Stonebarrow Hill
Permanent Orienteering Course
established by the National Trust and Wimborne Orienteers, July 2015
Location
Stonebarrow Hill is 1km east of Charmouth on the National Trust Golden Cap Estate. It is a stunning stretch of the Jurassic Coast dropping down to the long distance South West Coast Path. There are magnificent views east to Golden Cap (the highest point on the south coast) and, on a clear day, to Portland.
Directions
From Bridport take the A35 west towards Honiton. From Axminster take the A35 east towards Bridport.
Turn off for Charmouth from the dual carriageway at grid ref SY 375 937.
Continue 500m. Where the road bends right, turn sharp left into Stonebarrow Lane.
Follow the single lane road uphill. Be aware it's steep and winding with occasional passing places.
Facilities
There is ample parking before or after the Old Radar Station, grid ref SY 383 933. Toilets are available in the NT enclosure when it is open.
Map
The area was mapped by Mike Kite (WIM) in 2015 using Ocad. It was selectively updated 2021-2023.
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 (pale yellow) is generally runnable although some areas are covered by heavy bracken in summer.
Parts that are tough going underfoot are shown as undergrowth.
Vegetation boundaries are often well defined.
Keep away from cliff edges bordering the SW side of the map.
The Start/Finish is shown as a red triangle with circle. The controls are numbered circles.
Courses using the fixed markers
The Wildflower Trail is 2.1 km straight line length with 75m of climb. It visits 12 controls which take you along the ridge, then down to the meadows and back up to the top.
The red-and-white control markers are fixed to existing wooden structures - gates, posts etc. The challenge is to find the markers and write down their 2-letter codes. Then check your answers.
There is also a Score Course. The challenge is to find as many of 20 controls as you can in any order you like. Then check your answers. If you set yourself a time limit, we suggest 45 mins or 1 hour at a brisk pace. Otherwise, just amble and enjoy the search!
Virtual courses using the UsynligO app
These courses are on the UsynligO website. They use your smartphone GPS so you don't need the fixed markers.
First, install the UsynligO app on your phone. It can be downloaded from Google Play or the Apple App Store. A how-to-use guide is here. In brief, you need to:
- Register and Login
- Tap UsynligO Events
- Find the event location
- Select either Stonebarrow (shorter courses) or Stonebarrow & Chardown (longer courses)
- Select the course you
want to do
Then tap the cog wheel top right. The default 'control radius' is 15m which should be fine in open terrain. However, GPS signals are sometimes patchy so you may prefer 20m or 25m.
The app gives lots of audio cues: countdown bleeps to start, a tune when you find each control, a different tune if it's the wrong one, and a fanfare to celebrate the finish! The tune often plays as you approach each control.
Before setting off, you'll find it helpful to download maps of the courses you intend to run and print them on A4. Alternatively, you can view the map on your phone screen. It's up to you.
Course lengths are given as straight-line distances. Your actual route may be 20-30% longer.
Short courses on a 1:5000 map
Yellow course is quite easy. It is about 1.8 km long and has 10 controls.
Orange is 2.7 km with 15 controls. It's fairly straightforward but some route choices are needed.
Light Green is a harder 3.1 km course with 16 controls. It requires sound map-reading skills.
The Score course has 25 controls. There is no set route: you choose to visit as many as you can in any order in 45 minutes.
Yellow, Orange, Light Green and Score are also available on MapRun .
Longer courses on a 1:7500 map
Long Orange is a fairly straightforward 3.2 km. It includes a gradual descent to the South West Coast Path and a long 100m climb back to the ridge.
Green travels east to Chardown Hill, then down to the coast path and back to Stonebarrow. It is 4.3 km, physically and technically harder. You should be a fit and confident navigator.
In case of comments or queries, email Mike Kite mike.kite@hotmail.co.uk
Wimborne Orienteers thanks The National Trust for permission to map this part of the Golden Cap Estate and for their active support of orienteering in West Dorset.
Background photograph: Langdon Hill and Golden Cap viewed from Stonebarrow Hill