Results are in from yesterday's British Middle Distance Championships!

Access provisional results via this link or for a full breakdown, visit the AIRE website.

Well done to all winners and to everyone who took part this weekend! 

*Updated 29/04/2024: Results from Sunday's Northern Championships organised by CLARO are now also available online via this link. Well done to all involved in hosting the event and everyone who took part. 

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!

We are delighted to share that the winner of the Bonington Trophy Award 2023 is Stephen McKinley from Southern Navigators Orienteering Club!

Here, we share what his nominators had to say about his contributions to mapping a multitude of areas including Long Valley South, Wellington College, Cove Brook and the wider Farnborough area and more.  

The Bonington Trophy was donated to British Orienteering by its Honorary President, Sir Chris Bonington, the world-famous mountaineer. It is awarded annually for the 'best contribution to mapping' which can cover a whole range of activities related to mapping.

Stephen McKinley, Southern Navigators Orienteering Club

Map area: Multiple locations including Long Valley South, Wellington College, Cove Brook/wider Farnborough area, Rodborough Common and Puttenham Golf Course.

Steve has been Southern Navigator’s (SN) Mapping Officer for many years and is responsible for maintaining and updating the club’s library of current maps and coordinating the production of new maps. Steve undertakes much of the cartography and survey work himself on a voluntary basis.

This nomination is particularly for Steve’s work in recent years. He has instigated a rolling programme of updates to bring SN’s maps into line with the latest mapping specifications, newly acquired LIDAR data, and accurate geo-referencing. This has ensured a consistency in style and presentation and has only been possible due to Steve’s commitment of considerable amounts of his “spare” time to maintain and improve the club’s most valuable assets.

Whilst LIDAR can be used to obtain accurate contour and vegetation data, significant interpretation and simplification are required before the LIDAR information can be converted to an orienteering map that is clearly laid out and easy to read. Combining his mapping skills and experience, with his knowledge of OCAD software, Steve has used his skills to make maps that are relevant and helpful to a competitor. The results of Steve’s work can be seen on maps used at all levels of events and activities. Within the last three years alone, examples of Steve’s mapping updates, new maps and base maps could be seen at:

· Long Valley South (SN Trophy 2022) and Mytchett (SN Trophy 2023): national events on varied and complex terrain with numerous vegetation and contour features

· Wellington College (SCOA League event, Dec 2022) and Frensham Heights School: areas of school campus, sports facilities and surrounding woodlands drawn to sprint specification

· Cove Brook/wider Farnborough area (used for SEOUL Urban League races in 2022/23): classic urban terrain where clear and accurate cartography is essential to enable fair assessment of permissible routes and uncrossable boundaries

· Rodborough Common: a new map of small local forest/heathland terrain used for Level D club events and training activities

· Puttenham Golf Course: used for night orienteering training

· Significant LIDAR-based updates to several other SN areas used for Level D events (e.g. Farnham Park, Witley Common, Southwood)

Southern Navigators are not the only club to benefit from Steve’s work. He provided interpreted and simplified LIDAR base maps to our neighbouring clubs BAOC (Ash Ranges and Frith Hill) and BADO (Kings Worthy and South Ham and Buckskin Estates), enabling quality updates of these areas.

The examples above illustrate how Steve’s mapping skill has been applied to all types of terrain for different levels of events and has supported literally thousands of individual participants every year.

Within the extensive list above Steve has personally done ground survey work for Long Valley South (2022 update) and Rodborough Common (new map) and has checked out many general update requests from the club’s Planners as each area is re-used.

Never one to sit back, Steve has continued to look for new areas and initiatives which may benefit SN and orienteering more widely. In 2023, a local charity approached SN, which resulted in Steve generating a new LIDAR-based map of Woodlarks camping ground for the disabled, thus making orienteering accessible to disabled people. Steve is currently updating the Hindhead Common map which will be used in February 2024 for an event in conjunction with a National Trust supporters’ group which will provide the opportunity for the ‘supporters’ to try out orienteering on an area which they already know and love.

In summary, this nomination reflects Steve’s dedication and skill over many years, producing high-quality maps to enable Southern Navigators to stage high quality and enjoyable events.

Congratulations to Stephen on receiving the Bonington Trophy 2023.

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It’s important to us, to recognise the other individuals who were nominated for the Bonington Trophy 2023. Here they are, alongside some of the comments regarding their contributions over the past year.

Nominations for the Bonington Trophy 2023

Martin Hore, Suffolk Orienteering Club – Map area: Suffolk maps

“Martin took over the lead in mapping for the club nearly a decade ago having been making maps for some time. In recent years he has pushed ahead developing new techniques to make new maps - and revise older ones - so they are geo-located. He has explored the freely accessible data that can enhance mapping making significant use of Lidar and aerial imagery to pin down the tricky humps and hollows in locations like Bridge Wood, Ipswich.

Alongside producing quality mapping, he has also taken time to bring on other mappers: encouraging skill development for experienced folk and starting from basics for newcomers. He is always ready to listen to feedback from all types of users - landowners to planners to competitors - meaning he acknowledges that the mapping can still improve.”

Alasdair Pedley, Auld Reekie Orienteering Society – Variety of locations including Sprint Scotland and EUOC Big Weekend

“Alasdair has mapped for Sprint Scotland, EUOC Big Weekend, coast and islands and a EUOC/ AROS sprint relay. Outstanding quality of mapping for his age. He always takes advice and is happy to pass it on. He has also collaborated with Chris Smithard and Graham Gristwood on projects.”

Rod Postlethwaite, Wrekin Orienteers – Map area: Woodside

“A very complex area, superbly mapped by Rod using all his 40 years of mapping experience during which time he has mapped many areas for WRE including using recent innovations such as LiDAR.”

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Next up, we will be sharing details of our Chichester Trophy Winner 2023. Check our website or social media daily for the latest updates.