Wharncliffe

Having played host to several British Championships and other major events over the years - including the JK Long back in 1978 - Wharncliffe has proven itself as a rock-hard area, ideal for this year's JK Long.

The boulders strewn on the slopes beneath Wharncliffe's gritstone edges and the areas of intricately contoured former mine workings both demand careful fine navigation, testing even the strongest of competitors! Atop the crags is an expanse of open moorland, and further east the area also includes Wheata Woods with its abundance of thickets, completing the mosaic of different terrain types in Wharncliffe.

I always felt like orienteering on Wharncliffe was a true test of how good an all-round orienteer you are, as it tests every technical and physical skill you need, and nothing comes easily. I kept coming back for more and more training here when I lived in Sheffield, hoping that perhaps next time I would finally conquer it.

Matt Crane

Location & Travel

Less than 10 km northwest of Sheffield City Centre, Wharncliffe spans the east side of the River Don's valley between Oughtibridge and Deepcar.

Parking will be in the same location as Day 2, on hard standing in the Winston and Thorncliffe Business Parks. Competitors will then be bussed a short distance to the Arena which is on the SE side of the area, with buses leaving every 10 mins. We hope to offer some Priority Parking adjacent to the Arena.

Chapeltown is just 12 mins from Sheffield by train, and it is a 1.5 km walk from the train station to where the event buses will be departing from. Alternatively, a variety of public bus services are available, but these will require walking approximately 2 km to the Arena from either Grenoside or Burncross.

Previous Map

Wharncliffe was last used for a National event in 2022. Courses from this event can be seen on the SYO Routegadget.

Officials

Planners - Charlie Adams & Oli Johnson (SYO)

Controller - Andy Yeates (WCH)

Assistant Controller - Jonathan Emberton (EPOC)

Organisers - Paul Bradbury & Steve Dempsey (SYO)