Highland
Cross 2018 - Participants' bulletin No 4 - 21 June - Weather and ground
conditions
There has been rain and reportedly some snow on the tops above
Affric this week and there is a cold edge to the wind.
Although there is little rain in the forecast, burns will be
higher than usual due to water draining off the hill - take care
at crossings and use all bridges available especially at
crossing before the Youth Hostel.
Please choose your clothing for the Cross to take account of the
forecast.
Remember that you ARE EXPECTED to carry the minimum of safety
equipment stated in the brochure and in the bulletins:
1. A whistle to summon help – 6 blasts of the whistle repeated
at one minute intervals
2. A weather protective suit
3. A small amount of high energy food
All further information on the Cross will be posted on the event
Facebook page at
https://www.facebook.com/thehighlandcross
_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Highland
Cross 2018 - Participants' Bulletin No 3 - June
Welcome to
the last pre-event Highland Cross 2018 bulletin!
There are no further bulletins
planned for before the 23rd. Please watch the event
website and Facebook page for any last minute information.
SUBSTITUTION IS NOW CLOSED
Safety Warnings
Foot Section
Caution - Foot Section immediately before Athnamulloch
Following a thunderstorm in upper Glen Affric the track leading
to the bridge over the Affric towards Athnamulloch was
devastated. The damage is at approximately Grid Reference 132
206 on OS 1:50 000 Sheet 25.
An emergency repair has been undertaken to render the track
passable to 4 x 4 vehicles.
Participants must exercise caution whilst descending towards
Strawberry Cottage and the bridge over the Affric as the track
will be soft and uneven.
Cycle Section
Chisholm’s Bridge to Fasnakyle Power Station
This
section of the route has been subject to heavy wear and tear
from use and severe weather. Considerable patching to the road
surface has been undertaken to improve the road condition.
However this section must be ridden with considerable caution
Road Conditions – Junction between the Strathglass road (A 831)
and the road to Beauly (A 862) at Lovat Bridge
During a
route survey it was identified that there are extremely rough
road surface conditions at the bend where you leave the
Strathglass road and join the Inverness to Beauly road for the
last mile into Beauly.
Highland
Council has indicated that it will be patching in this area but
they do not anticipate any great improvement being achievable
before 23rd June.
Participants must anticipate this area and ride with appropriate
caution. Remember the road at this stage is open to normal
traffic and vehicles may be coming towards you on the uphill
carriageway.
The bend
is at Grid Reference 514 449 on OS Sheet 26
Proper Preparation Prevents Poor
Performance…
Into the final countdown
Bike loading
in Inverness starts at 17.00hrs and ends at 21.00hrs sharp on
the evening of Friday 22nd June!
At Inverness
do not attempt to leave a bike before the official time. Your
bike will not be registered into our keeping and may be left
behind when the lorries depart.
Do not lean
bikes against the fire engines! This causes justifiable
annoyance to our generous hosts!
Do not over
wrap bikes
Labelling
YOU are
responsible for providing waterproof labels for your bike and
luggage.
Your number
should be written or typed on the label so there is no doubt as
to its meaning.
For example
“611” if read upside down could be “119” therefore write your
number with an underline under it – like this 611 - to
show which way up you intend it to be read.
Make sure
that you have YOUR number on your bike and bags on waterproof
labels/tags.
Do not attach
luggage or helmets to your bike – put everything in a weather
proof bag clearly marked with your number. Put a label with your
Name and number inside every bag as backup.
Beauly bike
loading starts 06.15. Please do not abandon a bike in the Square
and get on a bus or it may be left behind – make sure that the
marshals register it.
Bus Transport
We order the
correct number of buses according to the bookings that YOU
have made.
The last thing
that we want is not having enough bus capacity in the right
place at the right time to get everybody round to the right
start time!
Your bicycle
Please ensure
that you have a fully functioning cycle and have the spares and
tools that YOU can use to make necessary repairs or to deal with
a puncture at any point on the cycle section.
Highland
Bikes will be at the Friday evening bike loading to sell spares.
Surplus gear at the Start for
transfer to Beauly
There will be a
bag van at the Start to take your surplus gear through to
Beauly. Any gear that you want transferred must be in a bag
marked with your unique participant’s number with a name and
number label inside as backup. The Baggage Pound in Beauly is
in the open air and the surplus kit should be in a waterproof
bag.
Your change-over gear – protect it
in a waterproof bag
Gear being
sent to the Quarry with your bike must be packed in a waterproof
bag – we suggest that you use a dry-bag. If not make sure that
you have used waterproof liners inside your gear bag.
