Orienteering – An
Adventure Sport for All
Experience an adventure – Try orienteering
Orienteering is a sport involving navigation between
control points marked on a unique orienteering map. The challenge is deciding the best route in
the quickest time. It does not matter
how young, old or fit you are, you can run, walk or jog, you decide your own
pace. You are able to start orienteering
at a level which suits you, and progress at your own rate
Orienteering can take
place anywhere from remote forest and countryside to urban parks and school
playgrounds. The most challenging
orienteering takes place in remote areas which have demanding terrain and fewer
paths.
To start, all you need
is a sense of adventure, a pair of trainers or outdoor shoes and outdoor
clothes. At major events and some
regional events it is possible to buy kit from the trade stands. Clubs also sell their club kit. A compass is not a compulsory piece of kit
when starting out.
Orienteering is a great
sport to take up with friends and family, allowing you to share your adventures
afterwards. To get the most out of
orienteering it is recommended that you join your local club.
Orienteering at the
elite level is a highly competitive sport involving intense concentration,
skill and fitness running against the best in the world at international
competitions.
Events
Events usually take
place on a Sunday morning, but may take place mid week in the evenings or even
at night!
Orienteering events range
from local events to major national/international events. If you are new to the sport it is recommended
you try a local or district event first.
At all events you will
be provided with an orienteering map, a dibber (if electronic punching is being
used), a control card (if pin punching is being used) and a control description
sheet. You will need to bring a red pen
for copying your course onto your map from a master map, although increasingly
many clubs are providing maps with the courses already printed on.
There will be many
courses at an event over the same area.
At each control point there will be either a pin punch to mark your
control card or an electronic punch to record you have been to that control
point. The description sheet holds details
of the position of controls on the course and a code for each,
enabling you to be sure you are at the correct place.
DON’T FORGET THE STRING
COURSE – A GREAT STARTING POINT FOR YOUNG CHILDREN
Event Types
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LOCAL |
Hosted by clubs, ideal
for newcomers, offering a limited range of colour coded courses. Airienteers organises local events every
Wednesday evening through the summer. |
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DISTRICT |
Again ideal for
newcomers but also aimed at experienced local orienteers, offering a full range
of colour coded courses. Courses range
from 1km to over 7.5km There is
usually a local event on somewhere in |
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REGIONAL |
Hosted by clubs for
experienced orienteers in their own and adjoining areas. Junior classes are ability based. Senior classes are age based. |
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NATIONAL |
Hosted by regional
associations for experienced orienteers, with all classes age based. There are a series of 6-8 held throughout the
country aimed at providing top quality competition for all age classes. |
|
CHAMPIONSHIP |
Championships are
held each year in |
You can find details of events
from the British Orienteering Federation website or
contact BOF Head Office on 01629 734042.
Click here for details of local events coming up.
Local and District Events
These events use colour
coded courses. The colour coding of
courses is related to ability providing a suitable entry point to orienteering
and progression for all ages and abilities.
When arriving at an event, simply visit the enquiries desk (or car, or tent),
as entries are taken on the day, and mention that you are new to the sport.
Local and District are
the most common types of orienteering events in
Choosing a Local and District Event
A youngster would be
expected to start on either the White or Yellow course, whilst and adult novice
would begin with wither the Yellow or
Colour Coded Courses
Graded according to
Technical Difficulty with (TD1) = very easy, (TD5) = very difficult.
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White (TD1), very easy all on paths, mostly used by 6-10
year olds and family groups. Length of course:
1.0-1.5km |
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Yellow (TD2), Uses simple linear features (paths, walls, streams,
etc.) mainly under 12’s and families. Length of course:
1.5-2.5km |
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Orange (TD3), Progressing
to basic use of the compass and route choice, ideal for novice orienteers. Length of course:
2.5-3.5km |
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Red (TD3), Similar technically to an Length of course:
3.5-7.5km |
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Light Green (TD4),
The technical ability requirements begin to increase, crossing terrain using
simple contours and ‘point’ features.
Ideal for improvers. Length of course: 2.5-3.5km |
|
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Green (TD5), Technically
difficult using contour features, ‘point’ features. Used mostly by experienced under 18’s and
adults wanting a short but challenging course. Length of course: 3.5km-5.0km |
|
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Blue (TD5),
Technically difficult but a longer and a more physically demanding course in
comparison to Green. The distances are
more varied between controls. Length of course 5.0-7.5km |
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Brown (TD5),
Physically demanding and technically difficult. For experienced adults only. Length of course:
7.5-10.0km |
|
Regional Events Regional events are known as Badge
events These events usually provide a map already printed with your course
and you pick this up before you start.
