Forth Valley Orienteers

New to Orienteering

Orienteering is an exciting outdoor adventure sport which involves navigating around a course using a detailed map and a compass.
The aim is to navigate between a set of control points and find the best route to complete the course in the quickest time.
It does not matter how young, old or fit you are, as you can go at your own pace.

Orienteering can be a competitive individual sport or a recreational activity. You normally take part individually, but beginners can go out in pairs or a small group. At a competitive event, the person that visits all the controls in the right order, in the shortest time, is the winner.

Do I need to be a club member to take part?

No, just come along to any of our events and give orienteering a go. If you find you enjoy it then you are very welcome to join the club to get discounts on entry fees, access to coaching, regular update on what's happening, and hopefully make a lot of new friends!

Is Orienteering a family friendly sport?

Yes, there are many orienteering families where mum, dad and the children all take part. Because there are usually a number of different length and difficulty courses there is something suitable for everyone. The start times are spread over a period of time, so parents can take turns with childcare. Have a look at our junior section for more information.

How do I get started?

The best place to get started is by coming along to one of our events. Most times you can just turn up and have a go. There will be someone at registration who will help get you started.

What equipment/clothing do I need?

No special equipment is needed to start with, just comfortable outdoor clothing and footwear. If you are a runner, then the sort of things you would wear for a trail run are perfect. A compass will be useful as you progress, but not essential to get started. Your entry fee will include your own copy of the map.

Where can I do it?

Orienteering can take place anywhere from the streets of Stirling to the many forests and moorland that we are fortunate to have nearby. In other areas you will find orienteering taking place in school playgrounds, university campuses, country parks and cities.

Callander Crags map

What do the maps look like?

Orienteering maps are very different to Ordnance Survey maps. They are more detailed and larger in scale, showing fences, bushes and small depressions in the land. Different colours are used to show different types of vegetation or undergrowth and how dense they are. Contour lines join up areas of the same height, and when they are close together it means the slope is steep. This map of Callander Crags has a legend which tells you what the different symbols mean, for more information you can see a full explanation of the symbols on the map.

Light Green course at Tulliallan

What does an orienteering course look like?

This map of Tulliallan has an example course shown on it in purple 'overprint'. The course starts at the triangle on the road junction, visits 15 controls indicated by the numbered circles, before reaching the finish which is the double circle at the end of the line. At each of the 15 controls you will be looking for the map feature in the middle of the circle, for example control 3 is at a ditch junction. To help you know what feature you are looking for, the map will also have a list of controls descriptions - you can read all about control descriptions here, but don't worry about trying to learn them just yet! Once you find the feature there will be an orange and white flag (or kite) hanging on a stake so you know you're in the right place.

How do I know which course to select?

There is usually a range of courses available at each event with varying degrees of navigational difficulty, so there’s something to suit all ages and levels of experience. The easier courses stick to paths, while the harder ones require more complex navigation and advanced map reading skills. How the courses are graded will vary depending on what sort of event it is, so it's best to ask one of the club volunteers, who'll be happy to recommend a course for you to try. You can find out more about the different grades of courses here.

Timing chip

Can’t I just cheat and say I’ve been to all the controls?

At an event you normally carry an electronic timing chip (often referred to as a "dibber" or SI Card) with which you need to "punch" a unit at each of the controls. The SI Card records the time at which you punched the control, and when you get to the finish the card is downloaded to check that you’ve been to all the controls and that you visited them in the correct sequence. When you download, you will also get a printout that shows your 'split times', or how long you took between each control.

What happens at the start?

Unlike a most other races, there is no mass start (except at some events like relays). Competitors go off individually (or in a very small group), separated by a minute or more. As a beginner you will be given your map in advance so you can study it and plan your route to the first control. Once you become more confident you won't get the map until you are about to start.

Sounds great! What next?

Come along to one of our events and have a chat with a club member, investigate our Anytime orienteering courses or look at our events listing page. If you have any questions you can always send us a message here.

Watch some explanatory videos

There are a number of good videos that will help you understand what orienteering is all about and prepare you for your first go at orienteering.

Think Fast, Run Hard is presented by an International orienteer (and FVO member!) who explains everything very clearly in about 5 mins. There are a further 8 videos in the series.

Getting Started is another good introductory video which follows a group of newcomers learning to orienteer.

Think Fast, Run Hard
Getting Started

Last updated: 28 October, 2024