It is with great pleasure we welcome you back to another instalment of the Purple Thistle, this time in conjunction with the good people at Ecko. This year we've got a brand new area, an old classic, and a record entry of over 300 people - almost three times what we've had in the past!

Despite the increase in numbers, and the need to try and get this many people to an island that has a population of around 10% our entry, we're still trying to keep this event as barebones as possible.

The barebones concept is all about taking the fuss out of event organisation as much as possible, while still providing an event of the highest quality, with a great atmosphere and enjoyment for all - including the organisers! So whats left for you is all that matters for quality orienteering (maps, courses, controls and electronic punching) and a bunch of likeminded people out to enjoy a weekend away from it all in a beautiful part of the country.

In light of this, the barebones concept stipulates that there can be no complaining throughout the weekend, but hopefully there will be nothing to complain about so this won't be a problem! However, please remember that this event has been put on by a bare minimum of people, a busy planning & organising team who are based across the UK, along with a handful of dedicated people without whom this event wouldn't occur. We won't name names here, but we doff our caps to you, and in advance to anyone else who wants to help us out over the weekend!

Results will be on the website as soon as possible after the event and there will no doubt be a report, photos, route analysis and discussion appearing on Nopesport.com as soon after the event as possible.

We hope you enjoy your weekend on the west coast and have a delightful couple of days orienteering.

General Information:

Organising Club: Team Nopesport with assistance from EckO
Planners/Organisers/Controllers: Stewart Caithness/Andrew Brown
Areas: Kerrera, Oban & Creag Mhic Chailein
Punching: Sport Ident
Website: www.purple-thistle.co.uk
Overview Map: http://bit.ly/PT08_Map

Competitors take part at their own risk!

Event Centre, Camping & Day 1 Registration:

The event centre, camping and Day 1 registration will be at Oban Caravan Park.

Directions:

• Upon reaching Oban, continue in to the centre of town to Argyll Square roundabout. On reaching the roundabout, follow signs to ‘Gallanach’ and continue along the coast road past the ferry terminal to Oban Caravan & Camping Park. Travel time: 5mins

Camping:

• If you have booked a camping spot, when you arrive at the campsite please book in at the reception where you will be directed to the camping field. If you arrive after the reception closes there will be info posted for you to follow. Please return to the reception when it does open in the morning to book in. There is a small shop available at the campsite, with large supermarkets available in Oban. More details on the facilities available can be found here.

Parking:

• We will be extremely tight on parking all weekend, and would recommend that participants try to car share as much as possible.

Day 1: Kerrera

Directions: See above directions to the Camping

Parking:

• Parking is very limited at both the campsite and the ferry. The bulk of what is available will be at Oban Caravan Park - please park as directed.
• Please do not park at the Ferry jetty unless instructed by a marshal or travelling with Elderly Competitors or Young Children - however you must still register at the Campsite

Registration & Download:

• This will be located at the Caravan Park.
  Hired SI cards and tickets for the ferry will be available to pick up here. Extra tickets can be purchased at full price from registration or on the ferry itself on the return journey. After your race you must return to registration to download - this is essential!

Toilets:

• Toilets are available at the campsite only.
  There are no toilets available on the Island at the start/finish.

Start Procedure:

Important: Due to the high number of entries we would encourage people to arrive as early as possible to ensure there are no queues for the start later in the day.

• To the Ferry: From the caravan park, follow the tapes north along the main road to the ferry jetty.
  Distance: 1km, Time: 10mins
• The Ferry:
  The ferry runs on a request basis. To request a ferry, turn the board round so black is showing and wait for the ferry to return to pick you up. You must have your ferry ticket with you for both legs of the journey.
  The ferry can only take a limited number of people so you may have to queue. If the weather is bad, there is no shelter at the jetty so please bring clothes to keep you warm.
  Crossing time: 10mins + potential queuing
• To the Start & Ferrymans Shed:
  From the ferry, follow the tape along the main track to the start.
  You will pass the Ferrymans Shed where there will be a bag drop which you may use. We would encourage you to use this to bring warm clothes, food, water etc as there will be none available.
  Before leaving the Ferrymans Shed you must sign out - this is essential!
  The start/finish will be unmanned and it is a punching start for the Purple Thistle, please leave a sensible gap between you and others on your course, it is no challenge following others!
  The start will be open from 10.30-14.00, Courses Close at 16.00.
  Distance: 1.6km, Time to Start: 20mins

Map & Course Details:

Course	Distance	Controls	Scale	Technical Difficulty
Baby Thistle	2.3km	8	1:10,000	TD2/3
Small Thistle	3.8km	11	1:10,000	TD4
Medium Thistle	6.4km	13	1:10,000	TD5
Big Thistle	9.8km	21	1:10,000	TD5
Mighty Thistle	11.1km	23	1:15,000	TD5

• Brand new map produced by Stirling Surveys in 2008.
• All maps will be printed on waterproof paper.
• Descriptions will be printed on the maps only, there will not be separate descriptions available.

