Ideal for beginners or those returning to the sport and in need of a bit of a refresh. We’ll have helpers on hand to take you through the basic skills like reading an orienteering map and other tips to help you navigate your way around.
Parking/registration: the ‘football’ car park at the end of Eigie Close, Balmedie From the south, turn left off A90 signposted ‘Balmedie/Belhevie’ to pass beneath A90, ignore the brown sign to the beach and go straight over the roundabout onto Eigie Road, follow this for ~500m past a playpark on your left and take next right onto Eigie Crescent, follow this until it swings left and turn right onto Eigie Close to get to the car park. w3w: dragons.waltzed.forest
N.B. To celebrate 50 years since Gramp adopted a formal constitution in 1976 (any excuse!!) the timing and format for this event are different from our other Summer Series. Read on…
Registration: in the car park 17:30 to 18:00 (may open earlier if Tim can manage it) Start is 500m from parking Finish is 250m from parking
Courses: Short 1-2km easy, all on paths, yellow standard
Short Technical – A special “50 in 50 at 50” score course Mass start at 18:00 so make sure you allow time to register and get to the Start 500m away Course closes 19:00 (Score course = you have a map showing controls but no route and it’s up to you to find as many as you can within a time limit, controls are worth points but beware the penalty of minus points per every minute you go over time)
Long Technical – A special “50 in 50 at 50″ normal course ~4.5km Short start window from 18:00 (as part of mass start) – 18:15 Course closes at 19:00
Please be back at Registration by 19:00 even if you haven’t finished your course because Tim (organiser) wants to get to the pub too!
19:30 tables booked at The White Horse, Balmedie for a celebration meal. If you’d like to come to the meal, please sign up with your menu choices so we can book and pay for these in advance. Deadline for booking is Sunday 14th, one form per person but payment for groups can be made en masse, just adapt the reference. (You may find you have to drop your VPN briefly to access the form.)
There will also be a Scout Orienteering Competition taking place using the Score course. Entries for that are being handled separately. Click here for details.
Participants who are not members of either British Orienteering or ScottishOrienteering are not covered by their respective public liability insurance. By entering this event, you acknowledge that you are taking part at your own risk. For example, if you were to accidentally injure a member of the public or damage property during the event, you would not be covered.
Safety – A risk assessment will have been carried out by the organiser, but participants take part at their own risk and are responsible for their own safety during the event. We’ll be sharing parks/streets/woods with others so be courteous to other users and watch out for (e)bikes/dogs/horseriders.
Health – Full leg and torso cover is required in wooded/rural areas due to ticks.
Privacy – when entering our events your name may appear in the results section of this website or in newspaper reports. Grampian Orienteers data privacy policy
Photography – In line with the policies of British Orienteering, the organisers of this event request that any person wishing to take photos or video showing children should register their details with event volunteers before taking any such photos or videos. The event organisers reserve the right to ask people to refrain from taking photos or video and may, if such warnings are ignored, refer the matter to the police.
Oops! Somehow last year’s (JD)2C results slipped through the publishing net on our side of the fence. Apologies for that but here they are (better late than never) and congratulations to all our Gramp Junior Orienteers who took part and the age class winners from both clubs.
Ideal for beginners or those returning to the sport and in need of a bit of a refresh. We’ll have helpers on hand to take you through the basic skills like reading an orienteering map and other tips to help you navigate your way around.
Parking/registration: field beside the entrance track to Templars Park Scout Camp w3w: daffodils.blogs.classed
Registration: 18:00 – 19:00 Starts: 18:00 – 19:00 Courses close: 20:00 (i.e. you must be back at Registration by then as we will start collecting controls and need to know everyone’s safely back)
Courses: 1-2km easy, all on paths, white/yellow standard 3-5km technical as we can make it There may be technical training option(s) available too. Check here for details nearer the date.
BBQ afterwards – you just need to bring food and drink, we’ll supply the heat Everybody welcome!
Participants who are not members of either British Orienteering or ScottishOrienteering are not covered by their respective public liability insurance. By entering this event, you acknowledge that you are taking part at your own risk. For example, if you were to accidentally injure a member of the public or damage property during the event, you would not be covered.
Safety – A risk assessment will have been carried out by the organiser, but participants take part at their own risk and are responsible for their own safety during the event. We’ll be sharing parks/streets/woods with others so be courteous to other users and watch out for (e)bikes/dogs/horseriders.
Health – Full leg and torso cover is required in wooded/rural areas due to ticks.
Privacy – when entering our events your name may appear in the results section of this website or in newspaper reports. Grampian Orienteers data privacy policy
Photography – In line with the policies of British Orienteering, the organisers of this event request that any person wishing to take photos or video showing children should register their details with event volunteers before taking any such photos or videos. The event organisers reserve the right to ask people to refrain from taking photos or video and may, if such warnings are ignored, refer the matter to the police.
Join us for a levelling up on Hazlehead park from the previous week. It’ll still be fun, maybe more fun.
No equipment or experience required. If you have a compass – bring it along, we can help remind you how to use it if it’s been a while.
Come participate by yourself or as a group.
Decide on the night which course you want to do – the short course will still feel like an adventure although it will all be along paths. The technical courses will be available for anyone who wants a challenge.
Parking/registration: from A96 heading north, turn left onto B979 and it’s the second carpark on the left w3w: branch.sparkles.configure If this carpark is full then backtrack to the first carpark you passed and follow the path west from there to get to ‘our’ carpark. Don’t use the road as it’s a commuter rat run.
Registration: 18:00 – 19:00 Starts: 18:00 – 19:00 Courses close: 20:00 (i.e. you must be back at Registration by then as we will start collecting controls and need to know everyone’s safely back)
Courses: Short ~2km easy, all on paths, white/yellow standard, lots of controls to lead you round Short Technical ~3km off paths, route choices, navigation, some elevation gain Long Technical ~4km off paths, route choices, navigation, elevation gain
We’ve noticed an increase in folk riding electric bikes and scooters around some woods so watch out for ninja-riders appearing suddenly without any noise or warning.
Participants who are not members of either British Orienteering or ScottishOrienteering are not covered by their respective public liability insurance. By entering this event, you acknowledge that you are taking part at your own risk. For example, if you were to accidentally injure a member of the public or damage property during the event, you would not be covered.
Safety – A risk assessment will have been carried out by the organiser, but participants take part at their own risk and are responsible for their own safety during the event. We’ll be sharing parks/streets/woods with others so be courteous to other users and watch out for (e)bikes/dogs/horseriders.
Health – Full leg and torso cover is required in wooded/rural areas due to ticks.
Privacy – when entering our events your name may appear in the results section of this website or in newspaper reports. Grampian Orienteers data privacy policy
Photography – In line with the policies of British Orienteering, the organisers of this event request that any person wishing to take photos or video showing children should register their details with event volunteers before taking any such photos or videos. The event organisers reserve the right to ask people to refrain from taking photos or video and may, if such warnings are ignored, refer the matter to the police.
Hide and Seek isn’t just for kids. Think you know your way round Hazlehead Park? Why not prove it.
No equipment or experience required. Come participate by yourself or as a group.
If you’re coming with a friend, why not do the medium course together and then challenge each other to an all-out 1 on 1 sprint on the short course?
Ideal for beginners or those returning to the sport and in need of a bit of a refresh. We’ll have helpers on hand to take you through the basic skills like reading an orienteering map and other tips to help you navigate your way around.
Parking/registration: Hazlehead Groats Road car park, the one nearest Hazlehead cafe w3w: kept.mirror.rails
Registration: 18:00 – 19:00 Starts: 18:00 – 19:00 Courses close: 20:00 (i.e. you must be back at Registration by then as we will start collecting controls and need to know everyone’s safely back)
Courses: Short ~2km All within the park proper, lots of change of direction.
Medium ~3.5km Parts of Hazlehead you’ve probably never been to before. A couple of very minor road crossings.
Long ~5km Even more parts of Hazlehead you’ve probably never been to before. A couple of very minor road crossings.
We’ve noticed an increase in folk riding electric bikes and scooters around some woods so watch out for ninja-riders appearing suddenly without any noise or warning.
Participants who are not members of either British Orienteering or ScottishOrienteering are not covered by their respective public liability insurance. By entering this event, you acknowledge that you are taking part at your own risk. For example, if you were to accidentally injure a member of the public or damage property during the event, you would not be covered.
