East Lothian Orienteers rise to the challenge at Hartside Hill

Well done to East Lothian Orienteers (ELO) who pulled together to host their first every Scottish Orienteering League event (SOL) at Hartside Hill. The Hartside Hill event was ninth event of the 2025 Scottish Inter Club Championships and as well as the third SOL of 2025.

Not only was it the first SOL that ELO had ever hosted but they also offered us the challenge of fresh terrain in an area mapped for the event. Whilst for some it brought back recollections of Limeriggs, it proved to be as promised a large plantation forest with deep cleughs, varied rides, and an extensive ditch network. For most the errors were of our own making and certainly there were quite a few sticks carried home by those whose hair had provided some protection.

The younger juniors of our membership were to be found being entertained by a string course in the sort of wood that a gruffalo might be found in and the older juniors via the Scottish Junior Orienteering Squads (Scotjos) cake stall ensured that we all have a varied diet by adding prize winning vegetables to their offering of amazing cakes!

Thank you to the efforts of Michael Atkinson who planned and co-organised with Jamie Wilson and the controller Roger Scrutton (Edinburgh Southern Orienteering Club) who together with their supporting volunteers ensured that we all had the opportunity to try some different terrain.

Updated Scottish Orienteering League results can be found here By Age Class or By Course or on the SOL page of the website. It is of course all to play for with the fourth and last SOL event of 2025 being hosted by Interlopers Orienteering Club (INT) in Gullane this weekend.

In terms of the 2025 Scottish Inter Club Championships (SICC), Forth Valley Orienteers are still clinging onto the lead in the Senior Large Club table in front of Interlopers Orienteering Club (Interlopers) and ESOC. As the tenth event of the SICC event is this weekend’s SOL and being hosted by INT can they manage to reclaim some ground against FVO who are hosting the Scottish Score Championships which form the eleventh event of the 2025 SICC? Meanwhile there is a fight between the northern clubs Inverness Orienteering Club (INVOC) and Moravian Orienteering Club (MOR) for fourth position, with MOR currently leading the challenge.

In the Senior Small Club Table, St Andrew’s Orienteering Club of Glasgow (STAG) are holding a small lead over Edinburgh University Orienteering Club (EUOC) with Tayside Orienteering Club (TAY) and Grampian Orienteering Club (GRAMP) chasing behind.

In the Junior Large Club Table, the FVO juniors are fending off the challenge from INVOC and MOR juniors with the location of the next two events favouring the central belt club.

In the Junior Small Club Table, TAY are holding off the challenge of Loch Eck Orienteering Club (ECKO) and GRAMP with Ayrshire Orienteering Club (AYROC) not far off the hunt.

All the results can be found here on the Scottish Inter Club Championship page.