Linn Park, Netherton Braes, Cathkin Braes, Fernbraes, Castlemilk Park, Croft Park, and King's Park and including
Glasgow South Side Original City Marathon orienteering course
The Original Mountain Marathon (OMM) is a two-day long-distance orienteering event. I thought it would be fun to have a shorter city-based version that's Covid-19 pandemic lockdown compatible. Hence, I present the Glasgow South Side Original City Marathon (OCM)... The map is based on Phase 2 and 4 LiDAR data for Scotland and includes Linn Park, Netherton Braes, Cathkin Braes, Fernbraes, Castlemilk Park, Croft Park, and King's Park as well as some city streets. The area on the border between Linn Park and Netherton Braes has no LiDAR data, so contours are based on the OS map but are not very detailed (entire man-eating gullies missing). Additional data come from the Strava Global Heat map, 1947, 1949, and 1954-64 OS maps, OS aerial data, STAG orienteering maps for Linn Park, Cathkin Braes, and King's Park, Bing Maps, Google Maps, and recces by myself and Rudi Paul.
The map is 1:10,000, 5-m contours (2.5-m form lines), and 300-m grid lines aligned with true north (-1.8 degrees off magnetic north in 2021). The start/finish are at NS 5875 5943, which is next to the Linn Park parking area. The course has 31 control points, is 12.5km as the crow flies, circa 16km using the shortest possible route, and 250 to 300m vertical. Please avoid Linn Park Cemetery. The brown dotted lines in Netherton are 19th century forest rides that are just about visible today... The pits are 18th century coal mining pits 1m to 5m deep. Control #5 on the main forest ride is ~1m deep but pretty obvious once near.
- The course is listed on the SOA website Glasgow South Side Original City Marathon PXAC where the PDF map can be downloaded. The PDF map has four pages (3 map pages and control descriptions) and can be printed full size to keep the 1:10,000 scale.
- The course is on MapRun in the folder UK/Scotland/Glasgow/Glasgow South Side Original City Marathon.
- Glasgow South Side Original City Marathon PXAC map (4/4/21, 6MB).
- The sections marked with a green diagonal cross hatch on white indicate bracken in forest. Green diagonal cross hatch on yellow is open bracken.
- I used x-talons, which are great in the rough terrain but less ideal on the streets (I don't mind).
Cathkin Braes, Linn park
- Maze in Linn park (16/6/21, 4.6 MB)
- Cathkin Braes, long course (6/5/21, 1.4 MB)
Control #25: the remains of Cathcart castle in Linn Park and some graffiti
Control #19: a big old tree
Sun over Kittoch Water (winter 2020)
Netherton Braes on the 1947 OS map (from the National Library of Scotland). I could not see the up/down slope forest rides as there are too many small erosion gulleys but the one along the main spine is just about discernible today.