British Long Distance Championships 2026 Carreg Goch – 28 February 2026

Event location

The event will take place on Carreg Goch with the Car Parking and Arena located at the Dan yr Ogof Cave complex.  

NGR:  SN841162  PostCode: SA9 1GJ  What3Words: dawn.fury.digesting 

Key Information  

• The Arena and Carparking is extremely restricted so please try and ensure all cars have a minimum of two people to ensure we can fit everyone in. There are a number of places in the area to park and car share from there. We will be parking people very tightly.
• On the Friday night we will park the Overnight Campervanners close together too, to minimise the impact on the Saturday parking availability.
• Start time allocation – we have done our best to meet people’s start block requests and specific start times requests, but it will not have been possible in all cases.
• The event area is high and exposed to the prevailing weather and so will be much colder than the arena. Cagoules with hoods or hats and whistles will be compulsory.
• Whilst we will ensure we have measures in place to ensure competitor safety, it is important that you also take full responsibility for your own safety and carry additional protective clothing. It would be useful to imagine how cold you would get in cold rain if you had to stop running due to a twisted ankle or similar.  

Car parking

All car parking will be on hard standing using the cave complex car park and campsite. This is the only hard standing parking in the area and space is very restricted so we would encourage all competitors to car share into the site as much as possible.

There are a number of locations around the area that you can meet up to then come in single cars from there.

The car park involves numerous small parking places so please follow the marshals’ instructions and park as tightly as possible. Please arrive by 12:00. No exits until after 12:30.

Please take care as you drive through the arena passing competitors on their way to and from the Start, Finish and Arena.

Public Transport

The T6 is an hourly bus service from Brecon to and from Swansea. It stops outside Dan yr Ogof cave complex in both directions.

Arena

The arena is within 500m of all parking.  You will find Enquiries, Download, Toilets, Commentary, Traders, Junior Zone and area for Club Tents here.

Urinal and Toilets will be available including a priority Ladies ‘WeeOnly’ Loo.

Traders confirmed: Compass Point, Podium Catering, Flynns Coffee and S&A Grill.

Swansea Bay OC Junior Squad will also selling cakes and hot drinks.

Junior Zone will include a String Course, Maze-O and Stone Painting.

Download and Enquiries are close to the route up to the start/down from the finish.

You will need to cross the track to some of the parking areas to access the route to the start, to visit enquires and return from download.  There will be marshals at this crossing Point so please follow their instructions for your own safety and be aware of moving vehicles.

There will be a SIAC Battery Test and a kit check when you leave the Arena, please ensure you are wearing your bib and have your SI-card, compass, cagoule and whistle. You will not be allowed to start without the mandatory kit. Signs in the arena will advise if additional measures will be required and if so, these will also be checked. 

Club Tents

There will be a grassy area available for club tents close to the start of the route up to the start. For individuals without a Club Tent we will provide event shelters.

2025 Championships Trophy return

All trophies from the 2025 British Long Championships and the 2025 Welsh Championships must be returned to enquiries. If you hold one of these and are not going to attend the event please pass the trophy to someone who is attending or contact the Organiser to make alternative arrangements.

Enquiries

Enquiries will be open from 09:00 until 15:00 in the Arena for collecting bibs, returning trophies, collection of hired SI dibbers, complaints/protest forms, merchandise collection/purchase, lost property, colour-coded entries and depositing car keys whilst competitors run.

Entry on the day (EOD) registration will close at 11.30 with last EOD starts at 12.30.

First Aid

First Aid will be located in the arena and an additional point will be located near the warm up area on the hill.

Bibs

Bibs must be worn by all competitors and will be available for collection near Enquiries, ordered alphabetically by surname then forename. Safety Pins will be available nearby too. Please complete the medical information form on the reverse of the bib as this could be vital in the case of emergency. Bibs must not be folded! Please report to Enquiries if you lose/forget your bib at any stage to get a replacement.

You will not be allowed to start without your bib.

