News

Recent developments

Amberswood

Posted On 23 Feb 2016
By Dave McCann
In

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Course Status
Last checked November 2024. Everything OK.
NB. A new road is to be constructed along the North edge of the map, sometime in the future, which should only affect post L. However, Post R has been hit by a contractors vehicle, and new shallow ditches have been dug adjacent to posts M and I.

Orienteering map details
A4 Landscape, Scale 1:7500. Last updated April 2023.

Start/Finish
The Start/Finish is at a path junction about 600m from the small car park on the A577, along the disused railway.

Map detail showing car park on the A577 and straight walk in to the Start/Finish.

Amberswood Start/Finish post

How to get a map
Amberswood waterproof print£1.25
Amberswood waterproof print quantity
Amberswood PDF£1.25
Amberswood PDF quantity
Or buy any map from Get a Map

Park Facilities
K Car Park

Directions
South side of Wigan Road (A577), 0.5km west of Hindley at dismantled railway crossing.
OS Grid Reference: SD611046. Post Code: WN2 3BU
Public transport options

Other useful information
Park Contact: Groundwork Lancashire West and Wigan, 74-80 Hallgate, Wigan WN1 1HP, tel: 01942 821 444
Wigan Council web site for Amberswood
Friends of Amberswood web site

Course Maintenance
Maintained by GMOA.
Postwatchers, please click here to submit your report.

Wigan

Page last updated by John Britton on Wednesday, November 13, 2024 pm30 20:56 PM

Photo: from www.getactivewiganandleigh.co.uk

Amberswood is a large area of open, wooded and wet land reclaimed from coal mining, with a good size central lake, and orienteering courses suitable for beginners.

Note that ... Amberswood is a Site of Biological Importance (surveyed by the Greater Manchester Ecology Unit) for great crested newts, toads, frogs, and palmate/smooth newts. Amphibians may be present in numbers on paths between the months of June to the end of August each year as they migrate to and from ponds, and are best left undisturbed.

Courses available (see Course Colours)
W
White is the easiest level of course, suitable for young beginners. Controls are fairly close together, and usually at path junctions, or junctions of paths and streams or walls; distance is typically 1-1.5km; the best route should be obvious, along paths, and require very few decisions.

Y
Yellow is slightly longer and harder than White. Controls may be further apart, and are placed at junctions or obvious features; distance is typically 1-2.5km; the best route should be relatively obvious, but not necessarily along paths.

O
Orange courses are of medium difficulty and distance, suitable for adult beginners - controls may be 50m from paths, and reading map detail such as contours may be necessary; distance is typically 2-3.5km; you may have several choices of route - some of which may be across terrain rather than along paths.

R
Red, or Long Orange, is the same intermediate standard as Orange, but is longer - typically 3.5-6km.

Ch
Wheelchair courses are typically White courses where the path surfaces are suitable for wheelchairs; controls are visible from the paths; lengths are typically 1-1.5km.

S
Score courses are where you visit as many controls as you can, in any order you choose, usually within some kind of time limit - or see who can visit all the controls in the shortest time.

The Start is 600m from the car park, which will add 1.2km to all the course distances.

The White course (1.6km, 7 controls) is suitable for wheelchairs, and is a little more than a lap of the central lake.

The Yellow course (2.6km, 10 controls) includes more open land and woods.

The Orange course (3.5km, 10 controls) is a similar loop to the Yellow course, but the opposite way round, and with several off-path controls.

The Red course (5km, 14 controls) goes further into the SW and NW corners.

Course Status
Last checked November 2024. Everything OK.
NB. A new road is to be constructed along the North edge of the map, sometime in the future, which should only affect post L. However, Post R has been hit by a contractors vehicle, and new shallow ditches have been dug adjacent to posts M and I.

Orienteering map details
A4 Landscape, Scale 1:7500. Last updated April 2023.

Start/Finish
The Start/Finish is at a path junction about 600m from the small car park on the A577, along the disused railway.
Map detail showing car park on the A577 and straight walk in to the Start/Finish.

Amberswood Start/Finish post

How to get a map
Amberswood waterproof print£1.25
Amberswood waterproof print quantity
Amberswood PDF£1.25
Amberswood PDF quantity
Or buy any map from Get a Map

Park Facilities
K Car Park

Directions
South side of Wigan Road (A577), 0.5km west of Hindley at dismantled railway crossing.
OS Grid Reference: SD611046. Post Code: WN2 3BU
Public transport options

Other useful information
Park Contact: Groundwork Lancashire West and Wigan, 74-80 Hallgate, Wigan WN1 1HP, tel: 01942 821 444
Wigan Council web site for Amberswood
Friends of Amberswood web site

Course Maintenance
Maintained by GMOA.
Postwatchers, please click here to submit your report.

About us

GMOA is a volunteer organisation which creates and looks after Permanent Orienteering Courses in and around Greater Manchester. Its members come from the two active Orienteering Clubs which cover the area - MDOC (South Manchester) and SELOC (North Manchester).

Address

Email: enquiries@gmoa.org.uk
Phone: 0161 426 0301
Post: GMOA,
28 Turncliff Cres,
Marple,
Stockport,
SK6 6JP

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