Safety – A risk assessment will have been carried out by the organiser, but participants take part at their own risk and are responsible for their own safety during the event. We’ll be sharing parks/streets/woods with others so be courteous to other users and watch out for (e)bikes/dogs/horseriders.
Health – Full leg and torso cover is required in wooded/rural areas due to ticks.
Privacy – when entering our events your name may appear in the results section of this website or in newspaper reports. Grampian Orienteers data privacy policy
Photography – In line with the policies of British Orienteering, the organisers of this event request that any person wishing to take photos or video showing children should register their details with event volunteers before taking any such photos or videos. The event organisers reserve the right to ask people to refrain from taking photos or video and may, if such warnings are ignored, refer the matter to the police.
Scottish Orienteering and Gramp have joined forces to bring you a taster event for you to have a go at orienteering for the first time or refresh the memory cells if you’re returning to the sport.
Meet up: in front of the cafe Time: 18:30 – 20:00 Fee: FREE!! but we do need you to sign up in advance by completing this form please or scan the QR code below
Under 16s should have adult supervision
We’ve noticed an increase in folk riding electric bikes and scooters around some woods so watch out for ninja-riders appearing suddenly without any noise or warning.
Spread the word, invite your friends, everybody welcome!
Participants who are not members of either British Orienteering or ScottishOrienteering are not covered by their respective public liability insurance. By entering this event, you acknowledge that you are taking part at your own risk. For example, if you were to accidentally injure a member of the public or damage property during the event, you would not be covered.
Safety – A risk assessment will have been carried out by the organiser, but participants take part at their own risk and are responsible for their own safety during the event. We’ll be sharing parks/streets/woods with others so be courteous to other users and watch out for (e)bikes/dogs/horseriders.
Health – Full leg and torso cover is required in wooded/rural areas due to ticks.
Privacy – when entering our events your name may appear in the results section of this website or in newspaper reports. Grampian Orienteers data privacy policy
Photography – In line with the policies of British Orienteering, the organisers of this event request that any person wishing to take photos or video showing children should register their details with event volunteers before taking any such photos or videos. The event organisers reserve the right to ask people to refrain from taking photos or video and may, if such warnings are ignored, refer the matter to the police.
Participants who are not members of either British Orienteering or ScottishOrienteering are not covered by their respective public liability insurance. By entering this event, you acknowledge that you are taking part at your own risk. For example, if you were to accidentally injure a member of the public or damage property during the event, you would not be covered.
Safety – A risk assessment will have been carried out by the organiser, but participants take part at their own risk and are responsible for their own safety during the event. We’ll be sharing parks/streets/woods with others so be courteous to other users and watch out for bikes/dogs/horseriders.
Health – Full leg and torso cover is required in wooded/rural areas due to ticks.
Privacy – when entering our events your name may appear in the results section of this website or in newspaper reports. Grampian Orienteers data privacy policy
Photography – In line with the policies of British Orienteering, the organisers of this event request that any person wishing to take photos or video showing children should register their details with event volunteers before taking any such photos or videos. The event organisers reserve the right to ask people to refrain from taking photos or video and may, if such warnings are ignored, refer the matter to the police.
Many thanks for Dennis for planning the courses and for Fiona & Samantha for running the event on the night. Also to Bob and David for helping collect controls afterwards.
Participants who are not members of either British Orienteering or ScottishOrienteering are not covered by their respective public liability insurance. By entering this event, you acknowledge that you are taking part at your own risk. For example, if you were to accidentally injure a member of the public or damage property during the event, you would not be covered.
Safety – A risk assessment will have been carried out by the organiser, but participants take part at their own risk and are responsible for their own safety during the event. We’ll be sharing parks/streets/woods with others so be courteous to other users and watch out for bikes/dogs/horseriders.
Health – Full leg and torso cover is required in wooded/rural areas due to ticks.
Privacy – when entering our events your name may appear in the results section of this website or in newspaper reports. Grampian Orienteers data privacy policy
Photography – In line with the policies of British Orienteering, the organisers of this event request that any person wishing to take photos or video showing children should register their details with event volunteers before taking any such photos or videos. The event organisers reserve the right to ask people to refrain from taking photos or video and may, if such warnings are ignored, refer the matter to the police.
Hope everyone enjoyed themselves today at Glen Dye. Many thanks to all the Gramp volunteers, but in particular reference to Paul Duley (Organiser), Bob Daly (Planner) and to Eddie Harwood of Moravian Orienteering Club (Controller)
Fellow orienteers, our dear friend, Neil McLean, passed away at 1:00 this morning in Turriff Cottage Hospital. It seems too short a time since his last event at the start of December, just before his illness was diagnosed.
Neil was simply “Mr. Orienteering”, our sport ran though his veins. Neil had been orienteering longer than most of us, and was probably responsible for many of us developing as orienteers. All of us will have been touched by him at some time – as coach, trainer, mapper, planner, controller, committee and SOA board member, and especially as competitor. Neil had done it all. His knowledge of orienteering runners, maps and events across the world was unequalled. He just loved talking orienteering to everyone, he encouraged us all, he was always at hand with suggestions and advice, and just loved some post event competitive banter.
But when I remember Neil, the phrase that comes to mind is “be deliberate” – in your preparation, navigation, technique and life.
Neil, you will be greatly missed by us all, thanks for all the support and encouragement you gave us over forty plus years.
To Leena, Kirsti, Peter, Ryan, Lewis, Skye, Emily, Jaelyn, Oaklyn, and Archer, thank you for sharing Neil with us, our thoughts are with you.
AUOC are putting on a Sprint around Aberdeen Uni Campus (aka old Aberdeen) on Saturday and invite anyone to come along and have a go. Full details on the BOF website or their Insta page.
Time: 11:00 – 14:00 Venue: Taylor Building, Aberdeen Uni Campus Fees: £2 Junior/Student, £4 Senior, £1 to hire a dibber (timing device)
2 courses: 1km suitable for beginners or juniors under 16 3km technical sprint still suitable for beginners wanting a longer run or experienced orienteers alike. N.B. Distances quoted are straight line distance between controls but you can expect to run about 1.5 times that as you can’t run through walls (or can you?)
Club coaches will be on hand to help get you started and answer any questions. Find the registration and start outside the Taylor Building near Foodstory cafe.
We are delighted to announce that we are hosting a training day at Crathes Castle catering for all levels of experience. Please fill in the google form in link below if you are interested in coming.
Can you find the speediest route to a series of checkpoints in the city, using the map provided & maybe some local knowledge?
Hosted by Out & Back in association with Grampian Orienteers the Aberdeen Checkpoint Challenge will take place on Sunday 8th March 10am.
We’ll give you an electronic timing device called a ‘dibber’ to record your time which you’ll need to punch every checkpoint with. At the end you’ll get a print out of your time splits so you can compare your times and route choices with other runners.
No previous map reading experience is necessary, although it might be helpful!
Short course~6km Long course~10km but course lengths will vary according to the route you choose.
Meet at 10am at the Out & Back Store, 45 The Green to register, pay £3 & collect your map & dibber.
Mass Start at 10.15. Please return to the start/finish by 11.45 even if you haven’t found all the controls.
Join us for a blether/coffee afterwards at Contour cafe next door.
Please complete this sign up form if you wish to participate and bring £3 with you on the day.
Can you help us spread the word? Download the flyer and pass it on to friends and colleagues, especially those who’ve never tried orienteering before, and challenge them to give it a go.
Congratulations to the winners of this season’s DNC Cup and Mini Cup: Long Course 1st Male Matthew Gooch MAROC 2nd Luke Graham MAROC 3rd Drew Tivendale MAROC 1st Female Eilidh Campbell MAROC 2nd Ruth Gooch MAROC 3rd Sam McDonald GRAMP
Short Course 1st Male Jon Musgrave MAROC 2nd Paul Chapman MAROC 3rd Julian Robinson GRAMP 1st Female Joy Cameron MAROC 2nd Lesley Gomersall GRAMP 3rd Rosslyn Nicholson GRAMP
Full results a few events were cancelled due to big snow making travel difficult so it was agreed that best 7 of 13 events should count to final score
As voted for by everyone who went along to the supper/prize giving: Course of the Year: Balmedie – Julian Robinson Toughest of the Tough: Birsemore – Alan Bennett
And unofficially: The Biggest Glutton for Punishment (ran in all 13 events): David Esson
The following is a quick read summary of the AGM held in January: – Executive Committee (formed following the EGM) have all agreed to continue in post this year and were unanimously voted in but we are on the look out for a couple of people to take on Safeguarding and Fixtures Co-ordinator next year so speak to either Claire or Paul if you’re interested – funds received from SOA for mapping projects and plans for things like a new Stonehaven urban map are in the pipeline – Claire was thanked for all her hard work in helping ensure Gramp complies with the new government and SOA guidelines on safeguarding – where are the Musgrave Trophies? couldn’t be awarded this year as we don’t know where they are. Are you a past winner and still have one somewhere? – some discussion on making the Urban League more competitive again and reinstating the Lego trophies – what do you think? – new jackets were very popular and Ros is happy to order some more if we can get sufficient interest as minimum order is 10 jackets – SI controls are aging and will need new batteries in the next couple of years but other than that no big kit expenditure planned so what are we going to do with the funds sitting in our new higher interest savings account – do you have any ideas for projects to boost membership for example?