Gear going to
the quarry including your cycle helmet and any cycle computers
must NOT be attached to your bike and must be in a separate bag
which will go in a bag van to the Quarry.
Make sure
that all your baggage has a waterproof label with your unique
event number attached to it and another label with your name
and number inside it as a backup.
Getting your gear from the
Changeover to Beauly
In the
Changeover you must pack your bag and pass it to the bag van
marshals if you want it taken to the Finish Baggage Pound in
Beauly. It must have your number on it and on a label inside it.
Making it happen safely
We have constructed a Safety Net to
support you along the route but the most important person in the
safety Net is YOU!
DO NOT CARRY AN ILLNESS OR INJURY INTO
THE CROSS!
Carrying an illness or injury into the
Cross guarantees that you will have a poor experience and may
result in serious illness or further injury afflicting you
during the event.
It is also an unreasonable burden on the
Safety Net as these volunteers have to deal with an incident
that should not have happened and they volunteer to deal with
accidents and unexpected illnesses.
We have had the experience of a
participant who returned from holiday with diarrhoea but who was
so committed to the event that they started. Five miles into the
foot section, at a difficult place for us to access, they needed
an evacuation of a different kind! The Medical Marshal had to
get to them by helicopter and then have them airlifted out. If
the helicopter had not reached them they would have needed a
full mountain rescue stretcher carry out to safety.
If you know that you have been unwell or
have an injury please withdraw before the event for your own
safety.
In the
interests of your own safety we expect that all participants
will carry the recommended safety equipment on the day:
1.
A whistle to summon help – 6 blasts of the whistle
repeated at one minute intervals
2.
A weather protective suit
3.
A small amount of high energy food
The
weatherproof suit is vital. If you slow or have an injury it
could make a huge difference to how you feel and your condition
by the time resources get to you.
Cycle safely
Fasnakyle
Brae steep twisting downhill. Emergency vehicles may have to
ascend it to get to a serious incident. Ride it at all times as
though it was two way traffic.
Fasnakyle to
Beauly is open road shared with the public you do not have right
of way. If you have to repair your bike or take a breather try
to use the water stops or at least pull off the road for your
own safety.
Withdrawing –
try to do this at a water stop. There are support vehicles to
get you to Beauly.
Affric to
Fasnakyle and Beauly Toll junction – please note the safety
warning at the start of the bulletin
Final cross
over – be aware of traffic around you and obey the Police
Officer marshalling to cross-over!
Why we make the day happen
Highland
Cross exists to provide a unique crossing of Highland Scotland
and most importantly generate funds for Highland Charities that
seek to improve the medical and social well-being of folk in the
Highlands.
That is why you
have committed to the £500 per team minimum pledge. It is
fantastic to see so much fundraising activity going on through
online pages and we know that teams are holding fundraising
events to boost their contribution. Thank you for that
commitment and please continue it for as long as possible - the
five excellent causes nominated this year need our help.
Whether you
are on your 36th Crossing or you are a Highland Cross
Newcomer we hope that you have a wonderful Crossing and that you
make a great contribution to Highland charities through your
efforts!
_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Highland
Cross 2018 - Participants' Bulletin No 2 - June
Please note that general information
and last minute change details are being regularly posted on
both the Highland Cross website and Facebook page. PLEASE CHECK
THESE REGULARLY!
Road Conditions - Chisholm’s Bridge
to Fasnakyle Power Station
This section of the route has been
subject to heavy wear and tear from use and severe weather.
Considerable patching to the road surface has been undertaken to
improve the road condition.
However this section must be ridden
with considerable caution
Road Conditions – Junction
between the Strathglass road (A 831) and the road to Beauly (A
862) at Lovat Bridge
During a route survey it was
identified that there are extremely rough road surface
conditions at the bend where you leave the Strathglass road and
join the Inverness to Beauly road for the last mile into Beauly.
Highland Council has indicated that
it will be patching in this area but they do not anticipate any
great improvement being achievable before 23rd
June.
Participants must anticipate this
area and ride with appropriate caution. Remember the road at
this stage is open to normal traffic and vehicles may be coming
towards you on the uphill carriageway.
The bend is at Grid Reference 514
449 on OS Sheet 26
Preparation
Food and
Drink
You should now
know what works for you in terms of taking on fuel and drink
during the event. Every individual has different needs in this
respect – we will provide water and Isostar rehydration fluid
along the route. Use these as YOU know your body needs. Take
food that you know that you can tolerate and will give you all
the energy that you require to see you safely through the day.
