Le Tour de Forêt - L'Étape Sud Oest

Le Tour de Forêt is a multi-stage MTBO course covering the greater part of the Forests of Dean. There will be 4 initial stages, SW, SE, NE, NW, each consisting of 30 controls on an A4 map printed at 1:25,000. There may be a further set of 4 more extensive stages, but there will definitely be a single final stage taking in the whole of the forest and visiting all of its higher points, as a grand final linear course.

The South West Stage of the Tour is based in Parkend, and extends from Pillowell in the South East, up to Coalway in the North West, and across to Beechenhurst picnic area. It is an MTB Orienteering course with two options; the 'Grande' course is a scatter course consisting of 30 controls, all of which must be visited, in any order, while the 'Petite' course requires you to visit any 15 of the 30 controls. All stages are Start Anywhere stages, meaning that you can start at any control, but must finish at the same one. If riding the Grande course you must visit the designated Start/Finish, but if riding the Petite course you need not include the designated start/finish. Just to be clear, though, on the Petite course, the control at which you start becomes the Start/Finish. You must visit 15 other controls, one of which could be the designated Start/Finish, before returning to the Finish Control.

Of course there is nothing to stop you running it if you prefer. However, bear in mind that the map only shows tracks we are permitted to ride, so doen't show all the path options you have if you choose to run rather than ride.

As a Start Anywhere course you have various options as to where to start and finish. The course overview map shows various Parking options, each suitable for parking a few cars, with a control relatively nearby which can become your start/finish control. The map shows the nearest control(s) for each option, but bear in mind that these are not the only options; you can park, start and finish wherever you like on the course. Some identified parking options have constraints, such as barriers which are closed typically at dusk, but none of those identified requires payment.

Click on the parking icons on the map, and then click the Get Directions icon to find out how to get to any of the idenified locations.

The designated Start and Finish are in Parkend, on the B4234 through the village, by Central Motors garage, where the lane from the cricket ground joins the main road. However, you can start and finsh at any control if you wish, not just the ones adjacent to the suggested parking options, but making sure that you finish at the control at which you started.