Congratulations to those who won club champs trophies:
Junior Men
Junior Women
Fergus Gallagher
Samantha McDonald
Senior Men
Senior Women
Ian Morrison
Veteran Men
Veteran Women
Julian Robinson
Fiona McDonald
Super Veteran Men
Super Veteran Women
Ian Hamilton
Laura Farquharson
The Chairman’s Quaich was presented to Dave Kirk for doing a such a brilliant job in organizing the really successful Grampian Mountain Challenge in 2025.
Chairman’s AGM Report 2026
At last year’s AGM, we changed out the three main committee posts and I’d like to thank those who took on new posts and those members who continued in their current roles. In June we held an EGM in order to update our constitution and define an Executive committee for PVG and safeguarding purposes. So we now have an Executive committee of Chairman, Secretary (Fiona), Treasurer (Adrian), Mapping & POCs (Ros), Safeguarding /Child Protection (Claire Gallagher) and Coach (David). In addition we have a Membership Secretary (Sam and Lesley), Fixtures & Permissions coordinator (Paul), Event Registration (Mark), Website /IT (Rachel) and Equipment (Jonathan). I’d like to thank them all for their efforts this year in enabling us to run as a club and put on so many events – this year Gramp organised 28 events (versus 34 in 2024 and 29 in 2023).
Events: The biggest event of the year was another 6 Day in Deeside which many of the club took advantage of to compete in. Our day to help was on Glen Dye – thanks to everyone who turned out to help. As a local club, we had been asked to supply members of the central organising committee but were unable to find anyone. Many of these roles were filled by members of other clubs but the 6 day committee is facing a challenge in finding enough volunteers to run future 6 day events and is seeking feedback from clubs. The choice seems to be more professional help (and higher entry fees) or simplification and fewer helpers (and maybe lower standards). If you have an opinion (or even have time to serve on the 6 day board), let me know.
The highlight of the year as a club was another very successful GMC, held in splendid weather in October. Having declared that 2023 was his last, I’d like to thank Dave Kirk for stepping up again and making the GMC happen, along with Ian Hamilton who planned the courses. It remains very popular and is filling a need as the only Mountain Marathon currently in Scotland (except when the OMM comes). The GMC is also the most profitable event the club organises by far and underwrites a lot of our activity (and mapping projects) so thanks to everyone who helped make it a success again. How’s the plans for 2027 Dave?
Besides these 2 big events, we also organised a DNC night O series and a forest sprint series (with Maroc), a summer series and 3 Sunday events. One of these included an inaugural Scout competition which we hope to repeat and attract more scouts in the future.
Membership: At the end of 2025 we have 103 members (including 10 juniors), up from 95 in 2024 of which 14 are new members. It is encouraging that we are growing in numbers and we need to focus on events that both attract new members and keep those we have in the sport and provide opportunities to improve.
At the end of 2024 the committee conducted a survey about what events the club should provide and we have tried to honour the survey results in setting fixtures and areas. We are looking for opportunities to run more training events, either standalone with Maroc or in conjunction with a weekend event. Please support these if you see them advertised.
Mapping: Our map stock has required an upgrade since the storms of 2021 and Ros has been making steady progress in updating old areas and adding new. In 2025 we have completed maps of Hazelhead (with approximately 50% funding help from SOA), Glen Dye (sponsored by the 6 days) and Crathes will be remapped in the spring (with about 50% help from SOA). In 2026 we are looking to map part of Stonehaven (at our expense) for use in urban events and possibly a SOUL. As you can hear, the committee has been busy applying for grants and squeezing money from various sources, including £1500 towards the cost of the 2022 Glen Dye update for the Scottish champs that year. We have also had support from SOA in running a beginners session in Hazlehead and a 1 day coaching course.
Ros has also been busy upgrading our POCs and planning a new one. We are working with Duthie Park rangers on upgrading the POC there (with hopefully 50% funding from the Friends of Duthie Park) and planning a new course at Hazlehead (with the help of a £300 grant obtained from the Aberdeen Health Improvement fund by the SOA on our behalf). We have also helped the scouts renew the Templars course.
Club Successes this year :
Despite being one of the smaller clubs in the UK, Gramp is currently ranked no 13 based on the performances of our members in major events. In the season long SOL series, David, Adrian and Neil won their classes. It was great to see so many members including new members at the Scottish champs on Barry Buddon where Adrian won his class and 6 others won medals. We had 5 teams competing in the Scottish relays again including some new members experiencing relays for the first time (and showing us old timers how its done). We had 2 teams at the British champs in the Lakes but our biggest success of the year was in the schools championships where Fergus was 1st in P7 boys, Hazlehead won the S2 Girls trophy (Joanna 2nd, Willow 3rd and Rowan 6th); Samantha came 3rd in S4 in the Scottish Schools. The British schools were in Scotland this year and Samantha won G12, Fergus was 7th in year 8 boys and the Hazlehead team of Joanna, Willow and Rowan won the G9 trophy. British champions! This success was due to the hard work Fiona & Zoe have put in at Hazlehead Academy where 7 pupils took part in the afterschool club and 14 came to the ‘Wellbeing Day’ session. As a result of their results, Joanna and Samantha are both in Scotjos and Samantha has been selected for the British Talent Squad.
What is there to look forward to in 2026?
The Scottish Nights is in Deeside followed by a Gramp regional event on Potarch in mid February. The Scottish middles and CSC heats are also in February on the Trossachs if anyone is looking for a challenge. This year the JK 4 day event comes to Scotland at Easter for the first time since 2012 which, like the 6 days, is a great opportunity to run in a big event. Our day to help is Friday at the Perth sprint so please come and help. Gramp are hosting a SOL event for the first time in a few years on Glen Dye on May 3rd. Paul is organising and Bob planning and would welcome help on the day.
I’d like to end by thanking everyone, in whatever capacity, who helped put on the wide range of events the club organised this year – it is only with this willingness to step forward that we get to run the events we do.
Thankyou.
Tim Griffin
Some of our 2025 Successes showing what a broad range of orienteering disciplines our members enjoy competing in:
Scottish O Champs 1st M50S Adrian Will 2nd M12A Fergus Gallagher, M70L Paul Duley 3rd M80 Neil McLean, W14A Jo McDonald, W45L Fiona McDonald, W55S Ros Nicholson
Scottish Relay Champs Junior Total BOF Age 44-: 4th Maroc Stars incl Fergus Gallacher 17+ points class: 4th ‘Gramp3’ Ian Morrison, Adrian Will, Gavin Morrison 5th ‘Gramp2’ Pete Lawrence, Fiona McDonald, Dennis McDonald 6th ‘Gramp1’ Tim Griffin, Samantha McDonald, Bob Daly 8th ‘Gramp4’ Matthew Humphreys, Lesley Gomersall, Sam Gomersall
Scottish Orienteering League 1st M45S David Esson, M50S Adrian Will, M80 Neil McLean 2nd M50S Julian Robinson
Scottish Urban Orienteering League 6th Womens Supervet Laura Farquharson
Scottish Middle Champs 3rd M12 Fergus Gallacher 5th W Vet Fiona McDonald 6th W16 Sam McDonald, M Supervet Tim Griffin 8th W Ultravet Oonagh Grassie
Full colour-coded event in conjunction with the Scottish Night Orienteering Championships held the evening before by our neighbours Mar Orienteering Club.
