It's the final half-term of the school year, which means it's time to make plans for the week ahead! Why not take your family along and try orienteering, a great outdoor adventure that is a great confidence booster for kids and encourages them to develop navigation skills!
The perfect outdoor activity this half-term!
Orienteering is an exciting adventure sport that encourages you and the entire family to get involved together.
Your aim is simple: select a map from hundreds of courses available online and find all of the circled 'control markers' which will be numbered. There is no set route, you can complete the courses in your own time, and they make for an excellent (often) free or cost-effective way to do an activity that entertains everyone.
The beauty of our sport is that you can truly do it anywhere! There are courses mapped in local parks and green spaces, rural countryside, and even across our cities! So even if you have travelled away from home and are struggling to find an activity, there will be something out there for you!
Below, we explore more about the different courses available for you to try anytime orienteering.
'Permament' orienteering courses
A permanent orienteering course is a course that is already set up with markers around your parks and local green spaces. You will usually find the markers on posts, but they could be elsewhere on trees/fences etc.
Knowing where to find permanent orienteering courses is easy - just head over to the Go Orienteering website and type in your postcode. Courses near you will then pop up and you will be informed of whether you can print/download a map directly from the Go Orienteering website, or if you need to purchase/pick one up from the location of where you choose to do your course.
Next, your aim is to find all the markers on your map! You can do this at your own pace and leisure, or make it competitive and distribute a couple of maps between you and see who can complete the course the fastest!
Watch this short video to learn more about permanent orienteering courses.
'Virtual' orienteering courses
Virtual orienteering courses are accessible right from your smartphone! All you need is to download the MapRun app and make sure your location devices are turned on. You can then find hundreds of courses across the UK.
More information on getting started?
Still unsure? Check out this article about everything you need to get started in orienteering.
Wherever you decide to try out orienteering this half-term, don't forget to tag us on social media so we can see how you get on!
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