Following on from the successful WEST Area Scottish Championships weekend, St Andrew’s Orienteering Club of Glasgow (STAG) treated us all to the combination of the Scottish Sprint Championship and the 3rd event of 2026 Scottish Orienteering Urban League calendar based in the classic urban challenge of Cumbernauld.
The Bank Holiday weekend in May saw the West Area Clubs (AYROC, CLYDE, ECKO, FVO, SOLWAY, STAG and Tinto) pull together to deliver the Scottish Championships Individual and Relay Championships with Terry O’Brien BEM (STAG) co-ordinating the weekend. Grandtully in Perthshire provided a stunning arena and access to two distinct terrain types – open sloping runnable birch woodlands and plantation forest. With representation from every club there was chatter, socialising, junior entertainment, plenty of cake to replenish post run and always importantly great planning with seamless organisation!
Read More…The 2026 Scottish Orienteering Individual and Relay Championships are being hosted by the WEST Area clubs – AYROC, CLYDE, ECKO, FVO, SOLWAY, STAG and TINTO – who are combining to deliver these events.
Forth Valley Orienteers provided a weekend of entertainment for our membership combining the Scottish Middle Championships with the CompassSport Cup/Trophy Qualifier. In the first big weekend of forest adventures of the season it was certainly a test for some rusty orienteering skills with plenty of heather, glorious forest and hilly terrain to test participants.
The sunshine did not emerge for the Scottish Middle Championships but the location of the event assembly at Loch Katrine with the Steamboat cafe offering fabulous coffee or food and respite from the intermittent spring dampness and plenty of opportunities to socialise with friends. The download team were also to be found in the ticket booth which provided shelter and even a heater! The event team even managed to secure presentations of the medal and trophies on the Sit Walter Scott steamboat.
Read More…Our time in the Trossachs may have headlined as the Scottish qualifier of the CompassSport Cup/ Trophy but just as importantly it was 2026 Scottish Inter Club Championships . The remit of the Scottish Inter Club Championships is to help clubs foster a feeling of club comradery and member contribution towards the success of a club.
With Christmas fast approaching Three Wise Men* (accompanied by a former SOA Events Manager – Colin Matheson) made an initial site visit to Grandtully, chosen venue for next year’s Scottish Individual and Relay Orienteering Championships. The timing of the visit coincided with a paid pheasant shoot, but fortunately it was determined they would be heading west while we headed south. The area is less green than the last day of Strathearn 2019, and the area around the likely changeover and finish location is delightful.
Read More…The Scottish Inter Club Championships which is held over twelve geographically distributed events over the course of the year allows clubs to compete against each other to see who can gain the most points from their club members performances at events. The Scottish Inter Club Championship consists of two sections, large and small clubs, based on the number of members a club has and these are then split into Senior and Junior sections so there are four awards at the end of the year with two Trophies on offer for the Senior sections and a variety of sweeter prizes for the Junior sections.
In 2025 there were events ranging from the Edinburgh University Orienteering Club (EUOC) Big Weekend in January through to the last event in November in Glasgow, The Tinto Twin Day Race hosted by St Andrew’s (Glasgow) Orienteering Club (STAG). Full details of all the events can be found on the Scottish Inter Club Championships Page.
Read More…Forth Valley Orienteers brought the Scottish Orienteering Championship season to a close in the shadow of the Falkirk Wheel with the Scottish Score Orienteering Championships. Unfortunately autumnal weather meant there was no sun to cast any shadows but they did get the delights of contrasting the feat of 21st century engineering against the roman history of the Antonine Wall while they got wet! They even got the option to use the Roughcastle Tunnel as a route choice which is 180m long and forms part of the canal tow path.
The fourth and last Scottish Orienteering League event of 2025 saw us all off to the East Lothian seaside. Interlopers (INT) had timed the event to avoid the bird nesting season, updated the map and worked hard to engage with the four landowners to make sure control placing/car parking was possible.
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.