RouteGadget remember that some folk had a golf style handicap applied which meant they didn’t have to visit as many controls to figure out the answer
Many thanks to Sam & Fiona for planning a great themed event and to Matthew/Gavin/Bob/Dennis & Tim for collecting the controls afterwards
Objective Your mission is to deduce – who murdered the Club Secretary? – where the crime took place? – and what weapon was used?
To do this, you must visit various ‘Game Card’ locations across Hazlehead Park. Each ‘room’ will eliminate one suspect, one location, and one murder weapon (3 controls in each room).
Game Play – Participants can play individually or in pairs, if preferred. – Time limit: you have 45 minutes to visit as many ‘Game Card’ locations as possible. – Game Cards: at each control, you will find a clue that eliminates one possibility from your list of suspects, locations, and weapons. – Everyone starts at the same time and may choose to visit any of the ‘rooms’ on the map. Once you have finished finding the clues in that ‘room’ you must return to the start/finish where you will ‘roll the dice’ by punching the ‘dice control’ (#204) marked on the map. – Secret Passages: there are also 2 secret passages marked on the map (control #192 and #198) which allow you to move from one ‘room’ to another ‘room’ without needing to visit the dice control. The secret passages are non-scoring and can only be visited once each.
Scoring: – 10 points for each Game Card visited – 30 bonus points for correctly solving the mystery – 10 points will be deducted for every minute not back after 45mins
– The winner is the first person back to correctly solve the mystery.
Handicap: some of the players will inherit work completed by the local police force, so will not need to visit all rooms to achieve maximum points.
Estimated distance if all controls visited is approx 5km but handicapping will reduce distance to approx 2.5km or approx 1.5km.
We’re excited to let you know that the second instalment of SOA’s Adult Beginner Workshop will be going ahead on 29th March at Hazlehead, led by local orienteer Katja Neumann. Date: 29th March Location: Hazlehead Park, Aberdeen Duration: 10:00 to 16:00 Age: 16+ Cost: £30 – book & pay via Eventbrite by scanning QR code below or searching “Orienteering for Adult Beginners” in the Eventbrite app.
For more info, scan the QR code below or contact louise@scottish-orienteering.org
GRAMPS – please help us spread the word by forwarding a link for this post to friends/family/colleagues/clubs or downloading the flyer to display somewhere.
There is a now a need to carry the following mandatory equipment: · Spare (head) torch – fully charged. A spare battery is not acceptable; · Whistle; · Mobile phone, with plenty of charge; and · Water/windproof jacket or spare layer – this can be worn if preferred. This is to negate competitors only wearing an O-top and/or thermal top.
N.B. We endeavour to make both courses as TD5/Green (i.e. technically hard) as possible depending on the area. For this reason runners must be confident of doing a Green standard course or ask someone who is that standard to run with them.
Night O Safety With orienteering at night comes some added enjoyment (for most) but also some additional hazards, we all need to be aware of and mitigate against as best we can. What if our headtorch fails? What happens if we injure ourself? What if, what if?
Hopefully, we’re not teaching anyone to suck eggs here but it is worth reminding ourselves that if something does happen and we are not prepared, then others may be inconvenienced or worse, because of this. So, a few items that we should all seriously consider carrying with us on our run – some should not really be for discussion!
– Primary headtorch (obvious!) – Compass (obvious!) – Spare headtorch or equivalent light source (essential)* – Whistle (essential) – Mobile phone – the organiser/planner’s number is on the map for a reason!
* NOTE: Spare battery for your main headtorch, is not a replacement for a separate spare torch, as it could be more than your battery that has runout/failed.
It is colder at night, so consider what you wear. What if you did injury yourself or maybe just weren’t up to feeling running at your usual speed – you will become cold very quickly if you are not running or going at your usual speed. We do night O through the winter, so keep that in mind and maybe take a bumbag with extra clothing.
If you are new to night orienteering be aware it may take you longer than ‘normal’ – much longer for some. Also, if you are not at TD5 level, you really should be doing this in the daylight before taking on night orienteering as the Deeside Night Cup (long) and the mini-cup (short) is planned with NO dispensation for it being dark. Maybe you are at TD5 level but never night O’d before – speak to someone about a shadowed run. Use the club member email to put a message round that you’d appreciate some mentoring and which DNC events you plan to attend and someone will respond.
Safety – A risk assessment will have been carried out by the organiser, but participants take part at their own risk and are responsible for their own safety during the event. We’ll be sharing parks/streets/woods with others so be courteous to other users and watch out for bikes/dogs/horseriders.
Health – Full leg and torso cover is required in wooded areas due to ticks.
Privacy – when entering our events your name may appear in the results section of this website or in newspaper reports. Grampian Orienteers data privacy policy
Photography – In line with the policies of British Orienteering, the organisers of this event request that any person wishing to take photos or video showing children should register their details with event volunteers before taking any such photos or videos. The event organisers reserve the right to ask people to refrain from taking photos or video and may, if such warnings are ignored, refer the matter to the police.
Insurance – Participants who are not members of either British Orienteering or Scottish Orienteering are not covered by their respective public liability insurance. By entering this event, you acknowledge that you are taking part at your own risk. For example, if you were to accidentally injure a member of the public or damage property during the event, you would not be covered.
Many thanks to Rachel for planning great courses, and to Pete/Ros/Hugh/Dennis& Samantha for helping collect controls
Parking/registration: in Haddo CP visitor car park – please pay for parking at machines w3w: logic.flopping.hedgehog NJ 867344 Follow B999 from Pitmedden north towards Tarves and watch out for brown tourist sign to Haddo House on turning to right 500m before Tarves. (There was a ‘Road Closed’ sign at this junction 16th Jan and if still there follow diversion signs via Tarves.) Once through the main gates of the estate obey the speed limit or suffer consequences of surprisingly stiff little speed bumps on the approach road.
Starts/Reg 17:30 – 19:00 (Rachel says reg prob be open ~17:00) Courses close (i.e. be back at Registration) 20:00 Seniors £7, Students/Juniors £3 contactless payment or cash
Fast and runnable parkland and woods in the main, the Long course will visit the far eastern section of the map which is rougher pasture. If there has been prolonged rain then likely to encounter areas of standing water and/or muddy stretches churned up by public footfall so spikes/dobs advised. Ditto icy patches. The open areas have loads of young saplings planted over the last couple of years but only the larger, more mature trees are marked on the map with single tree symbols or, if several of them clustered, as white runnable forest.
Courses: Medium 3.5 km 40m 21 controls Long 5.2 km 75m 20 controls Both courses will be on two-sided maps, 1:4000, using the new(ish) IOF control description symbol for map flip.
There is a now a need to carry the following mandatory equipment: · Spare (head) torch – fully charged. A spare battery is not acceptable; · Whistle; · Mobile phone, with plenty of charge; and · Water/windproof jacket or spare layer – this can be worn if preferred. This is to negate competitors only wearing an O-top and/or thermal top.
N.B. We endeavour to make both courses as TD5/Green (i.e. technically hard) as possible depending on the area. For this reason runners must be confident of doing a Green standard course or ask someone who is that standard to run with them.
Night O Safety With orienteering at night comes some added enjoyment (for most) but also some additional hazards, we all need to be aware of and mitigate against as best we can. What if our headtorch fails? What happens if we injure ourself? What if, what if?
Hopefully, we’re not teaching anyone to suck eggs here but it is worth reminding ourselves that if something does happen and we are not prepared, then others may be inconvenienced or worse, because of this. So, a few items that we should all seriously consider carrying with us on our run – some should not really be for discussion!
– Primary headtorch (obvious!) – Compass (obvious!) – Spare headtorch or equivalent light source (essential)* – Whistle (essential) – Mobile phone – the organiser/planner’s number is on the map for a reason!
* NOTE: Spare battery for your main headtorch, is not a replacement for a separate spare torch, as it could be more than your battery that has runout/failed.
It is colder at night, so consider what you wear. What if you did injury yourself or maybe just weren’t up to feeling running at your usual speed – you will become cold very quickly if you are not running or going at your usual speed. We do night O through the winter, so keep that in mind and maybe take a bumbag with extra clothing.
If you are new to night orienteering be aware it may take you longer than ‘normal’ – much longer for some. Also, if you are not at TD5 level, you really should be doing this in the daylight before taking on night orienteering as the Deeside Night Cup (long) and the mini-cup (short) is planned with NO dispensation for it being dark. Maybe you are at TD5 level but never night O’d before – speak to someone about a shadowed run. Use the club member email to put a message round that you’d appreciate some mentoring and which DNC events you plan to attend and someone will respond.
