How do I start O?

Simply come to an event. Details of forthcoming events are available on this website, or on those of the various clubs.

Orienteering is an outdoor adventure activity, which involves finding your way through unfamiliar terrain using a specially prepared map and your own common sense. It can be compared to a car rally – but on foot! In Orienteering, you are the navigator, driver and the vehicle. You learn to read the map, measure distances, use a compass and find your way in cross-country surroundings.

Orienteering is a thinking activity, requiring both skill and physical ability. Participants leave the starting point at regular intervals and must find their way to various checkpoints (called CONTROLS), set out at various features in the area, and return to the finish, after visiting each control and “punching” a CONTROL CARD or electronic device (EMIT). The competitor with the shortest elapsed time is declared the winner.