Thorncombe Wood Permanent Orienteering Course
established by Wimborne Orienteers with the permission and support of Dorset Council, May 2019
Part of Hardy's Egdon Heath, here is a beautiful mixed woodland of oak, sweet chestnut and beech. It extends to Black Heath and Rushy Pond to the east and patches of hazel coppice in the south. Numerous swallet holes shape the terrain, and the area is crossed by the Roman Road that once ran from Dorchester to Badbury Rings.
How to get there
Thorncombe Wood is 4 km NE of Dorchester in Higher Bockhampton. It can be approached from the A35 at grid ref SY 725 929 or from the Stinsford Roundabout at SY 708 912.
The car park is close to the Visitor Centre at SY 724 922. There you will find seating, toilets, information and the delightful 'Under the Greenwood Tree' cafe.
Find out more on the Hardy's Birthplace Visitor Centre pages.
The area was surveyed and mapped by Mike Kite (Wimborne Orienteers) in 2019 and updated in 2020.
The permanent course uses fixed markers. You can do it using the Oriento smartphone app or simply with pen or pencil.
We also have UsynligO virtual courses for your smartphone, tracked and timed by GPS!
Orienteering with the fixed markers
Control markers are fixed to wooden structures like gates, posts & benches. They look like this:
At the top is a 2-letter code, like 'MU'.
At the bottom is a black-and-white QR code. You'll need to scan these if you are using the Oriento app. |
Orienteering with the Oriento app... Select your course here and print the course map. Course 1 (1.6 km easy) Course 2 (1.9 km medium) Course 3 (2.2 km medium) Course 4 (2.5 km hard) Install the Oriento app on your phone. It can be downloaded from Google Play or the Apple App Store. Open the app. Find Thorncombe Wood and click on the course you chose. Scan the QR code at the Start, each control, and the Finish. The app will give instant feedback, remind you which control is next, and record your times. |
Orienteering with pen and paper... Download and print Course 1 (1.6 km easy) Course 2 (1.9 km medium) Course 3 (2.2 km medium) Course 4 (2.5 km hard) On the Courses List there are three columns for each course. When you've finished, check the codes you found against the answers to see if you got them right. |