Covering soft ground
Photo courtesy of Rob Lines, South Downs Orienteers.
The challenge
When Mole Valley Orienteering Club approached us about ground protection mats at the Holmbush Estate near Horsham for the British Middle Distance Championships event in mid-March, we were happy to help.
We met their mapper, Mike Elliot, on site to determine the right ground protection mat and layout on the landowner’s grassed field to prevent damage.
Mike needed to provide a temporary, anti-slip road for around 500 cars to park on one of the estate’s fields and avoid cars and campervans from getting bogged-into what had been described as ‘very puddingy’ ground.
In addition, with the Holmbush Estate being situated adjacent to the busy A264, the challenge was to safely get all 500 cars and campervans off the main road without causing any unnecessary danger or delays that could have potentially backed up onto the road.
Similarly, the organisers took this very responsible approach to prevent any mud being dragged out onto the highway when cars and vans departed.
Whilst the 800 or so competitors were used to tackling various terrains and mud, the estate manager really didn’t want to spend an afternoon dragging embarrassed drivers out.
The sheep that often graze there – in an adjacent field for the day – wouldn’t have been too impressed either with a ploughed-up pasture.
The solution
In a day, two of our operatives laid and secured in place a 260 linear metre track of Zigmats, perpendicularly to provide a 2.5 metre-wide temporary road, that you could actually have got a bus down.
After the successful event – and no drivers getting stuck – the two returned to uplift and remove the temporary track, returning the field to its original condition and ensuring a happy estate manager.
Photos courtesy of Will Rudling and Conner Cole.
Here to help
If you’re hosting an orienteering, cross-country, triathlon, ultra, half-marathon, Parkrun or cycling event, call us on 01273 493300.
We can create temporary roads to instantly turn grassed or unmade ground into instant temporary roads or car parks, whilst protecting what’s underneath as well as the surrounding area, so that everyone can safely enjoy the event.