Safety – A risk assessment will have been carried out by the organiser, but participants take part at their own risk and are responsible for their own safety during the event. We’ll be sharing parks/streets/woods with others so be courteous to other users and watch out for bikes/dogs/horseriders.
Health – Full leg and torso cover is required in wooded areas due to ticks.
Privacy – when entering our events your name may appear in the results section of this website or in newspaper reports. Grampian Orienteers data privacy policy
Photography – In line with the policies of British Orienteering, the organisers of this event request that any person wishing to take photos or video showing children should register their details with event volunteers before taking any such photos or videos. The event organisers reserve the right to ask people to refrain from taking photos or video and may, if such warnings are ignored, refer the matter to the police.
Insurance – Participants who are not members of either British Orienteering or Scottish Orienteering are not covered by their respective public liability insurance. By entering this event, you acknowledge that you are taking part at your own risk. For example, if you were to accidentally injure a member of the public or damage property during the event, you would not be covered.
Due to the ongoing adverse weather and the ground conditions, we are having to cancel Wednesday’s event at Dunnottar. Apologies to all
Parking: Southern car park just off the A92.
Post code / grid reference:
AB39 3XX, NO863843
W3W: delusions.symphony.reported
Registration and Starts: 18:00 to 19:00 Courses close: 20:00 Fees: Seniors £7, Students/Juniors £3
Courses: Long 5k(ish) Short 3k(ish)
There is a now a need to carry the following mandatory equipment: · Spare (head) torch – fully charged. A spare battery is not acceptable; · Whistle; · Mobile phone, with plenty of charge; and · Water/windproof jacket or spare layer – this can be worn if preferred. This is to negate competitors only wearing an O-top and/or thermal top.
N.B. We endeavour to make both courses as TD5/Green (i.e. technically hard) as possible depending on the area. For this reason runners must be confident of doing a Green standard course or ask someone who is that standard to run with them.
Night O Safety With orienteering at night comes some added enjoyment (for most) but also some additional hazards, we all need to be aware of and mitigate against as best we can. What if our headtorch fails? What happens if we injure ourself? What if, what if?
Hopefully, we’re not teaching anyone to suck eggs here but it is worth reminding ourselves that if something does happen and we are not prepared, then others may be inconvenienced or worse, because of this. So, a few items that we should all seriously consider carrying with us on our run – some should not really be for discussion!
– Primary headtorch (obvious!) – Compass (obvious!) – Spare headtorch or equivalent light source (essential)* – Whistle (essential) – Mobile phone – the organiser/planner’s number is on the map for a reason!
* NOTE: Spare battery for your main headtorch, is not a replacement for a separate spare torch, as it could be more than your battery that has runout/failed.
It is colder at night, so consider what you wear. What if you did injury yourself or maybe just weren’t up to feeling running at your usual speed – you will become cold very quickly if you are not running or going at your usual speed. We do night O through the winter, so keep that in mind and maybe take a bumbag with extra clothing.
If you are new to night orienteering be aware it may take you longer than ‘normal’ – much longer for some. Also, if you are not at TD5 level, you really should be doing this in the daylight before taking on night orienteering as the Deeside Night Cup (long) and the mini-cup (short) is planned with NO dispensation for it being dark. Maybe you are at TD5 level but never night O’d before – speak to someone about a shadowed run. Use the club member email to put a message round that you’d appreciate some mentoring and which DNC events you plan to attend and someone will respond.
Safety – A risk assessment will have been carried out by the organiser, but participants take part at their own risk and are responsible for their own safety during the event. We’ll be sharing parks/streets/woods with others so be courteous to other users and watch out for bikes/dogs/horseriders.
Health – Full leg and torso cover is required in wooded areas due to ticks.
Privacy – when entering our events your name may appear in the results section of this website or in newspaper reports. Grampian Orienteers data privacy policy
Photography – In line with the policies of British Orienteering, the organisers of this event request that any person wishing to take photos or video showing children should register their details with event volunteers before taking any such photos or videos. The event organisers reserve the right to ask people to refrain from taking photos or video and may, if such warnings are ignored, refer the matter to the police.
Congratulations to everyone who survived the heather.
Thanks to all the helpers and especially to the Organiser Dave Kirk and Planner Ian Hamilton for all their time and considerable effort in putting on another excellent GMC. It is a unique event and is one of the few Mountain Marathon opportunities in Scotland.
Thanks also to all the competitors especially those who travelled far and the ‘repeat offenders’ who continue to support the event. We took the decision this time to remove the solo class which we know has been popular in the past. This was done as pairs are safer than solos especially with the lack of phone signal at the midway camp and over a lot of the area. Thankyou for finding partners and continuing to support the event and we hope you made new friends (or are still talking to old ones.)
The hill maps show the entire courses but due to the change in scale at the transition all the forest section controls had to be crammed into that corner of the map roughly in the right places.
The forest section maps show the forest controls in the correct position on the more detailed map but because RG demands the full set of controls and splits to function properly, the forest section controls still have to be there but are randomly scattered ‘off map’ due to time/brainpower constraints trying to get something up asap! Your route trace for the hill section will look really weird but just ignore that and hopefully the forest section will work properly.
Congratulations to all the GMC 2025 Clachnaben winners and hats off to everyone for persevering with the heather yet still finding time to smile and chat or simply say “thank you” as they passed me at control 190 today. It was lovely to meet you all.
Heather? Heather?!!!! Don’t talk to me about the bloody heather!!!
Links above are to Google Drive stashes. Double click to open a file and you can then use the arrows on left and right sides of the screen to flick thru’ in slideshow mode. *Slideshow seems to freeze about 1/3 way thru’ so try starting from the bottom photo.
If anyone has any snaps they’d like to share please email them or a link to webmaster@grampoc.com or add them in a comment on one of our GMC 2025 Facebook posts.
Several folk asked us about the people-hours and logistics required to make the GMC magic happen so FYI GMC 2025 Clachnaben was brought to you by the following team: Dave Kirk (Organiser), Ian Hamilton (Planner) & Tim Griffin (Controller), David Esson (entries, timing ,results), Rachel Scott (download assist, RouteGadget, photo wrangler, control collection), Jonathon Smith (signage, mid-camp set up, taxi, emergency contact liaison) and Lenny (dog), Sean O’Sullivan (kit transport, hill marshal), Graeme Lornie (kit transport, hill marshal), Donnie Mann (parking, hill marshal), Mike Winn (parking, hill marshal), Pete Lawrence (transition list ticker, hill marshal, control collection), Sam & Lesley Gomersall (starts, transition marshals, control placing/collection and water fetchers), Helen Rowlands (mid-camp facilitator, taxi, emergency contact liaison, random tape and rubbish collector), Liz Kirk (meet and greet, relentless kettle boiler and biscuit unwrapper), Marianne Lang (sports massage), Duncan Grassie (emergency contact in that there London would you believe!), Tim Nash (control checker, test runner) and everyone pitched in with anything else that needed doing from unlocking loos to erecting tents to taping trashed fell shoes back together.
Tim G says “It took c 3.5 person days to visit each site once and that is an area with lots of cyclable tracks. Each site was visited 5 times including collecting the kites. Two people suggested using a drone. This is probably out the question for tagging and placing controls but maybe the controller could bike to a nearby track and check the tag or control with a drone…… Thanks for all the help checking, placing and collecting – all contributions to the 3.5 days much appreciated.”
Many thanks too to the following people, organisations and businesses:
Eddie, James and Scottish Woodlands for allowing us to use Glen Dye Moor and being so encouraging about the event.
Rachel and Glen Dye Estate for allowing us to, yet again, use the beautiful Glen Dye woods.
Sheridan’s for a fantastic dinner again.
Dan and the team from Esslemont Marquees.
Nixons for our lovely loos.
Ordnance Survey for the hill maps.
Most importantly, to all competitors – for the enthusiasm, the smiles, and the many Thank Yous. That makes the whole thing totally worth it.
There is a now a need to carry the following mandatory equipment:
· Spare (head) torch – fully charged. A spare battery is not acceptable;
· Whistle;
· Mobile phone, with plenty of charge; and
· Water/windproof jacket or spare layer – this can be worn if preferred. This is to negate competitors only wearing an O-top and/or thermal top.
