Ever wanted to brush up on your route finding skills or learn to navigate safely n the hills? One of the best ways to do this is to learn to orienteer. This sport is fantastic because you can choose to take it as a skill game or an athletic competition, whatever suits.
There are courses for all ages and levels of fitness but usually orienteering takes a lot of organising. Now The Friends of Braidburn Valley Park have installed a permanent orienteering course in the park so you can go along any time. To get the course off and running (pardon the pun) they teamed up with Interlopers Orienteering Club to host an Introduction to Orienteering Event on 11th June between 6.30pm and 8pm.
“Sport and exercise in our local parks and green spaces is really important for making us feel good about ourselves. Orienteering is a great, easy and cheap way to get involved. Braidburn Valley Park’s new permanent orienteering course is for anyone to have a go. A downloadable orienteering map is on our website – www.braidburnvalleypark.org.uk. Come along and have a shot.”
Graeme Ackland of Edinburgh Interlopers Orienteering Club has been orienteering since he was a student at University. He met his wife Jane through orienteering and says his son James enjoys the sport too. James began as a toddler on line courses but now, aged 8, can orienteer confidently alone on simple courses. James is pictured at the opening with British Squad member and British Sprint Champion Scott Fraser of Dalkeith.
Graeme says, “Braidburn Park is an ideal place for children to learn the skills of orienteering. Being mainly open, traffic free, and bounded by fences competitors can be seen from everywhere, yet there is enough greenery to make the navigation challenging. Better still, the map is freely available with markers in place and suggested courses preplanned by leading Scottish orienteers, so it is immediately accessible to any organisation wishing to stage its own event.”
