What is it?
The Stonebarrow Permanent Orienteering Course (Stonebarrow POC) consists of two courses on the Golden Cap Estate, established by the National Trust and Wimborne Orienteers. Each route has a series of red-and-white metal markers fixed to wooden structures, such as gates and posts, on the slopes of Stonebarrow Hill and the fields to the south. Each marker has a unique two-letter code.
What's the challenge?
The quest is to find your way around a course using one of the two maps, which you can download and take with you.
- Wildflower Trail - 1.1 miles (1.8km) with 10 control markers
- Score Course - 20 control markers. How many you can find in 1 hour? How long will it take you to find them all?
On the right of each map is an answer grid. When you find a marker, write its two-letter code in the last column. You can chect your codes by downloading the PDF answer sheet.
Understanding the maps
Courses are reversible and can be shortened, as you'll see from the maps. The start and finish, shown by a red triangle, is outside the National Trust Shop. Controls are shown by red circles. Red lines show the shortest route between controls, but finding a good route is your task.
View and download the routes
Safety matters
- If you get lost, head north (uphill) to the road.
- Dense vegetation (dark green) is a variable mixture of gorse, bramble, thorn and bracken.
- Rough open areas are generally crossable though some parts are covered by heavy bracken in summer.
- Keep clear of the cliff edges.
