Lower Earley Summer series #2
Saturday 1st August
Entries open 13th Jul
Berkshire Orienteers (BKO) invites you to our orienteering event at Lower Earley on Saturday the 1st August, 2026.
We encourage people who have not tried orienteering before to give it a go. The aim of orienteering is to complete a course in the shortest time you can. You can run or walk, alone, with a friend or as a family. You are given a map with the course to follow and there are a number of control points that you must visit in order. You will recognise each control by an orange and white kite (as photo above) with a small control unit that you swipe with your SI dibber attached to one of your fingers. When you reach the finish, you download the dibber to find out how long you took between the controls.
A club member will be on hand to explain what to do when you arrive at the enquiries desk at the north end of The Meadows (signposted from Showcase Cinemas car park).
A club member will be on hand to explain what to do when you arrive at the enquiries desk at the north end of The Meadows (signposted from Showcase Cinemas car park).
Courses
Yellow 1.2km
Entered: 0
This course is entirely within the park with no road crossings. It is suitable for novices and unaccompanied juniors.
Long 5.8km
Entered: 0
This course is technically challenging and suitable for experienced orienteers
Medium 4.0km
Entered: 0
Short 1.9km
Entered: 0
This course has around 3 crossings through quiet cul-de-sacs. It is suitable for experienced/older juniors (16 and over)
Four courses are available with approximate lengths:
Long: 5.8 km
Medium: 4.0 km
Short: 1.9 km
Yellow: 1.2 km
These are straight-line distances. The optimal running route could be considerably longer than this.
Please note: The Yellow course has no road crossings and sticks to paths and tracks within The Meadows park. Juniors who have run an orienteering course before can run this course unaccompanied. We recommend juniors who are new to orienteering try it out going round with an adult.
The Short, Medium and Long courses will venture to the residential areas and these courses will include road crossings. This means no unaccompanied juniors for these courses. These courses will challenge your navigation. Adults who are new to orienteering are recommended to try the Medium if they have some map reading experience.
Entry Fees
From 13th July:
Early
Senior: £5.00
Senior Novice: £3.00
Additional charge if not a member of British Orienteering: £2.00
Senior Chip hire: £2.00
Junior/Student: £3.00
Junior/Student Chip hire: £0.00
From 27th July:
Late
Senior: £7.00
Senior Novice: £4.00
Non member additional charge: £2.00
Senior Chip hire: £2.00
Junior/Student: £3.00
Junior/Student Chip hire: £0.00
Juniors are under 21 on 31st December.Note that if an adult accompanies a junior then you only need to enter one person (the junior) and pay one junior fee. You will get one map. Families can go round together with one map, or split into small groups (one entry per group with map).
Adults who want to try the Short course are charged the same as juniors (novice price).
Please look after our SIAC dibbers (chip).
We will charge you £72 for a replacement if you lose it.
Early
Senior: £5.00
Senior Novice: £3.00
Additional charge if not a member of British Orienteering: £2.00
Senior Chip hire: £2.00
Junior/Student: £3.00
Junior/Student Chip hire: £0.00
From 27th July:
Late
Senior: £7.00
Senior Novice: £4.00
Non member additional charge: £2.00
Senior Chip hire: £2.00
Junior/Student: £3.00
Junior/Student Chip hire: £0.00
Juniors are under 21 on 31st December.Note that if an adult accompanies a junior then you only need to enter one person (the junior) and pay one junior fee. You will get one map. Families can go round together with one map, or split into small groups (one entry per group with map).
Adults who want to try the Short course are charged the same as juniors (novice price).
Please look after our SIAC dibbers (chip).
We will charge you £72 for a replacement if you lose it.
Event Information
Assembly Area: In the north part of The Meadows. A short walk from the car park. The walk will be signposted and marked with red&white ribbons.
Transport: The assembly at The Meadows is a 15 minutes walk from Winnersh Triangle Station (on the Reading to Waterloo line).
Parking: In the Showcase Cinema car park at Lower Earley. Please park on the west side near the river where you will find a signpost to Assembly. Nearest Postcode: RG41 5HG. Car park entrance at W3W: ///finely.indoor.bossy
There will be no toilets available at the event.
Electronic Timing: The event uses the SI Dibber (Chip) timing system. Contactless punching will be enabled except for a punching Start and Finish.
Event times:
Hired SIAC dibber collection 10:00 - 11:25 am
Starts: 10:30 - 11:30 am
Course close at 13:00
All participants must download by course closure time; even if you do not finish the course.
The organiser will be happy to answer any questions you might have about the event. Please contact events@bko.org.uk
Water: Please bring water to stay hydrated after running.
Conduct:
You must adhere to the British Orienteering Participant Code of Conduct
Please note that smoking or vaping is not allowed at the event.
Personal Responsibility:
Competitors are responsible for their own personal safety and for assessing their own abilities to complete the course.
Use of personal data:
The personal data you give at Registration will be used by the event organisers and their agents for the purpose of processing and publishing entries and results, conducting safety checks and as required by our insurers to validate our cover. Your information will be managed in accordance with the General Data Protection Regulations (GDPR).
Transport: The assembly at The Meadows is a 15 minutes walk from Winnersh Triangle Station (on the Reading to Waterloo line).
Parking: In the Showcase Cinema car park at Lower Earley. Please park on the west side near the river where you will find a signpost to Assembly. Nearest Postcode: RG41 5HG. Car park entrance at W3W: ///finely.indoor.bossy
There will be no toilets available at the event.
Electronic Timing: The event uses the SI Dibber (Chip) timing system. Contactless punching will be enabled except for a punching Start and Finish.
Event times:
Hired SIAC dibber collection 10:00 - 11:25 am
Starts: 10:30 - 11:30 am
Course close at 13:00
All participants must download by course closure time; even if you do not finish the course.
The organiser will be happy to answer any questions you might have about the event. Please contact events@bko.org.uk
Water: Please bring water to stay hydrated after running.
Conduct:
You must adhere to the British Orienteering Participant Code of Conduct
Please note that smoking or vaping is not allowed at the event.
Personal Responsibility:
Competitors are responsible for their own personal safety and for assessing their own abilities to complete the course.
Use of personal data:
The personal data you give at Registration will be used by the event organisers and their agents for the purpose of processing and publishing entries and results, conducting safety checks and as required by our insurers to validate our cover. Your information will be managed in accordance with the General Data Protection Regulations (GDPR).