It is necessary to enter a regional event 3-4 weeks in advance, although
there may be some limited entries on the day, subject to a surcharge. There are often colour coded courses held
at these events and these can be entered on the day. During the summer there are several
multi-day regional events held over a weekend or through the week in some of
the most scenic parts of the country.
These events often provide campsites and social activities, forming
the basis of a family holiday for many orienteers, such as the Jan Kjellstrom International Festival of Orienteering which
is held over the Easter weekend. National and Championship Events Championship events require pre-entry
usually 4-6 weeks beforehand. These
events are only available to British Orienteering Federation (BOF) members
but like regional events there are often a limited range of colour coded
courses available for newcomers to enter on the day. Championships include the British
Championships, British Elite Championships, British Night Championships,
British Trail O Championships and British Sprint Orienteering Championships. Incentives The British Orienteering Federations
National Badge scheme awards badges on the basis of performance at regional,
national and championship events.
Badges are graded Championship, Gold, Silver and Bronze. The Ranking System is a fully automated
method of calculating ranking points based on the results where age classes
apply. All members aged 18+ are
eligible for inclusion in the Ranking List and will normally be included automatically after competing successfully at
a qualifying event. Points are
allocated at each event you compete in and your total points
in a class is the aggregate from your best six events. |
Age
classes To determine your age class: It is based on your
age on 31 December of the year of the event. |
|
Your age Your
age class 10 and under M/W 10 12 and under M/W 12 14 and under M/W 14 16 and under M/W 16 18 and under M/W 18 20 and under M/W 20 any age M/W 21 35 and over M/W 35 40 and over M/W 40 45 and over M/W 45 50 and over M/W 50 55 and over M/W 55 60 and over M/W 60 65 and over M/W 65 70 and over M/W 70 |
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Ability
classes (junior
only) |
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Classes Distance
(km) JM1, JW1 1.30-1.70 JM2, JW2 1.70-2.30 JM3, JW3 2.20-3.00 JM4, JW4 2.60-4.00 JM5S, JW5S 3.20-4.80 JM5M, JW5M 4.40-6.60 JM5L, JW5L 6.00-9.00 e.g. – JM5L = Junior
Male Level 5 Long (long – length
of course) |
Orienteering Maps
Orienteering maps are
drawn to a large scale, most commonly 1:10,000 (1cm = 100m) or 1:15,000 (1cm = 150m),
and use an internationally agreed set of symbols. These are logical and easy to learn, and you
will absorb much of the information simply by attending your first few
events. Most orienteering maps provide a
detailed legend (or key).
Orienteering maps are
drawn using magnetic north rather than ‘grid’ or ‘true’ north, and are printed
in up to 5 standard colours.
The colour is an
integral part of the symbol.
BLACK is
used for most man-made features and rock features such as cliffs, crags and boulders.
BROWN is used to show landform, including contour lines, gullies, pits and
knolls (small hills).
BLUE is used for water features such as lakes, ponds and
streams.
GREEN is used to depict the density of woodland and the extent to which it
impedes progress. Open ‘runnable’ woodland is left white; progressively darker
shades of green mean increasing density, ranging from ‘slow run’ through
‘difficult’ (or walk) to ‘impenetrable’ (or fight).
YELLOW is used for un-wooded areas, a solid yellow for grassy spaces such as
playing fields, a paler yellow for rougher terrain
(‘rough open’) such as heather.
Combinations of yellow
and green show other types of terrain.
These will be explained in the legend.
REMEMBER
Please remember that
whether you visit all the controls or not, you must always report to the finish
(or download at an event using electronic punching). This is the golden rule of orienteering,
preventing unnecessary searching for ‘missing’ competitors. Your co-operation will be appreciated.
String Courses
These are available at
most events. The courses are marked from
control point to control point with a single piece of string. This is an ideal introductory orienteering
activity for very young children to get started.
Permanent Orienteering Courses
These are fixed courses
available throughout
Other disciplines of Orienteering
Train Orienteering – These events can be enjoyed by all, including those
with disabilities. It does not demand
speed, strength or navigation but retains the crucial orienteering skill of
relating map to the ground in complex terrain.
For further information about this discipline, contact the BOF office.
Mountain Bike Orienteering – These events use the traditional orienteering maps
and are usually held within forests containing a good network of tracks and
paths, providing a variety of route choices.
Enjoyed by enthusiasts from both orienteering and cycling backgrounds!
The
British Orienteering Federation (BOF) Head Office details:
Address: Riversdale,
Phone: 01629 734042
Fax: 01629 733769
Email: bof@britishorienteering.org.uk
Website: www.britishorienteering.org.uk
BOF can provide fixtures lists, club
contacts, orienteering books/publications and information on all aspects of the
sport.
Acknowledgement: text
based on “Orienteering: An Adventure Sport for All”, published by the British
Orienteering Federation