When I started orienteering 47 years ago I had no idea of the riches the sport would gift to me. I honestly cannot imagine my life without this wonderful sport of ours. I will be forever grateful to the two sixth form teachers who introduced me to the sport and then further encouraged me. The experiences of places visited, races and events completed, events planned and organised, forests mapped and athletes coached. A motivation to keep fit, the great people I have met, the sense of club community and of course the great fun, have all enriched my life beyond measure.

Having been a member of clubs in four different countries, and orienteered in over thirty, I know that wherever I travel in the world I can find a community of like minded people with whom I can share and enjoy the fun. How do you feel Orienteering has enriched your life? To introduce a newcomer to our sport and encourage them is a wonderful timeless gift to bestow.

Join a panel of experienced planners on Monday 21st November 22 to explore this much debated topic. The evening will start with 3 panelists sharing their views. There will then be time for discussion with the opportunity to work through a practical example sent out before the workshop.

Congratulations to the following juniors who have been selected to be part of the Scottish Junior Orienteering Squad (ScotJOS) for 2022/23.

The ScotJOS team are looking forward to working with the new squad members to support their orienteering development and we hope to have a lot of fun along the way as well as plenty of hard work.    

A big thank you and well done to Forth Valley Orienteers for a fabulous weekend of the Stirling City Race (SOUL 10) and CompassSport Cup & Trophy Final 2022.

With the excitements of the Scottish Junior Team winning the Junior Home Internationals last weekend it would be easy to overlook the effect the Loch Vaa Middle Event and Creag Dubh SOL6 has on the Inter-Club Championship tables. The tables have been updated and it is great to see Glasgow and Stirling Universities making their first entry into the small club division.

It was Scotland’s turn to host the Junior Home Internationals (JHIs) and  juniors from all over the UK and Ireland congregated in Speyside for a weekend of fantastic orienteering. 

This week Scottish Orienteering have been celebrating Scottish Women and Girls in Sport Week. Each day this week we have been sharing all the amazing work Women and Girls do for orienteering on our social media platforms. Today we are looking at the impact of orienteering on Women and Girls.

Today we speak to two women from different orienteering backgrounds to find out what the sport means to them.

We are excited to announce that we have a new sponsor for the Scottish Student Orienteering Championships- Durty Events. Durty Events host ride, swim, run and kayak events. Durty Events are laid back, inclusive and well organised whilst retaining a sense of humour! 

Check out Durty events to see what events they have coming up on their website https://durtyevents.com

It was close but not close enough. Well done to England retaining the overall trophy for the Veteran Home Internationals .

After the individual we were 6 points down but the depth of the English team showed through in the relays. Nonetheless we managed first place on the women Men women combination with a cracking final leg from Kirsten Strain and we took second place on the men women men combination.

It has been an exciting few weeks for the University Orienteering Clubs as the academic year begins. The academic year kicks off with freshers week and each institution hosts a freshers fair for clubs and societies to gain new members. Freshers week provides students the opportunity to find their feet and try out new sports and activities before the grind of the semester begins. This is a fantastic opportunity to engage people in orienteering. 

We currently have four Scottish University Clubs; Aberdeen, Edinburgh, Glasgow and Stirling. This is a particularly exciting time as both Glasgow and Stirling clubs are relaunching for the first time since the pandemic. Lets see what our University Clubs have been up to.