Venue Castlewellan – Forest Park
Date Sat, 1st Nov 25
Starts 12:00 to 15:30
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Event Description
| Date | Saturday 1 November 2025 |
| Venue | Castlewellan Forest Park |
| Event Format | Autumn Trophy (Club Event) |
| Online Entry | . |
| SI Entries |   |
| Online Entry closes | Midnight, Monday 27 October 2025 |
| Registration, Start and Finish | TBC |
| Price | Adult (aged 21 & over) £8 (£10 non-member). Junior/Student £4 (£5 non-member). Maximum charge for a family £20 (£25 non-members). Sociable group / family fee where all are going round a course together – entry fee is per required number of maps – one entry = one map. There is no fee to hire an SI card if required, but lost cards are charged at £30. |
| Terrain Summary | Castlewellan Forest Park is dominated by the park’s centrally located lake, the eastern end of which is mainly typical parkland with scattered mature trees, the forest carpark and visitor centre, and a large campground.
Most of the competition terrain will be in mixed hardwood/conifer forest that surrounds the lake and the hill of Slievenaslat. Large areas of the forest have recently been cleared and patches of rhododendron have been removed. Remaining areas of forest are of good general run ability although there are many areas of undergrowth (brambles, nettles etc) especially along path edges and plantation margins. Castlewellan is a busy park which we will share with walkers, dog walkers, horse riders, cyclists and slow moving vehicles. Please give way to other park users. There is an extensive path/track network including many mountain bike trails – which we expect to be busy. Courses will be planned to avoid as much as possible the mountain bike trails although it is expected that runners will at times cross or use the tracks for short distances – please use extreme caution and be courteous to other forest users avoiding stopping, slowing or startling the riders. There are also kayakers and stand up paddle boarders, if you startle them, you are well off route – keep away from deep water! |
| Previous Maps/Routegadget | Castlewellan map was used at the NICS in June 2022. Previous Toutegadget map and courses can be found here: https://www.lvo.routegadget.co.uk/rg2/#472 |
| Course Notes | 🟡 Yellow – km + m climb – along paths with more route choice decisions. Appropriate for newcomers and younger juniors with some experience. 🟠 Orange – km + m climb – skills needed to navigate away from paths and more route choice decisions, some compass skills are expected. Aimed at novice adults and improving juniors. 🟢 Light Green – km + m climb – this course requires confident map reading and compass skills. 🔵 Short Blue – km + m climb – technically and physically demanding course. |
| First Aid and Safety | There will be a first aid and a qualified first aider available at registration. Registration is also a safe place for lost children to wait.
Please do not come to the event if you are unwell. Please bring and carry any medication you might need, especially inhalers and EpiPen’s. If you come across an injured or ill person, please stop, help and get further help. There will likely be qualified first aiders on the course who can stop to provide support. All participants must return to download, whether they complete the course or not. This is to account for all competitors, ensuring everyone’s safe return. Courses will close and controls collected in at 3pm sharp. If you are still out on the course at this time return to finish and download immediately. |
| Kit requirements | Full body cover is mandatory.
A whistle (emergency alert is 6 loud blasts per minute) is mandatory. A waterproof jacket may also be mandatory if the organisers decide the weather requires one, so bring one along just in case. |
| Parking | Car parking and download will be in the main carpark in Castlewellan Forest Park. There is a cost of £5 per car. |
| Toilets | Public toilets are situated at the car park. |
Location
Castlewellan – Forest Park
Forest Park View
Castlewellan
BT31 9BU
Volunteers
To volunteer at this event please email volunteer@lvo.org.uk. You can find information on each role here as well as the current list of volunteers.