Terrain

The terrain showcases the best of South Wales with an extensive hilly area of open limestone terrain. The map features a wide slope covered in shake holes, rocky details and marshy areas, and a plateau with more bare rock, crags and boulders. The terrain is open with low bilberry, heather or grass across much of the area. There are sheep and horses on the area so some of the grass is grazed. Runnability is generally good but there are some stony sections to contend with.

Map details

Drawn to ISOM2017-2 in 2024 by Ben Mitchell. Extended and updated in 2025

Scale:  1:15,000 / 1:10,000/ 1:7500 and Map size A3 or A4 depending on course. 5m contours.

Map Notes

• The special symbol “x” marks an airplane wreckage site.
• Sinkholes: The area contains many sinkholes of varying sizes.
• The pit symbol is used for sinkholes roughly 3–10 m in diameter. Larger sinkholes are drawn to scale with contours. Smaller pits have not been mapped.
• Distinct areas of pits and or knolls where runnability is reduced are shown as broken ground.
• Individual trees have not been mapped, although a few exist in the terrain.
• Open / Rough open land: Yellow shades have been toned down across the map to improve overall readability and contrast.
• Stony areas / boulder fields: Mapped to standard specification — where symbols are close together, the terrain is slow and difficult to cross.
• There will be a small amount of danger tape (yellow and black) used to line some rocky pits, rocky trenches and cliffs on the lower slopes.

The map from Croeso 2024 is here: https://www.croeso.routegadget.co.uk/rg2/#3

Drinks

As this is a World Ranking Event, there will be water available for the elite courses in line with the IOF rules. We will not be able to supply water for other courses given the remote nature of the area.

Junior Courses

There are some taped route sections on Courses 19-21, as well as some smiley faces to encourage competitors along the way and sad faces meaning “turn around”.

These courses have significant climb relative to their lengths.

Starts

All competitors (apart from helpers) will have a Timed Start; no early starts will be permitted.

Parents with split starts will have open (punching start) and EOD entries, these will go through the late start lane. As per Late Starts process.

Officials will run quiet starts. This means they will only provide the necessary information to competitors and competitors are asked to be silent in the area.

Start Locations

There are 2 starts located adjacent to each other. The distance to the starts is 1.0Km and 150m of climb and the route is the same for both starts from the arena to a common ‘Pre-Start’ area. The mountain path is well maintained. The walk to the starts has been timed at 25 minutes for a fit 60-year-old.

The Pre-Start area is close to both starts (Blue: 50m & 10m climb, Red: 125m & 25m climb) and includes a clothing dump as well as warm up maps for Elites (WRE). You will be able to leave clothing and water here for collection on the way back from the Finish. Please take a weatherproof bag to place your clothing in (and label with your name if necessary).

Red Start

This is for courses 1-18.

Blue start

This is for courses 19-21 including colour coded courses.

Start Process

It is the competitors' responsibility to start at their allocated times;

Remember to clear and check (SIAC test also available) when entering the correct lane at the minus 4 box for your course.

• -4 minutes: Call up, SI clear, SI check and SIAC test units
• -3 minutes: SI card check
• -2 minutes: Loose control descriptions
• -1 minute: Stand by the map box for your course
• On long beep pick up your map from the map box, check the course number and follow the taped funnel to the start flag.

Note:

• Competitors who do not follow the taped route to the start flag may be disqualified.
• Competitors on white and yellow colour coded courses are allowed to look at their map prior to the start.
• Competitors on the junior championship courses will not be allowed to look at their maps prior to starting
• No blank maps will be displayed in the start lanes.

Control Descriptions

Control Descriptions will be printed on the map and loose descriptions will be available in the start lanes (-2 minutes).

Late Starts

It is a Timed Start for all competitors including colour coded courses. If you have an open start, or are helping, please see the late start official so you can go through the late start lane and punching start.

It is the competitor’s responsibility to arrive at the Pre-Start area in time for their start. If you arrive late for Call-up and we can catch you up with your allocated start time (within the –4 minutes Pre-Start window) you will be escorted by an official into the appropriate Pre-Start box and continue as normal.

