Score beats Storm Boelo round Culbin
The Scottish Score Championships planned in the glorious Culbin were due to be combined with the 6th Scottish Orienteering Urban League (SOUL) event of the 2026 Season on the last weekend in October in what was billed as the Northern Lights Weekend by Moravian Orienteers. However Storm Boelo had other ideas!
With the risks to those travelling to the event the Moravian team reviewed the weather and decided that the Scottish Score Championships should go ahead but the start window would start earlier to everyone to get home before the weather set in. With heavy hearts given that Storm Boelo was forecast to bring over 70mph winds, the Moravian team decided to postpone the SOUL event in Keith and it has been rescheduled for Saturday 14th November with entries early enough to allow those who wish to compete in both the SOUL and the St Andrew’s Orienteering Club of Glasgow (STAG) Tinto Twin and Nox & Dies (Night and Day) Weekend (Entries are open until 9th November for those travelling to Glasgow and 11th November for those wanting to enter Keith via SI Entries).
Storm Boele caused a few of those entered to decide that they did not want to travel to Culbin but also meant that those who had been entered on the Scottish Athletic Relay event could travel to Culbin instead! In the end the event was finished well before the forecast winds decided to arrive and the wind direction meant that until the finish the storm felt quite a distant threat.
The Moravian Orienteers’ team had been able to obtain access to the east end of Culbin where gloriously runnable pine forest combines with technical contour detail and so those entered got to plan their way round the delights of Culbin. Moravian Orienteers’ cake stall had also been upgraded for the event so not only were there delicious treats and hot drinks available but also bacon rolls to fuel the competitors on their way home!
The threatened storm did however mean that the planned prize giving was postponed for another day to allow everyone to get home safely and so by the time the tidying up was taking place the winds were just starting to rise. Luckily the location also meant that most controls could be left and collected when the wind had died down on Monday after the storm. Storm Boelo did cause a little bit of damage and the control collectors had to avoid some fallen debris including the toilets! No harm caused and another successful event.
Thank you to the Moravian Orienteers team of planner Rob Parkinson, organiser Nikki Howard and the controller Iain Shepherd of INVOC (Inverness Orienteering Club) for delivering successful event. Results of the Scottish Score Championships can be found below and trophies and medals will be distributed around clubs shortly.