2 urban sprint races in Tweedbank, near Galashiels.  Race 1 will be the 2025 Scottish Sprint Championships, Race 2 will be a Scottish Urban League counter/Open Sprint.  Make a weekend of it with the INTERLOPERS SoSol at West Calder on 6/4/25.

There is an embargo on the area and anyone found training with an orienteering map on the area between now and 5/4/25 will be disqualified.  The main road through Tweedbank is out of bounds for orienteering motorists on the day as runners will be crossing the road. Orienteering Motorists need to approach from the east end,  Embargo map HERE

Event Centre:  The Tweedbank Community Centre, Essenside Drive, Tweedbank, Galashiels. (No parking here or on the roads nearby).   Registration, toilets, bag drop.  The Community Centre is about 800m from the railway station.

Parking;  At the small roundabout into the Railway station you can park on the left (south) on any of the Industrial Estate roads, then walk the short distance to the railway station from where there will be tapes west along a path 800m to the Community Centre. We can’t stop you parking in the station car park but if it’s busy be mindful that paying passengers should take precendence.  Wherever you park please also be mindful about changing in public.

Getting there:  half-hourly train from Edinburgh, Bus from various towns via the Galashiels Interchange. By car, easily reached via both the A7 and A68.

Start/Finish:  Both are approximately 400m from the Event Centre, in different directions.

Event times:   First race (Scottish Sprint Championships) starts 11:30-12:45, second race (SOUL) starts 13:00-14:15.                Championships Prizegiving:  asap after 14:15. 

Courses:  The normal urban categories, planned for winning times of 12-15 minutes.  Juniors being shadowed will be non-competitive on the Sprint Championships race but still competitive on the SOUL race.  Shadowers must run their own course first.  Courses 6 and 7 are suitable for unaccompanied under 16s and under 12s respectively but see the road crossings message below.  Anyone over the age of 16 on the day may enter Men or Women Open.

Both Sprint Championships Course 7 and SOUL Course 7 have a butterfly loop, please make sure that all participant on these courses understand that this means visiting a control part-way through their course, doing a loop then visiting the same control again before doing the rest of their course.  Novices on these courses, please ask if you’re not clear on this.

Road crossings:   The speed limit in the town is 20 mph apart from one busier road in the centre which is 30 mph and has one underpass which is compulsory for Courses 6 and 7.   The underpass will have a control at it.  Course 7 has a small number of road crossings in cul-de-sacs which have very low traffic.  Course 6 may cross roads anywhere they wish apart from the underpass control.  Courses 1 – 5 may cross all roads anywhere they wish. 

Everyone must be vigilant about householders driving their cars out of their short driveways over the pavement.

Map:  1:4000/ 1:3000 2.5m contours (see the course table below).  To ISSprOM 2019-2, Revision 6 standard.  Map updated March 2025.   Control descriptions on the front of each map and loose copies in the start lanes.  

Course 7 maps:  Championship Course 7 maps will only be available in the Start lanes.  All SOUL Course 7 maps will be picked up just before the Start lanes so that parents can discuss with their juniors if necessary.  Competent juniors/novices also need to pick up their map before they enter the Start lanes.

Terrain: a mix of complicated housing with many cul-de-sacs and passageways, less complicated housing and some parkland. Any woodland not marked as white is best avoided !  Previous Urban on RR Routegadget: HERE    

Entries:  are now open on SiEntries:       Closing date 30/3/25 after which late entries as long as maps are available.

Prizegiving/Trophies

There are Scottish Sprint Championship Glass trophies for the first Scot on Men Open and Women Open.  Medals for the top 3 people on all classes regardless of whether they are eligible to be Scottish Champion. Small prize for Scottish Champion in each age class.  Prizegiving around 14:15hrs.  There are no prizes for the SOUL race.

Results:  Live results should be available HERE.

Family groups

Family groups should enter one of the Open classes and enter one of their juniors only, then add the additional names in the “further information” box on the entry page.  Extra maps can be booked for £1 each.

Scottish Sprints and SOUL 2025

Sportident timing. Controls will be programmed for contactless punching but any dibber will work. Courses all have less than 27 controls.

Medical conditions

Anyone with a known medical condition should complete the form http://www.britishorienteering.org.uk/images/uploaded/downloads/officials_handbook_safety_firstaid_medical_form_280514.doc, place it in a sealed envelope addressed with their name and leave it at registration in assembly. Envelopes will only be opened if required for a medical emergency and unopened envelopes will be destroyed immediately after the event.

Dogs on leads allowed apart from inside the event centre or on the courses.

Organiser:  Andrew Armstrong RR

Planner: Lindsey Knox RR

Entries:  Ian Maxwell RR

Computing on the day:  Paul McGreal RR

Controller: Allie Wilson  NATO