Summer Series 2022 - No 4 - Donadea Forest Park

The Summer Series continues with our next event in Donadea Forest Park. This takes place this coming Tuesday 31st May, with starts available from 6pm to 7:20pm.

The entrance to the park is located at: https://goo.gl/maps/fdU9Z3q7TnodMQLu8 - Parking is in the main (large) car park.

There is a new barrier in operation slightly further in from the usual entrance to the park. We *hope* to have this raised for the duration of the event. In the event it is not, there would be a €5 Coillte entry fee, which can be paid at the barrier using any contactless debit/credit card - note that it no longer accepts cash! The main forest gate still closes automatically at 9pm, so all entrants need to have vacated the forest before this - bear this in mind when choosing a start time! Coillte's security company charge a €50 fee to release vehicles which are locked in.

Composting toilets will be available near the Carpark. Please bring your own hand sanitiser.

Whether you are a complete novice, a family, or a seasoned veteran, there is a course to suit. The Adventure Course (all on tracks) is suitable for families or beginners. The Medium course is suitable for experienced orienteers and adult beginners and improvers who can cope with some off-track forest running/walking. The Long course is suitable for adult improvers and experienced people who are good at map reading and compass skills. There is quite a bit of undergrowth in the forest at this time of year, and we don't advise route choices through areas marked with undergrowth symbol (green vertical lines). The courses have been planned to avoid the worst undergrowth.

Three (3) courses are planned as follows:

    Adventure (3km, 11 controls)
    Medium (4.9km, 16 controls)
    Long (6.6km, 19 controls)

The forest is mostly flat, so climb is negligible on all courses.

Entry fees are the usual:

    Adults: €8 / person
    Children: €4 / child
    Student: €5 / student
    Unwaged: €5 / person
    OAP: €5 / person
    Family Discount: €20 (Maximum of 2 Adults and no more than 5 family members / family)

As with all recent events, we prefer pre-entry via the online entry system. There will be limited entry on the day (by the number of spare maps we print). If you need to hire an SI card, we also rent them for €2, to be returned at the finish. Lost cards cost €40 to replace!

Enter online here: https://www.orienteering.ie/fixtures/donadea-18/

If you're not a member of a club, and would like to join CNOC on the day, we're offering free membership for the first year (its only €7 a year per adult after that anyways - full rates on cnoc.ie)

If you are planning on bringing a group, it would be useful to contact us ahead of time, so we can ensure we print enough maps, etc.