If we cannot catch you up (i.e. your start time has passed > -4 minutes), you must report to the late start lane. An official will identify the next available gap between competitors on your course at a 30 second interval (non-Elites) and a 90 second interval for Elite courses 1, 2, 3, and 6. You will remain in the late start lane and an official will bring your control descriptions and map to you. You will manually punch the start unit and follow the taped funnel to the start flag.

Late starters will be timed from their original start time unless they believe they are late through the fault of the organiser. If you are late to the start and missed your start time and you believe your lateness is the fault of the organiser then please make your case after your run at enquiries.

If you have made your case and it is upheld the start time from the SI start unit will be used as your new start time. If your case is not upheld or no case is submitted your original start time will used to calculate your course completion time.

Finish

There is a single remote SIAC enabled finish for all courses. From here you will return to the arena via the pre-start and clothing drop.

Please note that apart from Courses 1, 2, 3 and 6, maps will not be collected. For fairness, competitors are asked not to show their maps or discuss their courses with anyone yet to begin their race and take your map with you back to the arena and download.

For Courses 1, 2, 3 and 6 maps can be reclaimed from Enquiries after 13:30.

Download

All competitors must visit download after finishing, even if they have not completed their course. This will be in the arena after the walk back from the Finish.

Results

Available online using QR code that will be printed on the splits. Live results might be displayed on a TV screen in the Arena.

Presentations

Prize giving will commence as soon as top positions in each Class are known.  Prizes will be awarded to the top 3 in the WRE classes, British Championship and Welsh Championship classes.

We will present Classes M/W90 to M/W35 first, then M/W10 to M/W16 next, and then finish with the M/W18-M/W21E classes. Please stay to give all podium athletes the support they deserve.

Rob Wood (Chair of British Orienteering) will present the Trophies to the winners of the BOC Championships and James Clemence (Chair of Welsh Orienteering) will present trophies to the Welsh Championships winners.

Key Timings 

Other Information

Accident and Emergency

There will be an emergency first aid post on the hill in the pre-start area.

Complaints, Protests and Appeals

Complaints about a course should be made no more than 15 minutes after the result has been published for the competitor whose result is the subject of the complaint. Complaints and Protests should be made via this link or QR code to a WhatsApp form:

https://wa.me/447870653321?text=Complaint:%0D%0ARequired%20Action:%0D%0AFull%20Name:%0D%0ACompetitor%20or%20Team%20Official:%0D%0AFederation:%0D%0AMobile%20Number:

If unsatisfied with the response to a Complaint, a protest should be made within 15 minutes of receiving the response. This will be considered by the Event Jury, whose decision is final. For M/W21E classes, IOF rules take precedence in case of conflict with British Orienteering Rules.

Jury

The jury for the WRE and the BOC will be:

Julie Cleary, Ronan Cleary, Philip Gristwood and chaired by David Rosen (IOF Event Adviser).

Photography

There will be photographers in the area. If you do not want your photograph published, please speak to the officials at enquiries before you run so that your bib can be marked. If you have concerns regarding inappropriate or intrusive photography, please report it to any event official. No drones allowed.

Dogs

Dogs are only permitted in the car park and arena provided they are under control, on a lead and cleared up after. No dogs are allowed in the competition areas.

Acknowledgements

We are really grateful to our members and those from other clubs who volunteered to help with this event. It is a huge undertaking for a small club and without them we could not have done it. We are proud to have been given the opportunity to host the BOC2026 and to showcase all that Wales has to offer in terms of Orienteering Terrain.

Bannau Brycheiniog – for use of the area, and Craig y Nos country park and their support with transporting equipment onto the hill.

Mr Ashford Price – Dan yr Ogof Cave complex for car parking and facilities.

The Commoners on whose land we are running.

The Western Bannau Brycheiniog Mountain Rescue team for operating the drinks stations for us.