Night Orienteering Season is here!
Look out your headtorch as night orienteering season is upon us! As the nights draw in, many of us orienteers are embracing the dark to do some night orienteering. Night orienteering is a great way to improve your navigation skills and get out of the house on a mid-week evening.
Although it may seem daunting, night orienteering can be great fun! There is a great sense of adventure and thrill when navigating through the darkness. It feels very rewarding to get out on evenings you may have struggled to leave the house otherwise. Night orienteering is a great way to improve your navigation as the darkness forces you to hone in on skills you may avoid using during the day.
Many Scottish clubs do regular night orienteering throughout the winter including:
- The Deeside Night Cup (GRAMP, MAROC)
- The North Night Cup (INVOC, BASOC, MOR)
- Fight with the Night (EUOC)
- Winterlopes (Edinburgh clubs)
- Dark Parks (STAG)
- FVO
- Solway
If you’re still unsure, last year we spoke to some keen night orienteers who shared with us what they enjoy about night orienteering:
Sue Barrie – MAROC
“I used to think the woods were somewhere you just didn’t go at night. Far too scary! The first time I tried night orienteering my only objective was to find a control – any control – and get back to the car alive. Ten years on and I regularly finish whole courses! I’ve realised that the woods are not frightening in the dark, but rather a calming place of shelter, and a fantastic antidote to a stressful day. It’s also slightly bonkers which I love. Both my navigation and my confidence have improved. I can’t recommend it highly enough.”
Rob Parkinson – MOR
“It takes a certain mindset to enjoy night orienteering. So why do I do it? Because it’s fun! It gets you out when otherwise sitting by the log burning stove would be a much too comfortable way to spend the evening. Night events often use compact, technical areas that are too small to host a daytime event. I feel that the discipline to run at a steady pace over the terrain, ticking off the paths and other features, and using the compass all help to improve my orienteering technique. Relocation is a particular skill that every competent night orienteer will have mastered. Wrapping up warm, with a windproof layer, hat and gloves allows you to enjoy a very different navigational challenge when you can only see a small part of the area lit up by your head torch.”
Alison Cunningham – FVO
“Previous experience at night has left me quite nervous of entering these events – the fear of getting hopelessly lost or of my headtorch failing. Carrying a spare torch has alleviated some of the ‘fear’ and staying positive about keeping in touch with the map at all times helps too.
The Scottish nights was a great precursor to the British as the area was going to be less technical and easier to relocate in. Also a chance to try out my new headtorch. All went well and it was possible to run well and keep in touch with the map. A good confidence boost for the British nights. However the entry blurb for the British put the fear into me as the technicality suggested that relocation would be nigh on impossible. This wasn’t the case as the map was brilliant and there were enough line features to keep you right. I ran cautiously but had a great event which I thoroughly enjoyed. I’m glad that the pre event information did not put me off entering.
My torch is a silva 500 lumens, certainly not the most powerful or most expensive torch out there but I never struggled to read the map or see the terrain – a good compromise!
I was delighted to win my age class at both events.”
John Heaton – FVO (and BNOC 2025 organiser)
“My personal take on night-o: I’ve never been a fan of the dark winter months, it’s consistently been a harbinger of low energy and moods for me. Then I discovered night-o whilst in my 40s! It’s been a revelation, a fortnightly blast in the woods in the dark provides a great adrenaline rush, sense of adventure and achievement. FVO’s usual format is to have a mass start at our fortnightly events, which creates a very different feel to the event. But one of the most significant things for me is that it has changed my view of the dark months – there is now a quality to them that the long summer evenings cannot offer, something to look forward to. I no longer dread the winter months but wait with anticipation for the challenge and excitement that they uniquely offer. “
This year the Scottish Night Championships take place on the 14th February at Muir of Dinnet. The British Night Championships take place at Egypt and Hangings Woods close to Slough on the 7th February.
Remember to dress warm and embrace the darkness! Happy night orienteering season!!