Lossie event image

Event Summary

Welcome to our next local club event, on a newly mapped area, Lossiemouth East Beach.  We are looking forward to the challenge of the sand dunes, which are now accessible from the town centre now that the footbridge is open.  There are courses for all abilities, details of which can be found below. The weather forecast for Saturday is relatively benign, with light cloud, possible rain showers and a gentle breeze from the north east.

Please note that the start window has been delayed by an hour to minimise the risk of the high tide and possible onshore winds affecting the event.  

Cross country
Level D Local
SI AIR
11:00-12:45
11:30-13:00
14:30
80512
On Leads
Online LTD EOD
SI Entries

Directions and Parking

Registration will be at  the northern side of Gregory Place car park (NJ 236 703, IV31 6JH, w3w:///hunt.airliners.soup), adjacent to the New Wave Surf School building. If this car park is full, please use East Beach car park opposite the caravan park or on-street parking in the local area. Please park considerately. Gregory Place and East Beach CPs are free.

Public toilets are available close to Registration, en route to the Start.

Start and Finish

The route to the Start will be taped from Registration via the footbridge, and then to the start. Registration is approximately 300 m from the footbridge. The start is 400m south east of the footbridge, on the seaward side of the dunes.  You might find the sand firmer near the sea. This route passes the finish, which is 50 m from the end of the footbridge, at the north west end of Lossiemouth East beach. The public toilets are en route from Registration to the footbridge.

See note above regarding delay to the normal start window due to tidal conditions and possible onshore winds.

At registration

Courses

The usual Saturday event courses will be available:
Yellow 1.6 km
Orange 2.3 km
Light green 4.1 km
Map scale 1:7500, contour interval 2.5m. The light green map is double sided.

SI units are set to air mode. If you are using an SI air dibber, you must punch (dib) the start and finish controls. If using a non-air dibber, punch (dib) all controls as usual.

Information about the terrain from the planner, Eddie Harwood...

Light green 
The blocks of dunes and the proximity of the sea or the river plus a number of paths means that the course is Technical Difficulty 4 - there is almost no TD 5 terrain. However it is hard to navigate accurately at speed. Please note that the open fast yellow symbol is used for the unvegetated flood plain. Light green runners are advised that there are patches of fast yellow that will probably be under water. This is never too deep, but the flooded bits can be passed on either side. Marram grass is abrasive and prickly! 

Orange course
Orange is generally fairly easy TD3 on the fringes of the dunes as I consider that navigation within the dunes to be beyond this level.

Yellow
Yellow guidelines require the course to be completed using line features. The bottom edges of the dune system are used as line features, so it is important that children are informed of this before they go out. Even so is not possible in this area to follow even these features continuously. However whenever a line feature has to be left the subsequent control is always in view if they look ahead. 

Terrain

Lossiemouth East Beach sand dunes cover an extensive area to the east of the town centre, accessed via the recently opened footbridge.  The dune complex is intricate, and has few paths - a real orienteering challenge! Marram grass can be abrasive and prickly, so full leg cover is strongly advised.

Entry Details

Please enter online by Wednesday 19th October so that we can print sufficient maps.  Normal prices apply until midnight on Wednesday 19th. Late online entries and manual entries, until 12:30 on the day of the event, will be subject to a £1 surcharge. These late entries are subject to map availability.

Senior member £5, Senior non-member £6, Junior member £3.50, Junior non-member £4.50; £1 discount for using own SI dibber. Late entries (after 19th October): £1 surcharge
SI Entries

Final Details

Safety Information

This event is being held on open, exposed coastal sand dunes. Parents should consider shadowing younger, less experienced Juniors. In the event of poor weather, waterproof jackets may be required. Competitors will be informed on the day if this is the case. The start window has been delayed by one hour (now 11.30-13.00) as high tide is at 10:45 am. The safety bearing is NW to the footbridge.

Event Officials

Rob Parkinson
Eddie Harwood
Andrew Campbell
rjparkinson16@gmail.com
07534 296777

COVID-19

COVID-19 Guidance (Updated March 2025)

If you have symptoms of COVID or have tested positive to COVID, then do not attend the event or activity to help avoid spreading infection.  

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