Mapping is the one of the most rewarding and enjoyable roles. Not only does it improve your navigation skills, but it can also provide you with a different and new type of orienteering challenge.  

The British Orienteering E-Learning Mapping Courses, Introduction to updating Forest Mapping and Introduction to Sprint and Urban Mapping , developed with the expertise of David Olivant (Nottinghamshire Orienteering Club) and the educational robustness  of Pauline Olivant (Nottinghamshire Orienteering Club) .

Both courses are based around learners having access to either of the two most widely used mapping programs, Open Orienteering Mapper and OCAD.

We strongly advise that you seek an experienced mapper as a mentor to support you through your journey towards being a competent mapper.

Both courses are based on updating an existing map and rather than creating a new map from a previously unmapped area.

Course objectives

• To provide an introduction and basic understanding of the processes involved in how to update and amend an existing Orienteering map.

The course content is designed to only address the course objective rather than attempting to cover the full scope of Mapping. As we recognise that Mapping is a skill that takes much time and practice to hone.

The course should only take around 45- 60 mins to complete and for the whole of May is only £6.00

To access the course and find out more information about our other E-Learning courses, please visit the E-Learning homepage.

Interested in learning about our other E-Learning courses on offer? Visit the E-Learning homepage and access information on all the other resources we provide.

AIRE and CLARO look forward to seeing you all at the British Middle Championships this coming weekend. 

You have entered in greater numbers than we anticipated, but we have adapted to cater for you all as best we can.  Both Danefield and Kilnsey Moor is a lovely places in the Spring sunshine and we really hope the weather is kind so that you can enjoy it at its best.  The technical woodland of Danefield is in sharp contrast to the fast open areas of Kilnsey.  You should enjoy some great orienteering on both days.  Str8 compasses is sponsoring a lot of prizes for the Northern Championships and the British Middles so run well and good luck.

Start times and final details are published, maps are printed and lots of equipment is ready to move.  No controls are out yet, but we have been busy at Kilnsey as you may be able to see from a picture.  There are a variety of crossing points on Kilnsey Moor – many of you will only encounter this one.  There are no stiles to cross at Danefield you’ll be relieved to know.

We will be able to accommodate you all in the parking areas for both events, but as always, it would help if you car shared as much as possible.  The Danefield field has remained in good condition throughout the winter, but as some rain has been forecast over the coming days we will have some tracking available.  Kilnsey has the delight of hard standing in the quarry.  We can’t promise that you will keep your feet dry, but at least cars should not get stuck in the mud as might have happened at some recent events.  We’re hoping that’s true for Danefield.  Definitely true for Kilnsey!

Anyone wanting to carry a club tent to Danefield, could reduce the distance to carry the tent by 800m by using the drop off point suggested in the event details.  It would need to be a rapid drop-off as there are often no parking bays available. They are all quite uneven, and the road is very narrow.  To get back to the parking field it is best to not attempt a 5 point turn but to drive in an anti-clockwise route with LH turns for 2.5k to get back to the parking field.  This should take no morfme than 5 minutes.

Have a great weekend.

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Full details on the British Middle Championships are available via this link. Visit the CLARO website for more details regarding the Northern Championships. Good luck to everyone taking part!

As agreed at the AGM 2023, from 1 May 2024 British Orienteering would like to offer an exclusive part-year Membership to new members.

New members are individuals who have not been members of British Orienteering in any of the previous four calendar years.

Part year membership fees 2024

Seniors – £10

Young adults – £7.50

Juniors – £3.00

Families – £25.00 (all members must be new members and not on the database to take up this offer).

No memberships will be merged with existing memberships.

Please note from 1 January 2025, any “new” members will need to renew their membership for 2025.

Find out more about how to join online today. 

British Orienteering has produced the latest Back to Orienteering Guidance for England.

With the current lockdown restrictions being eased across all areas of England as the country moves to Step 1 of the Government's roadmap later this month. This will mean that organised outdoor orienteering, including competitions and coaching, can resume in England from Monday 29 March 2021.

The Government has not yet produced detailed guidance for the restart of grassroots sport. However British Orienteering understands that the full guidance may not be available until nearer the restart date.

British Orienteering have therefore taken the decision to publish British Orienteering's draft guidance for the restart of events now, so that clubs can begin to make plans. There have been very few changes from the guidance that was in force before this lockdown began. However, this is being publishing with the caveat that the British Orienteering guidance may need to be revised when the Government guidance for sport is published, particularly if the Government guidance proves to be more restrictive than is currently expected.

British Orienteering's guidance reflects the Government's requirement that, from 29 March, everyone should continue to minimise travel wherever possible. Beyond saying that overnight stays are not allowed, the Government has not clarified what 'minimising travel' means in practice, and there are not currently any defined limits on travel distances or times. Along with other outdoor and adventure sports, we are waiting to see whether any further clarification on this is provided when the Government guidance for sport is published. If it is, then this guidance will be updated accordingly.

In any case, British Orienteering are clear that it will not require clubs or organisers to check how far participants have travelled. Ultimately it will be down to individual participants to satisfy themselves that their travel plans fall within the letter and the spirit of what the Government has asked us all to do.

When England moves to Step 2 of the roadmap, which will be on Monday 12 April at the earliest, overnight stays will be allowed. The expectation is that Government guidance on travel to be relaxed at this point, and a further update of the British Orienteering guidance published if required.

British Orienteering are also writing to the major landowners, including Forestry England, the National Trust, and the Defence Infrastructure Organisation, to find out their timetables for allowing orienteering competitions to resume on their land and whether they are intending to apply any additional constraints.

For all the latest guidance and support documents, visit our COVID webpage.

Further Event Updates

British Championships 2021

Organising for the various British Championships in the current climate is very difficult. All those involved in hosting the British Championships this year are working hard to find a way to stage their event in 2021. British Orienteering are providing information now to allow those who wish to take part in the British Championships to plan their diary and training schedule accordingly, but all dates for the 2021 British Championships are currently provisional. We are working with each of the organising teams to agree a cut-off date, at which point  a decision about whether it is possible for the events to go ahead in accordance with the COVID-19 restriction across the various parts of the UK.

The British Middle Championships on Summerhouse Knott, in the Lake District, have been rescheduled to Saturday 5 June, as a result of the restrictions that will still be in place in May. The Northern Championships on High Dam have moved with the Middles and will now take place on Sunday 6 June.

The British Sprint Relay Championships & British Sprint Championships in Skelmersdale, Lancashire, have lost landowner permission for the original dates in June and have been rescheduled to Saturday 21 and Sunday 22 August.

The British Long Championships are currently being planned for Saturday 2 October 2021 at Braunton Burrows, in Devon. We had already agreed to cancel the British Relay Championships for 2021, but there are plans for a second individual event on Sunday 3 October on the same area.

The British Night Championships on Cleeve Hill, near Cheltenham, have been provisionally rescheduled for Saturday 27 November. BOK is hoping to stage an event the next day, near Coleford, to make a weekend of orienteering in the South West.