N.B. We endeavour to make both courses as TD5/Green (i.e. technically hard) as possible depending on the area. For this reason runners must be confident of doing a Green standard course or ask someone who is that standard to run with them.
Night O Safety With orienteering at night comes some added enjoyment (for most) but also some additional hazards, we all need to be aware of and mitigate against as best we can. What if our headtorch fails? What happens if we injure ourself? What if, what if?
Hopefully, we’re not teaching anyone to suck eggs here but it is worth reminding ourselves that if something does happen and we are not prepared, then others may be inconvenienced or worse, because of this. So, a few items that we should all seriously consider carrying with us on our run – some should not really be for discussion!
– Primary headtorch (obvious!) – Compass (obvious!) – Spare headtorch or equivalent light source (essential)* – Whistle (essential) – Mobile phone – the organiser/planner’s number is on the map for a reason!
* NOTE: Spare battery for your main headtorch, is not a replacement for a separate spare torch, as it could be more than your battery that has runout/failed.
It is colder at night, so consider what you wear. What if you did injury yourself or maybe just weren’t up to feeling running at your usual speed – you will become cold very quickly if you are not running or going at your usual speed. We do night O through the winter, so keep that in mind and maybe take a bumbag with extra clothing.
If you are new to night orienteering be aware it may take you longer than ‘normal’ – much longer for some. Also, if you are not at TD5 level, you really should be doing this in the daylight before taking on night orienteering as the Deeside Night Cup (long) and the mini-cup (short) is planned with NO dispensation for it being dark. Maybe you are at TD5 level but never night O’d before – speak to someone about a shadowed run. Use the club member email to put a message round that you’d appreciate some mentoring and which DNC events you plan to attend and someone will respond.
Safety – A risk assessment will have been carried out by the organiser, but participants take part at their own risk and are responsible for their own safety during the event. We’ll be sharing parks/streets/woods with others so be courteous to other users and watch out for bikes/dogs/horseriders.
Health – Full leg and torso cover is required in wooded areas due to ticks.
Privacy – when entering our events your name may appear in the results section of this website or in newspaper reports. Grampian Orienteers data privacy policy
Photography – In line with the policies of British Orienteering, the organisers of this event request that any person wishing to take photos or video showing children should register their details with event volunteers before taking any such photos or videos. The event organisers reserve the right to ask people to refrain from taking photos or video and may, if such warnings are ignored, refer the matter to the police.
N.B. We endeavour to make both courses as TD5/Green (i.e. technically hard) as possible depending on the area. For this reason runners must be confident of doing a Green standard course or ask someone who is that standard to run with them.
Night O Safety With orienteering at night comes some added enjoyment (for most) but also some additional hazards, we all need to be aware of and mitigate against as best we can. What if our headtorch fails? What happens if we injure ourself? What if, what if?
Hopefully, we’re not teaching anyone to suck eggs here but it is worth reminding ourselves that if something does happen and we are not prepared, then others may be inconvenienced or worse, because of this. So, a few items that we should all seriously consider carrying with us on our run – some should not really be for discussion!
– Primary headtorch (obvious!) – Compass (obvious!) – Spare headtorch or equivalent light source (essential)* – Whistle (essential) – Mobile phone – the organiser/planner’s number is on the map for a reason!
* NOTE: Spare battery for your main headtorch, is not a replacement for a separate spare torch, as it could be more than your battery that has runout/failed.
It is colder at night, so consider what you wear. What if you did injury yourself or maybe just weren’t up to feeling running at your usual speed – you will become cold very quickly if you are not running or going at your usual speed. We do night O through the winter, so keep that in mind and maybe take a bumbag with extra clothing.
If you are new to night orienteering be aware it may take you longer than ‘normal’ – much longer for some. Also, if you are not at TD5 level, you really should be doing this in the daylight before taking on night orienteering as the Deeside Night Cup (long) and the mini-cup (short) is planned with NO dispensation for it being dark. Maybe you are at TD5 level but never night O’d before – speak to someone about a shadowed run. Use the club member email to put a message round that you’d appreciate some mentoring and which DNC events you plan to attend and someone will respond.
Safety – A risk assessment will have been carried out by the organiser, but participants take part at their own risk and are responsible for their own safety during the event. We’ll be sharing parks/streets/woods with others so be courteous to other users and watch out for bikes/dogs/horseriders.
Health – Full leg and torso cover is required in wooded areas due to ticks.
Privacy – when entering our events your name may appear in the results section of this website or in newspaper reports. Grampian Orienteers data privacy policy
Photography – In line with the policies of British Orienteering, the organisers of this event request that any person wishing to take photos or video showing children should register their details with event volunteers before taking any such photos or videos. The event organisers reserve the right to ask people to refrain from taking photos or video and may, if such warnings are ignored, refer the matter to the police.
This event is cancelled/postponed due to the wintry conditions. The car park is on a steep slope and the Planner was unable to access the car park due to snow/ice. Apologies to all who were looking forward to a run round Tollohill.
Parking/registration: small car park at top end of wood – take South Deeside road from Bridge of Dee and 4th left (if you pass Prosource IT you’ve just missed the turning) w3w: soda.crust.roof NJ923022
Starts/Reg 17:30 – 19:00 Courses close (i.e. be back at Registration) 20:00 Seniors £6, Students/Juniors £3 contactless payment or cash
There is a now a need to carry the following mandatory equipment:
· Spare (head) torch – fully charged. A spare battery is not acceptable;
· Whistle;
· Mobile phone, with plenty of charge; and
· Water/windproof jacket or spare layer – this can be worn if preferred. This is to negate competitors only wearing an O-top and/or thermal top.
N.B. We endeavour to make both courses as TD5/Green (i.e. technically hard) as possible depending on the area. For this reason runners must be confident of doing a Green standard course or ask someone who is that standard to run with them.
Night O Safety With orienteering at night comes some added enjoyment (for most) but also some additional hazards, we all need to be aware of and mitigate against as best we can. What if our headtorch fails? What happens if we injure ourself? What if, what if?
Hopefully, we’re not teaching anyone to suck eggs here but it is worth reminding ourselves that if something does happen and we are not prepared, then others may be inconvenienced or worse, because of this. So, a few items that we should all seriously consider carrying with us on our run – some should not really be for discussion!
– Primary headtorch (obvious!) – Compass (obvious!) – Spare headtorch or equivalent light source (essential)* – Whistle (essential) – Mobile phone – the organiser/planner’s number is on the map for a reason!
* NOTE: Spare battery for your main headtorch, is not a replacement for a separate spare torch, as it could be more than your battery that has runout/failed.
It is colder at night, so consider what you wear. What if you did injury yourself or maybe just weren’t up to feeling running at your usual speed – you will become cold very quickly if you are not running or going at your usual speed. We do night O through the winter, so keep that in mind and maybe take a bumbag with extra clothing.
If you are new to night orienteering be aware it may take you longer than ‘normal’ – much longer for some. Also, if you are not at TD5 level, you really should be doing this in the daylight before taking on night orienteering as the Deeside Night Cup (long) and the mini-cup (short) is planned with NO dispensation for it being dark. Maybe you are at TD5 level but never night O’d before – speak to someone about a shadowed run. Use the club member email to put a message round that you’d appreciate some mentoring and which DNC events you plan to attend and someone will respond.
Safety – A risk assessment will have been carried out by the organiser, but participants take part at their own risk and are responsible for their own safety during the event. We’ll be sharing parks/streets/woods with others so be courteous to other users and watch out for bikes/dogs/horseriders.
Health – Full leg and torso cover is required in wooded areas due to ticks.
Privacy – when entering our events your name may appear in the results section of this website or in newspaper reports. Grampian Orienteers data privacy policy
Photography – In line with the policies of British Orienteering, the organisers of this event request that any person wishing to take photos or video showing children should register their details with event volunteers before taking any such photos or videos. The event organisers reserve the right to ask people to refrain from taking photos or video and may, if such warnings are ignored, refer the matter to the police.
Our neighbours to the south, Tayside Orienteers, have been in touch about a couple of events they’re putting on in parks in Dundee that they think would be ideal for newcomers or novices to practice their skills: Balgay Hill Sat 27th Sept Camperdown Park Sun 16th Nov
Both areas are well-bounded with a mixture of woodland and open areas with scattered trees. Good for newcomers or novices to advance their skills with map (and compass on Orange and above).
