Virtual Orienteering on Langdon Hill & Golden Cap
Langdon Hill is a National Trust gem 6 km from Bridport just west of the village of Chideock. The car park at SY 412 930 is approached from a minor road off the A35 at SY 412 934. The trees covering the hill are a lovely mix of larch, pine & beech, and the wood is a sea of bluebells in late spring.
At 191m above sea-level, Golden Cap is the highest point on the south coast of England. Its name comes from the golden yellow Greensand covering the summit. There are glorious views from the top along the Jurassic Coast and inland but keep well clear of the cliff edge. To the west you can see Charmouth, Lyme Regis and the southward sweep of the Devon coast; to the east are Seatown, West Bay and the Chesil Beach curving around to Portland. In summer, the ground is carpeted with thrift, sea campion, tormentil and heather - you may even catch the sound of gorse popping!
Walkers can also can reach Golden Cap by climbing the South West Coast Path from Seatown, 1.5km east, or from Stonebarrow Hill, 2.5km west.
The area was surveyed and mapped by Mike Kite (Wimborne Orienteers) in 2013-14. Partial updates in 2020.
GPS orienteering with the UsynligO app
Two courses are published on the UsynligO website (Norwegian: "oo-seen-lee-o" meaning "invisible orienteering"). The All events tab shows a map of what's available.
Find Langdon Hill & Golden Cap and click your preferred course to download a printable pdf map. Alternatively, download your map below. You can also view the map on your phone screen while you're doing the course. It's up to you.
You need to install the UsynligO app on your phone. It can be downloaded from Google Play or the Apple App Store.
The app uses your smartphone GPS. A how-to guide is here. In brief:
- Register and Login
- Tap UsynligO Events
- Find the event location
- Select the course you
want to do
Yellow is a fairly easy 2.1 km path walk or run around Langdon Hill.
Orange is 3.3 km, taking you up and around Golden Cap. It's mostly straightforward but some route decisions are needed. Keep clear of cliff edges and do not attempt the Orange course in poor weather.
After loading your course, tap the cog wheel top right. A default 'control radius' of 15m is fine in open terrain but GPS signals under trees can be patchy. 20m would be wise, or 25m if unsure of your phone's GPS accuracy.
The app gives lots of audio cues: countdown bleeps to start, a tune when you find each control, a different tune if it's the wrong control, and a fanfare to celebrate the finish! With a 15m plus radius, controls often register on approach.
In case of comments or queries, email Mike Kite mike.kite@hotmail.co.uk
Feedback is also useful, especially if using UsynligO which is a fairly new app to UK orienteering.
Background photo: Looking east from the trig point at the summit of Golden Cap