British Orienteering is pleased to support the use of virtual (smartphone) and permanent Orienteering courses. The promotion and use of virtual and permanent Orienteering courses relate only to England, Scotland (with restrictions), NI and the Isle of Man, as government Policy and Guidance in Wales currently restricts these activities. For more information on courses, you can do with your smartphone see our Virtual Orienteering page.
Permanent Orienteering Courses are a great way to get out and go orienteering at any time. A wide variety of places including parks, gardens, country estates and woodlands have courses set up with marker posts showing the check points. All you need is the map to help you find your way round. These maps will come with instructions on what to look for and an explanation of the symbols used, so it's worth taking a note of these before you set off.
The majority of permanent courses are suitable for beginners, usually categorised as white (very easy / up to 2.5km), yellow (easy / 2.6km to 5km) or orange (medium / 5km to 7.5km), but if you want a more difficult course these are available on some areas too.
Covid-19 - Getting a map: At present, many leisure centres and visitor information centres are closed, so when using the search facility for a map, make sure you pick one that you can download and that the venue, including car parks are open. Please note trail-O is a specialised form of orienteering, not to be confused with trail running.
Whether you're looking for a different walk with the family, wanting to discover new places or hidden corners, or adding variety to a training run, Permanent Orienteering Courses have a lot to offer.
Find available courses using the interactive map and filter boxes below.