Green course at Balgay will involve some urban in neighbouring streets. Longer courses (tbc) at Camperdown will combine fast running and a need for accurate navigation to hit the controls economically.
At both events there will be TAY club members on hand to help anyone get started. Check for details on their website and make a day of it at the V&A or DCA.
In O terms, “sprint” means short distances between controls, plenty of route choice and changes of direction or even loops to keep you on your toes. Whether you actually sprint or jog or walk is up to you so if you’ve been put off by the “sprint” bit in the past, why not give it a go this year and join us?
Parking/registration: at Car Park next to the Edward Wright Annexe, Aberdeen University AB24 3RT, off Old Machar Drive (A978) w3w: stand.milk.grain
Starts/Reg 18:00 – 18:50 for 19:00 last start Courses close (i.e. be back at Registration) 19:30 Seniors £6, Students/Juniors £3 contactless payment or cash Under-16s should be accompanied by an adult for BOF insurance purposes
Courses: Long Sprint 2.9km TD3 or Orange standard Short Sprint 1.1km The short sprint will suit juniors and beginners although please note that it’s not quite as easy as a yellow course as there are more decisions to make. Juniors will need accompanied by an adult as there are roads to cross.
N.B. urban distances are measured as-the-crow-flies, optimal routes on the ground can be anything up to 1.5 times as long.
Safety – A risk assessment will have been carried out by the organiser, but participants take part at their own risk and are responsible for their own safety during the event. We’ll be sharing parks/streets/woods with others so be courteous to other users and watch out for bikes/dogs/horseriders.
Health – Full leg and torso cover is required in wooded areas due to ticks.
Privacy – when entering our events your name may appear in the results section of this website or in newspaper reports. Grampian Orienteers data privacy policy
Photography – In line with the policies of British Orienteering, the organisers of this event request that any person wishing to take photos or video showing children should register their details with event volunteers before taking any such photos or videos. The event organisers reserve the right to ask people to refrain from taking photos or video and may, if such warnings are ignored, refer the matter to the police.
Results Routegadget the keen eyed amongst you will spot that I had to use the old 1:3000 map to get the controls to place properly on RG. Should still work OK for the purposes of RG so get drawing/uploading please.
Many thanks to Adrian for planning and to Fiona, Jonathan and Matthew for helping collect the controls afterwards.
Results RouteGadget Who went in-abouts and who went out-abouts between 3 and 4?
Big thank you to David Esson for stepping in at such short notice to plan and organise tonight. Thanks also to Sam P who helped put out the controls with David, and to the McDonald family and Adrian for helping collect the controls afterwards.
Apologies for the confusion with the controls on Sprint course around 5-8. Turned out the control codes were in the correct place just not immediately obvious which was which on the map due to the haste to get something planned and printed in time. It caught a few of you out, though by looking at the control descriptions it should have been obvious which controls were the correct ones.
Thanks to all who attended tonight’s event at Duthie & Ferryhill. Many thanks to Ros for planning courses with route choice, and to Jonathan (Maroc), Hugh and David for helping collect controls.
A massive thank you to all those Gramps who helped make the 6 Days happen this week in particular David Esson, Tim Griffin and Ian Hamilton who took on Controller or Planner roles and everyone who helped send out over 2,200 runners to enjoy Glen Dye today – especially those on the Green/Blue/White Start which saw a very greedy lion’s share.
Lots of complimentary remarks about the area were to be heard back in the assembly arena which was lovely and just goes to show that our best area can still work its magic despite the storm damage and felling.
Well done to everyone who managed top ten finishes: Fergus M12A 6th Adrian M50S 9th Gary Morrison and Hugh M55S 9th and 10th respectively Kevin M60S 6th Paul M71L 4th Neil M80 10th Samantha W16A 10th Ros W55S 5th
Some of the classes are enormous so some of our clubmates, although not managing top ten, still finished high up in a very experienced and competitive field. So we can add a load more folk to that roll of honour: Tim N, Bob and Laura – top 25% Duncan, Dennis, Ian H, Eric, Joanna and Becky – top 50%
Congratulations also to Ruth Gooch from our friendly rivals and neighbours, Maroc, on reaching the top of the podium for W18L.
Scottish 6 Days that is. David Esson was Controller for today’s racing at Glen Feardar East where numerous Gramps joined in some classic Deeside racing.
Fergus looks to be having a blast in M12A, as is Paul at the other end of the competitor spectrum, M70L. Gramp traditionally do well on Short courses and today’s tradition bearers are Adrian, Hugh, Gary and Kevin.
Yippee! We have enough interest in the new design GRAMP jackets to place an order so if you want one too email Ros via mapping@grampoc.com asap and by June 23rd at the latest. Tell her what you want (it’s not too late to bang in an order for a top too) and what size and she’ll give you the Gramp account details for a bank transfer. Tops: £34 Jackets £61 Designs and link to sizing chart below:
Click on the image above to enlarge it. N.B. this is a low res image to avoid clogging up your device with umpteen MB! The contours are much sharper on the finished articles so watch out for folk following you closely at Glen Dye trying to use them to navigate.
Gramp Tops
The tops are made by Scimitar from performance fabric, with short sleeves, a zipped collar and the striking design features two lots of contours, taken from Robin Sloan’s original 1972 Blackhall map and the updated 2022 Glen Dye map, plus our birthday strapline “50 years of running on the wild side”. Cost is £34 each including VAT and shipping – adult sizes only. (We have some older style children’s tops free to a good home.)
These lightweight jackets don’t have a hood but do feature zipped back pocket and long sleeves with elasticated cuffs, similar to those other club jackets that you often see swaggering around assembly areas. The design is the Blackhall/Glen Dye combo same as the tops. £61 (again, including VAT and shipping) per jacket, adult sizes only.
Please contact Ros Nicholson by June 23rd either via mapping@grampoc.com or at the Seaton Park Summer Series event on 18th to order jackets/tops.
Hope you’re all enjoying our Summer Series events and the chance to get out and about in our woods? Unfortunately our local tick population also enjoy your visits and will hop on board and hitch a ride home with you given the slightest opportunity.
Don’t forget to check your body for the wee critters as soon as possible after your run and for a couple of days after as they are masters at hiding out in crevices, hairlines, clothing, shoes, bedding and even cars and can appear on you for days afterwards.
If they’re still roaming on your then it’s easy to brush or pick them off. Remove attached ticks with either a dedicated tick removing tool, fine tweezers or your fingernails with a firm upwards pulling motion. If you squash them make sure to wash your hands afterwards. Keep an eye on bite sites and if you see signs of a rash that doesn’t disappear fairly quickly, especially if it looks like a target aka the classic tick bite bullseye, then contact your doctor and request a prophylactic course of antibiotics against the risk of contracting Lyme Disease.
Thank you to all who came to a very sunny Balmedie today. Dennis did a great job planning the courses, and Sam & Lesley a fantastic job organising. Many thanks to them all!
Yellow TD2 2.6km 12 controls
Orange TD3 3.1km 15 controls
Green TD5 4.3km 20 controls
Training session – Theme Using Contours as Line Features – meet at car park at 1015, for a small exercise course approx 3-500metres where you can learn how to use contours as line features – The map for this exercise will be contour only and at a scale of 1:2500
TD1/2 = easy, TD3 = medium, TD4 = medium to hard, TD5 = hard For more info on Technical Difficulty click here
Click on the image above to enlarge it. N.B. this is a low res image to avoid clogging up your device with umpteen MB! The contours are much sharper on the finished articles so watch out for folk following you closely at Glen Dye trying to use them to navigate.
Gramp Tops
Want to really look the professional at the 6 Days? Here’s your chance to grab a new O top as we already have several people looking for new club kit so it’s time to put an order in again. If you haven’t already done so, please contact Ros Nicholson by June 15th either via mapping@grampoc.com or at the next few Summer Series events to let her know what size and how many you want. She’ll acknowledge your order and give you details on how to pay. We need a minimum collated order of 10
The tops are made by Scimitar from performance fabric, with short sleeves, a zipped collar and the striking design features two lots of contours, taken from Robin Sloan’s original 1972 Blackhall map and the updated 2022 Glen Dye map, plus our birthday strapline “50 years of running on the wild side”. Cost is £34 each including VAT and shipping – adult sizes only. (We have some older style children’s tops free to a good home.)
