Orienteering is a challenging outdoor adventure sport that exercises both the mind and the body. It’s an adventure sport for all!

Who can orienteer?

Everyone. You can orienteer whether you are;

• 8 or 80;
• a novice or an elite athlete;
• a runner, a walker or a trotter

What do you do?

In orienteering, you use a special map to follow a route. The route goes through a number of control points to the finish. Beginners courses will follow strong features such as paths; while the experts will have to navigate through the forests or across the moors and fields. Each "control point" is a distinctly mapped feature, such as a path junction or hilltop. It is marked with an orange-and-white flag.

Not Just a Walk in the Park

Most events use staggered starts, to help ensure that you get to navigate on your own without interference. The route you take between controls is up to you. You select which way of travelling between controls will be the most efficient for you. The element of route choice is what makes orienteering a mental challenge. It is not enough to simply be able to move faster than other orienteers, you must out-think them as well. Because of this, Orienteering is often called the "thinking sport" because it involves map reading and quick decision-making in addition to athletic ability.