Orienteering competition shows beginners the way

More than 50 participants took part in an competition aimed at introducing adults and children to the sport of orienteering earlier this month.

 

Outdoor adventure company Otter’s Tail, together with Ayrshire Orienteering Club (Ayroc), put on a variety of courses in the Arran Community Land Initiative in Whiting Bay.

 

Many young children shadowed by mums and dads tried orienteering for the first time on the 1.1km yellow course which stuck mostly to paths whilst 14 entrants attempted the off path challenging 3.5 km green course which involved navigating through tall bracken around thick bramble and gorse bushes and over streams and marsh.

 

The event was advertised on the Scottish Orienteering website and 12 entrants came over from the mainland specially for the competition, with some staying a few days to make a holiday of it. The other entrants were holidaymakers who were here already and locals trying out orienteering.

 

After the running there was a well-earned barbecue.  Thanks to the community land for allowing use of the facilities and to the Arran Trust for providing the funding to create the map last year, and lastly special thanks to Davy and Sheelagh Nicol from Ayroc for planning the event.

 

Anyone wishing to try orienteering on the land initiative can do so at anytime by trying one of three permanent courses.  For a digital copy of the map please email elanor@otterstail.co.uk

 

For orienteering further afield, Ayroc is Arran’s local orienteering club and they run two training events a month in Ayrshire and also travel around Britain to national events.  Ayroc is free to join and welcomes new members from Arran, please see www.ayroc.co.uk where full results from the competition can also be found.

 

Andy McNamara

 

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Some of the local participants who took part in the orienteering competition. NO_B28orient01_23_local_participants

 

Competitors taking part in the off path challenge. NO_B28orient02_23_off_path

 

Two youngsters approach the finishing line. NO_B28orient03_23_finishing_line

 

A competitor checks off a waypoint. NO_B28orient04_23_way_point

 

Two of the youngsters taking part get some advice. NO_B28orient05_23_advice_youngsters