If there is enough interest, we will also order “winter lightweight running jackets”. These don’t have a hood but do feature zipped front pockets and elasticated cuffs, similar to those other club jackets that you often see swaggering around assembly areas. The image below is to give you an idea of the jacket itself. Obviously the design would be Grampified similar to the current O tops and jackets, i.e. mostly red, map contours and red sleeves. The price will be about £61 (again, including VAT and shipping) per jacket.
This gives you an idea of the jacket style and fit. For the actual design imagine red sleeves, red background to the body with lots of contours plus GRAMPIAN ORIENTEERS splashed across the back in white.
Again, please contact Ros Nicholson by June 15th either via mapping@grampoc.com or at the next few Summer Series events to express an interest in a jacket and if we have enough people to reach the minimum order quantity of 10 you’ll then be asked to place your order and given details of how to pay.
Safety – A risk assessment will have been carried out by the organiser, but participants take part at their own risk and are responsible for their own safety during the event. We’ll be sharing parks/streets/woods with others so be courteous to other users and watch out for bikes/dogs/horseriders.
Health – Full leg and torso cover is required in wooded areas due to ticks.
Privacy – when entering our events your name may appear in the results section of this website or in newspaper reports. Grampian Orienteers data privacy policy
Photography – In line with the policies of British Orienteering, the organisers of this event request that any person wishing to take photos or video showing children should register their details with event volunteers before taking any such photos or videos. The event organisers reserve the right to ask people to refrain from taking photos or video and may, if such warnings are ignored, refer the matter to the police.
Results Routegadget (Long course you’ll have to pretend you went to 6, 7 and 8 as shown on the map as we didn’t adjust the results or course data for what really happened)
Many thanks to Julian for planning and to Bob, David and Tim for helping collect controls.
It was very odd running round a deserted Hillhead – no conversations or music drifting out the windows, no veggie curry or washing powder smells.
Calling all Gramps – don’t forget we have an EGM on 25th June at Templars Park next week so please check your emails for details and a voting form if you can’t make it in person to chew over the changes while chewing your burger as it’s also the end of series BBQ to which everyone is invited, Gramp member or not.
Safety – A risk assessment will have been carried out by the organiser, but participants take part at their own risk and are responsible for their own safety during the event. We’ll be sharing parks/streets/woods with others so be courteous to other users and watch out for bikes/dogs/horseriders.
Health – Full leg and torso cover is required in wooded areas due to ticks.
Privacy – when entering our events your name may appear in the results section of this website or in newspaper reports. Grampian Orienteers data privacy policy
Photography – In line with the policies of British Orienteering, the organisers of this event request that any person wishing to take photos or video showing children should register their details with event volunteers before taking any such photos or videos. The event organisers reserve the right to ask people to refrain from taking photos or video and may, if such warnings are ignored, refer the matter to the police.
Many thanks to Sam for planning and to Bob, David, Dennis and Sam for collecting controls.
Safety – A risk assessment will have been carried out by the organiser, but participants take part at their own risk and are responsible for their own safety during the event. We’ll be sharing parks/streets/woods with others so be courteous to other users and watch out for bikes/dogs/horseriders.
Health – Full leg and torso cover is required in wooded areas due to ticks.
Privacy – when entering our events your name may appear in the results section of this website or in newspaper reports. Grampian Orienteers data privacy policy
Photography – In line with the policies of British Orienteering, the organisers of this event request that any person wishing to take photos or video showing children should register their details with event volunteers before taking any such photos or videos. The event organisers reserve the right to ask people to refrain from taking photos or video and may, if such warnings are ignored, refer the matter to the police.
Many thanks to Laura for her usual great organizing, David for planning/computing and to all the Gramp members for helping out. Congrats to the winners of the Grampian Region Scout Orienteering Champs organised by Sean O’Sullivan from MAROC.
And that rounds up a very busy World Orienteering Week. Hope everyone who tried orienteering for the first time enjoyed it and maybe see you at some of our Summer Series events over the next month or so. Our next SS event is at Foggieton, parking at Cults Primary School, starts from 18:00.
Scottish Orienteering and Grampian Orienteers are hosting an orienteering taster session that’s open to all but especially aimed at those who enjoy getting outside to run or walk and fancy trying something a bit different!
Orienteering is an outdoor adventure sport using a map and compass and is suitable for all ages and fitness levels. Participants of this session will be introduced to the basics of orienteering by British Orienteering licensed coaches, before being given the chance to head out into the park to complete an orienteering course which can be done by yourself or in groups. Any under 16s should be accompanied by an adult.
Venue: Hazlehead Park (car park nearest the cafe) Date/Time: Thursday 22nd May / 1830-2000 Who: ALL WELCOME (under 16s should have adult supervision) Cost: FREE
If you want to come please sign up by clicking here for a link to a google form to give us an idea of how many maps we’ll need to print.
Could you help us spread the word about this event? Download this flyer and send it to friends and family or print it out and display it at your work/school/local park. Ta muchly!
Great fun was had at our first Summer Series event at Hazlehead tonight. Many thanks to Fiona & Zoe for putting on the event including 4 separate Maze courses!!
Many thanks to Bob/Samantha/Joanna/Dennis/Hugh for all helping collect controls afterwards👍👏 Maze courses.
Many thanks to Bob/Samantha/Joanna/Dennis/Hugh for all helping collect controls afterwards👍👏 Parking: the car park nearest the cafe w3w: starts.mole.usage
Registration/Start/Finish: in front of the cafe – look for our GRAMP banner
Starts/Reg 18:00 – 19:00 Courses close (i.e. be back at Registration) 20:00 Seniors £6, Students/Juniors £3 contactless payment or cash
Courses: Easy White/Yellow standard ~2km Technical as-hard-as-we-can-make-it 3-5km TBC
Maze – try and beat the times set by Hazlehead Academy earlier in the afternoon!
Score Course – try and find as many orienteering controls in the park as you can
This is a World Orienteering Week Come And Try It event. Come and be part of something really big worldwide! We can provide a bit of on the spot training before waving you off into the park to try your hand at this great sport (and we’ll wait for you to come back bursting to talk about the experience as we know you’ll enjoy it.)
Safety – A risk assessment will have been carried out by the organiser, but participants take part at their own risk and are responsible for their own safety during the event. We’ll be sharing parks/streets/woods with others so be courteous to other users and watch out for bikes/dogs/horseriders.
Health – Full leg and torso cover is required in wooded areas due to ticks.
Privacy – when entering our events your name may appear in the results section of this website or in newspaper reports. Grampian Orienteers data privacy policy
Photography – In line with the policies of British Orienteering, the organisers of this event request that any person wishing to take photos or video showing children should register their details with event volunteers before taking any such photos or videos. The event organisers reserve the right to ask people to refrain from taking photos or video and may, if such warnings are ignored, refer the matter to the police.
Some great results for Gramp at the Scottish Champs held at Barry Buddon over the weekend – a very tricky area jam-packed full of detailed contours which demands full on concentration all the way round and provided a trip down memory lane for several of the more experienced members of the club as we planned/organised a day there for Tay 2009 Scottish 6 Days. (If anyone wants to join them reminiscing then here are some photos on Flickr.)
Individual: M12A 2nd Fergus Gallacher M45S 4th David Esson M50S 1st Adrian Will M55L 8th Tim Griffin M55S 5th Hugh Nicholson M60L 7th Pete Lawrence, 14th Dennis McDonald just pipping 15th Sam Gomersall M65L 7th Bob Daly, 9th Ian Hamilton, 15th Iain McLeod M70L 2nd Paul Duley M80 3rd Neil McLean
Relay: All the Gramp teams ended up competing against each other in the 17+ points class which made for some very sociable rivalry. 4th Gramp3 Ian Morrison, Adrian Will, Gavin Morrison 5th Gramp2 Pete Lawrence, Fiona McDonald, Dennis McDonald 6th Gramp1 Tim Griffin, Samantha McDonald, Bob Daly 8th Gramp4 Matthew Humphreys, Lesley Gomersall, Sam Gomersall (and rather worryingly the results also show “dnf Gramp Heart Attack!” so for the benefit of anyone not in the know that’s just David having a wee joke on himself when registering the teams!)
Hats off too to ex-Gramp Jayne MacGregor for pulling it all together as Organiser.
Teams of 2 or 3 on A, B and C courses for either the full 2 day GMC experience or the Saturday only ‘taster’ version. Full rules/details can be found on the GMC page or on the SIEntries page.
GRAMPIAN ORIENTEERS 