Terrain:

• This Island which overlooks Oban has been mapped especially for the PT and makes its Orienteering debut. If you can stop your head being turned by the stunning views on show, you will enjoy it’s open moorland running with interesting contour detail supported by patches of intricate rock features making for a testing physical and technical challenge that are to be expected from Purple Thistle areas.
• Note: There is a lot of seasonal bracken that is not marked on the map. Courses have been planned to try and avoid the worst affected areas.

Finish - Courses Close at 16.00:

• The finish is on the way to the start. Punch to finish and return to the ferry via the main track following the tapes. Distance: 750m

Important: You must report to the Fishermans Shed to sign back in and then download at registration back at the event centre, even if you have retired/DNS etc. If you do not do this we will assume you are still on the Island!

Results:

• Results will be posted at registration and copies will be brought along to prize-giving. They will also be available online after the weekend along with routegadget on the Purple Thistle website.

Sprint Race: Oban Town Centre

Directions: See map below, park in one of the Car Parks indicated (the one by the Leisure Centre and furthest south are free, the others are Pay & Display) and walk to assembly by the roundabout indicated with the red arrow.

Assembly/Start/Finish/Download:

All located by the roundabout indicated with the red arrow above.

Starts: Queue up from 18:15 - 19:30, 15 second start interval, Stockholm City Cup style!

Course: Thistle Tickler - 2.6km - 12 Controls

Courses close 20:15

Map: 1:5000, 5m Contours, Surveyed by Andy Dale 2007-08

Note: Maps will not be on waterproof paper, and won't be bagged, please bring an A4 map bag if you want to protect it from the elements!

Oban is expected to be very busy this weekend, so please take extreme caution when crossing or running alongside roads, competitors take part at their own risk.

Social & Prizegiving

Weather dependant, but bring a picnic and enjoy the sprint spectacle and we'll try and get the prizegiving for the afternoon race done as soon as possible after the sprint has finished.

Day 2: Creag Mhic Chailein

Directions:

From Oban: Leave the town heading north on the A85 and follow signs to Connel. Continue through Connel on the A85 along the shore. Once the road leaves the shore, continue for a further 500m and turn right onto a narrow track.
Distance: 20km Travel time from Oban Caravan Park: 30mins

From East: Head west on the A85 to Oban. Upon reaching Taynuilt, continue through the village crossing the railway twice. Continue on the A85 until you pass under the railway for a 3rd time, take the next left onto a narrow track.
Distance: 7km Travel time from Taynuilt: 10mins

Important: Due to the high number of entries we would encourage people who are not under pressure to travel long distances after the event to arrive later in order to allow those who do have long journeys to start.

Parking:

• Parking is very limited. What is available will be in and around a farm.
  Please park as directed by the marshal. There is limited hard standing.

Toilets:

• Toilets are available at the farm only. There are no toilets available at the start/finish.

Registration, Sign In/Out & Download:

• This will be located at the Farm. You must visit registration to sign out before going to the start. After your race you must return to registration to download and sign back in. Please return any hired SI cards to registration.

Start Procedure:

• After signing out, follow the tapes from the farm south along the main track in to the forest up to the start.
  It is an unmanned punching start for the Purple Thistle, please leave a gap between others on your course.
  There is no shelter at the Start. If the weather is bad you may wish leave tops at the finish which is on the way to the start.
  The start will be open from 10.00-13.30, Courses Close at 16.00.
  Distance: 1.5km Time to Start: 20mins

Map & Course Details:

Course	Distance	Controls	Scale	Technical Difficulty
Baby Thistle	2.6km	11	1:10,000	TD2/3
Small Thistle	4.4km	11	1:10,000	TD4
Medium Thistle	6.9km	13	1:10,000	TD5
Big Thistle	10.3km	21	1:10,000	TD5
Mighty Thistle	12.4km	24	1:10,000	TD5

• Map surveyed by Stirling Surveys in 2001 & revised 2006.
• All maps will be printed on waterproof paper.
• Descriptions will be printed on the maps only, there will not be separate descriptions available.

Terrain:

• Previously used for The British Championships in 1996 and more recently Scottish O League & FCC Finals in 2006, Creag Mhic Chailein is highly regarded by all who have previously ran there. Mainly a natural woodland forest, interspersed with open areas and marshland, all covered by an abundance of undulating contour detail, benefiting by being relatively unspoilt by man-made features.
• Note: There is a lot of seasonal bracken that is not marked on the map. Courses have been planned to try and avoid the worst affected areas.

Finish:

• The finish is on the way to the start. Punch to finish and return to the farm via the main track following the tapes.

  Important: You must report to Download at registration to sign back in and download, even if you have retired/DNS etc. If you do not do this we will assume you are still in the forest.

Results:

• Results will be posted at registration and copies will be brought along to prize-giving. They will also be available online after the weekend along with routegadget on the Purple Thistle website.

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