Making it happen safely
In the
interests of your own safety we expect
that all participants will carry the recommended safety
equipment on the day:
1.
A whistle to summon help – 6 blasts of the whistle
repeated at one minute intervals
2.
A weather protective suit
3.
A small amount of high energy food
The
weatherproof suit is vital. If you have to travel slowly or you
have an injury it could make a huge difference to how you feel
and your condition by the time resources get to you.
Why we make the day happen
Highland
Cross exists to provide a unique crossing of Highland Scotland
and most importantly generate funds for Highland Charities that
seek to improve the medical and social well-being of folk in the
Highlands.
That is why you
have committed to the £500 per team minimum pledge. It is
fantastic to see so much fundraising activity going on through
online pages and we know that teams are holding fundraising
events to boost their contribution. Thank you for that
commitment and please continue it for as long as possible - the
five excellent causes nominated this year need your help.
Page 2 of your
brochure has information on setting up Gift Aid efficient
fundraising pages.
Substitution arrangements
If you need to
withdraw for any reason a substitute entry can be made for a
replacement participant for your team up to the 18th June.
The rules
governing substitution are in your brochure but the substitution
can only take place on the form from the inside back cover of
the brochure.
Access to Morvich – Road Closure
Due to a
defective bridge there is no access to Morvich via the South end
of the Morvich loop road through Allt a’ chruinn hamlet where
the “Jac-o-bite” Restaurant sits. The only access to Morvich is
from the North end of the loop road (at Grid Reference 944 213
on OS 1:50 000 sheet 33).
There will be
increased traffic congestion because of this and participants
are urged not to take cars into the area. The community of
Morvich is hugely supportive of Highland Cross and we ask that
participants repay that support with consideration as to
parking.
Discussions are
underway with the local community to establish a participants’
and supporters’ parking area.
Remember that general information
and last minute change details are being regularly posted on
both the Highland Cross website and Facebook page. PLEASE CHECK
THESE REGULARLY!
_________________________________________________________________________________________________
Highland Cross 2018 -
Participants'
Bulletin No 1 - May
Welcome to the 36th
Highland Cross!
Whether you are a veteran of 30+ Crosses or coming into the
event for the first time you are part of the amazing Community
of Highland Cross that delivers outstanding benefit to Highland
charities.
The Community of Highland Cross – YOU and the folk who make
the day happen
You will take part on the day alongside over 750 folk with the
same goals as you – to cross the Highlands in a day and raise
funds for the five superb causes nominated to be major
beneficiaries from this year’s event. Details of the causes are
in your booklet on pages 10, 11 and 12.
Your crossing is made possible by a wonderful support network of
volunteers, businesses, public bodies and voluntary groups who
come together each year to make the Cross happen. Many of folk
supporting the Cross are past participants or their
organisations have teams taking part as well as supporting.
100 volunteers from the benefitting charities will be working
along the route and representatives from over a dozen charities
that have benefitted from previous Highland Crosses will be
supporting the event with donated vehicles and labour. Details
of the sponsors and supporters are on pages 13 and 14 of the
booklet.
Preparing for the day
Please read the route and safety advice in the booklet – pages 4
and 5 - and on the website. How you prepare for the Cross will
largely determine if you have a memorable or miserable
experience.
Please note the basic emergency equipment that every
participant is expected to carry throughout the day it is
detailed on page 5. Please get used to carrying it in
training.
Fundraising
This is often the hardest part of the Cross! But your efforts
will bring immense benefit to causes that would struggle over
years to raise the sums that one Highland Cross day can
generate. These charities support some of the most vulnerable
folk in our communities. The athletic challenge is admirable but
the prime aim of the Cross is to give the nominated charities a
tremendous boost.
Changes to the regulations for maintaining digital records
From 25 May 2018 we have to change the way that we keep our
information on you. This is because of the General Data
Protection Regulations.
We keep records so that we can communicate with you about the
event and especially as the event nears with updates on route
conditions. We keep records so that we can assign your
fundraising efforts to the correct teams. We need to hold
information so that we can award prizes to the athletically
minded amongst you and to award long service gifts to folk who
complete twenty Crossings.
Our data handlers are professionally involved in the secure
handling of information and we do not share any of our
information with any other event or organisation. We never have
and never will.
As this date approaches we shall be communicating with you
further with regards to your privacy options.
Please ensure that this bulletin is shared with all your team
members – not everybody has given us an e mail address. Every
member of each team must register with us so that we can comply
with the new data regulations.
Facebook
We have opened up our new Facebook page as another way to
communicate with our participants and the Highland Cross
community.
https://www.facebook.com/thehighlandcross/