Rodings Rally General Information

Rodings Rally is an all night orienteering-style / map reading competition that was organised by the Epping Forest Outdoor Group and took place annually for 62 years. The last rally organised by the group took place in 2018.

rodings_rally_logoThe Rally followed a route through Epping Forest along a variety of paths, tracks and trackless scrub, including holly. There was a choice of two events where competitors were asked to find either five or ten checkpoints located within the forest. The final checkpoint was situated at High Beach Village Hall.

Routes covered approximately six or twelve miles respectively, 'as the crow flies'! The route was based on a 17" x 12", 1:20,000-scale map, specially prepared for the Rally, which covers all of the area of Epping Forest used on the night;  One map for each team was included in the entry fee and posted to entrants with details of the start location and start time, upon receipt of an entry form and remittance. Extra copies of the map were available at a cost of £1.50, either in advance or on the night.

The entry fee included a £1.00 donation to a charity and hot/cold drinks at a refreshment point along the route and on arrival at the finish. Hot dogs and chocolate bars could be purchased at the refreshment point. Breakfast (including a vegetarian option) was available from 4.30 am at High Beach Village Hall if ordered in advance using the Entry Form.

Teams consisted of 2, 3 or 4 competitors, and no entrants below the age of 16 were allowed to compete unless he/she was is in a team with an adult.

The checkpoints, may have been lit but were more usually unlit, are were usually tents which had to be found in the prescribed order. Their locations were deduced from a clue sheet handed to the team at the start point. Team cards had to be signed by those manning each checkpoint, excepting any unmanned checkpoints.

For more information and the rules of the rally (as per 2018) CLICK HERE

 

The 2018 (62nd) Rodings Rally took place on Saturday 17th/Sunday 18th November and was the last to be organised by the Epping Forest Outdoor Group. 
The Results are available HERE as a downloadable .doc file (about 25Kb), and for a Report on the rally CLICK HERE

 

For results and comments on past rallys, click on the year:

2017, 2016, 2015, 20142013, 2012, 2011, 2010, 2009

The following results and comments are downloadable as .doc files:

2008, 2007, 2006, 2005, 2004

 

A list of all the Rodings Rally trophy winners from 1972 - 2014 is avaliable HERE

 

Mug web2016 was the 60th Anniversary of the Rally. In commemoration of the event we had souvenir mugs for sale. These finely made mugs cost £5 and proved to be very popular.

 

From the point of view of a non-EFOG member who offered to help out manning a checkpoint in 2013 - click here

For another view - from a member who spent the night in a checkpoint in 2010 - click here

For a light-hearted look at at what's involved - from the viewpoint of an EFOG member who helped present the 2009 rally - click here

and comments from the Rayleigh Rockets - competitor's since 1989 - click here

For a Youtube video that gives something of the flavour - at least of the start!  click here

and for another - start, event, finish - click here