Chesham Bois Orienteering Races
Schedule
Sat Nov 15 2025 at 10:15 am to 01:00 pm
UTC+00:00Location
Chesham Bois Woods | Chesham, EN
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This event was originally planned to be around RAF Halton. Due to difficulty securing land permission, it will now be held at Chesham Bois Woods, which is a lovely area of woodland between Chesham and Amersham. ================
Try a new outdoor adventure sport! Ideal for all ages and abilities, with courses for runners and also families and children. Help is available and no experience is necessary. We give you a map and a timing chip, and you have to race around a series of checkpoints, choosing your own route between each one.
Please note this event is pre-entry only – there will be no entry at the event. Enter in advance (entries link will be put here nearer the event).
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DIRECTIONS / PARKING
Chesham Moor car park - from the roundabout on the A416 Amersham Road at the South end of Chesham, turn SE along Moor Road for 300m. Turn right into free public car park just before the outdoor swimming pool.
Car park opens at 9:30am. Use of the Car park is by kind permission of Chesham Town Council.
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TERRAIN
The competition area is relatively small and you will have relatively more controls than many other TVOC areas - rather like a sprint course with frequent changes in direction. The area is on the southern slopes of the Chess valley, so some contours. Course legs are often very runnable amongst tall beech trees, a maturing plantation and across a field with a superb view over the Chess Valley. Low earth walls and a few depressions are links to the area’s past use. There are holly bushes to avoid. You will be no more than 60m from a path. Green course has footpath links to and from a section of the wooded Common with its abundant earth features.
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REGISTRATION AND START TIMES
Start a course any time from 10.15am to 11.45am.
Everyone must finish and report back to download by 1pm, even if you haven't finished your course.
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COURSES – arranged below in order of navigational difficulty. Remember - the course lengths are the straight line distances between the control points. You'll go further, depending on your route choices!:
YELLOW: ~2.0km. Navigational difficulty: 2/5.
Easy. Short and suitable for juniors or newcomers. Controls on or near paths.
ORANGE: ~3.0km. Navigational difficulty: 3/5.
Ideal course for families, adult newcomers, and juniors with some experience. Still reasonably easy, with some navigation required. Probably around 3.5 to 4k actual distance, depending on your route choices!
RED: ~4.5km (expect to run 6k). Navigational difficulty: 3/5.
Ideal for runners looking to try orienteering - this course is like an unmarked trail race. A fairly easy, longer course. Some navigation, but not too tricky! (same difficulty as Orange; just longer).
LIGHT GREEN: ~3.5km. Navigational difficulty: 4/5.
Ideal for improvers or those who have been to a few events. More detailed navigation required through the woods, off paths. Around 5k actual distance.
SCORE:
Ideal for adult beginners. Find as many controls as you can within a time limit - normally 1 hour. Then make it back to the finish, with score penalties for every minute late!
If you're a runner getting into orienteering, the Red and Orange courses are ideal, or the Score course. For families, we recommend Orange, or Yellow if you want something shorter. For juniors, Yellow is a good choice.
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HOW TO ENTER
You must pre-enter in advance as there will be no entry at the event, although you can enter online up to 11am on the day itself. Pre-entering reserves you a map. The entries link will be put here nearer the event.
You don't have to be a member of an orienteering club to enter this event. On SI Entries (our entries system), just show your club name as IND (for Independent).
Small family or other groups are welcome, but please enter only the Yellow, Orange or Red courses. Enter as a senior. Change the name if you wish, for example to Jones Family.
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ENTRY COST
Early entries up to and including Sunday 9th November:
– Red and Light Green – BOF members £6, non-members and family groups £8, Juniors & Students £2
– White, Yellow, Orange and Score – BOF members £5, non-members and family groups £7, Juniors & Students £2
Later entries through to 11am on the day of the event (assuming maps are still available) – £1 extra.
Timing chip hire £1 (essential if you do not own one).
Your entry fee includes a special waterproof orienteering map with your course printed on it, to keep as a souvenir, hire of a timing chip (SI) to register at each control point around your course, and a print out of your result and splits at the finish.
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FACILITIES
Please bring your own drink. Toilet available.
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Where is it happening?
Chesham Bois Woods, Chesham, United KingdomEvent Location & Nearby Stays:
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