out-of-bounds areas. These have been mapped as late as possible before map printing but minor changes before your race are still possible. - Juniors
- Junior ages are ages on race day. We would be uncomfortable allowing under 12s to run round this housing estate on their own and possibly out of sight of other orienteers so they must be shadowed on whichever course they do. If the adult is also competing they must have run their own course before shadowing the junior. Ages 12-15 on 16 July 2024 may do either Course 9 or 10 unaccompanied and parents must judge whether they want to shadow these children or not.
- Planner
- Martin Quirke (ESOC)
- Controller
- Dave Robertson (CLYDE)
Course Lengths
| Course Number | Class | Length (km) | Climb (m) | Controls | Scale |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | M18, M20, M Open, M35 | 4.2 | 80 | 26 | 1:4000 |
| 2a | M40, M45, M50 | 4.0 | 70 | 25 | 1:4000 |
| 2b | W18, W20, W Open, W35 | 4.0 | 70 | 25 | 1:4000 |
| 3 | M55, M60 | 3.8 | 75 | 23 | 1:3000 |
| 4 | W40, W45, W50 | 3.8 | 60 | 25 | 1:4000 |
| 5 | M65, M70 | 3.6 | 70 | 22 | 1:3000 |
| 6 | W55, W60 | 3.2 | 65 | 22 | 1:3000 |
| 7 | M75, M80, W65, W70 | 2.6 | 55 | 19 | 1:3000 |
| 8 | M85+, W75+ | 2.2 | 50 | 16 | 1:3000 |
| 9 | M/W Under 16 | 2.6 | 45 | 25 | 1:3000 |
| 10 | M/W Under 12 | 1.6 | 35 | 17 | 1:3000 |
Travel Information
Parking: Westside Plaza in Wester Hailes. Limited spaces.
From outwith Edinburgh: Park at Hermiston Park and Ride (check for height restrictions on tall vehicles) and take the #25, #45 or #35 (8 an hour) to the “Napier University” stop. It is a 20 minute walk to Westside Plaza. You must stay on Wester Hailes Road to avoid entering the competition area.
From Pollock Halls: Take the #30 or #33 bus (7 an hour) from the “Commonwealth Pool” stop to the “Westside Plaza” stop.
From central Edinburgh: Take the #3, #30 or #33 bus (10 an hour) from Princes Street to the “Westside Plaza” stop.
From central Edinburgh: There is an hourly train service from Waverley/Haymarket to Wester Hailes station.
It is a 5-minute walk from the “Westside Plaza” stop to the Day Event Centre at Canal View Primary School. The walking route heads south along Murrayburn Gate, past Wester Hailes Library, and will be taped so that you do not enter the competition area.