Who are Derwent Valley Orienteers?

• We are the orienteering club for Derbyshire, and we organise over 20 events a year.
• Over 200 members, of all ages.
• For the 3rd year in a row, we have qualified against other clubs in our region to reach the National Final of the CompassSport Cup, this October in Pippingford Park, Sussex.
• Some of our members represent England in international competitions.

What is orienteering?

• A challenge to find a series of checkpoints in a park, a forest, on moorland or in an urban area
• For some, it’s a hobby: getting outdoors and visiting new areas
• For others, it’s a sport: running as fast as they can between the checkpoints, trying to beat rivals in their age group.
• An orienteering course can take between 20 minutes and 2 hours. You don’t have to be a member to try one. Just come along to an event and we give you the map and get you started.

What we are doing to celebrate our 50^th anniversary?

• Orienteering races now have electronic timing, with small chips you wear on your finger. But for one event in June, we are recreating orienteering as it used to be, where you carry a card with blank spaces and use a pin punch to show you have visited the checkpoint.
• We are having dinner at the restaurant at Carsington Water, with former World Champion orienteer Carol McNeill as the speaker.
• We launched a competition among members to design an anniversary logo, and we have brought out a new fleece and buff to show it off!

Opportunities to try orienteering near Derby

• Saturday afternoon events 1–3 pm: Alvaston Park 1 June, Darley Park 29 June.
• Sunday morning event from 10:30 until noon: Calke Park 19 May.
• Details of all events at Derwentvalleyorienteers.org.uk under Fixtures.
• 24 permanent orienteering courses throughout Derbyshire here.

Find out more