Venue Gosford Forest
Date Sat, 7th Mar 26
Starts 12:00 to 15:30
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Event Description
| Date | Saturday 7 March 2026 | ||||||||||||
| Venue | Gosford Forest Park | ||||||||||||
| Event Format | Northern Ireland Colour Series 1 | ||||||||||||
| Online Entry | . |
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| SI Entries |   |
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| Online Entry closes | Midnight, Monday 2 March 2026 | ||||||||||||
| Registration, Start and Finish | TBC | ||||||||||||
| Price |
Sociable group / family fee where all are going round a course together – entry fee is per required number of maps i.e. one entry = one map. *Member of BOF Clubs only. Get Annual Membership today and experience the membership benefits including the member rate! There is no fee to hire an SI card if required, but lost cards are charged at £30. |
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| Terrain Summary | The walled forest has been a great draw in recent years with the development of mountain bike trails and iconic adventure playground zones, so as well as bikers, be prepared to meet giants, castles and mythical creatures. Expect the place to be busy. The Estate covers an area of 240 hectares and its various owners have all had an impact on the place, whether it was the Acheson’s and Earl’s of Gosford who built the Castle, created the Deer Park, used the ponds to power a corn mill, or planted the Arboretum which contains many record trees; the US army who are responsible for the firing range and the remains of several gun emplacements; the German POW’s who built the small round tower in the main car park; to the Forestry Service who created several plantations; and to the present owners ABC Council who have added the MTB Trails and Play Zones. While mostly conifer, the Forest contains some beautiful huge specimen trees, and some lovely runnable beech and oak plantations. You may even find your path littered with expanses of wild garlic in some places too. | ||||||||||||
| Previous Maps/Routegadget | This area was last used for a LVO Autumn Trophy event in October 2023. Routegadget map and courses can be found here: https://www.lvo.routegadget.co.uk/rg2/#522 | ||||||||||||
| Course Notes | ⚪ White – km + m climb – navigate along paths with few route choice decisions. Aimed at primary school aged newcomers. 🟡 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 Green – km + m climb – this course is set at the highest technical difficulty but shorter to attract those who may struggle with a longer physical course. 🟢 Green – km + m climb – technically and reasonably physically demanding course. 🔵 Blue – km + m climb – technically and physically demanding course. 🟤 Brown – km + m climb – technical and very physically demanding course. |
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| 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. |
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| 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. |
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| Parking | We will be using the overflow car-park. Pass the main car park and follow the signs towards the lower deer park. At the first junction turn right, immediately after the buildings on your left turn right into the overflow parking field. It is very close to registration/download which is in a nearby building.
Please note there will be a charge for parking unless you have a valid Gosford Park Permit. Fees are as per the Gosford Forest website (cars are £5). Please consider car-sharing. |
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| Toilets | Toilets are located beside the playground, near the main carpark. |
Location
Gosford Forest
Gosford Forest
Markethill
BT60 1GD
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.