Category Archives: News

The Gramp MapRun Factory (Rachel) has been busy over the last couple of weeks and we now have several more courses uploaded courtesy of Sarah Dunn. From Aberdeen Uni and Perwinnes Moss (4 variations Easy to Tech) down to Stonehaven via Cove. Or a novelty twist based on and Aberdeen Street Art Trail. You paysContinue reading “That nice welcoming ‘ding’!”

Those of you who are British Orienteering members will have received an email this morning (17/3/20) announcing the suspension of all orienteering activities with immediate effect on the advice of PHE, WHO and others. All bets are off as to when we can recommence but I think you’ll need to find alternatives for your exerciseContinue reading “All orienteering suspended due to Covid 19 coronavirus”

Well done to the 5 Gramps who went down to Errochty over the weekend to fly the flag for the club (metaphorically, don’t think they actually took a banner) in the CompassSport Trophy for smaller clubs. I’ve seen the maps and looks like Sam & Tim Griffin, Sam & Lesley Gomersall and Bob Daly betweenContinue reading “CompassSport Cup/Trophy Heats and Scottish Middle Distance Champs 2020”

Always thought Johnshaven would make a good place for a SOUL and Maroc proved me right today with Nick Hale exploiting the best bits to full advantage. David Esson was keeping his powder dry for his Birsemore Black Binge tomorrow but wandered around watching the entertainment and took some photos of various Gramps (and 2Continue reading “Johnshaven SOUL”

Many thanks to Helen Anderson for diligently carrying out Membership Sec duties over the last decade or so – not sure when she started but it certainly feels like a loooooong time ago. She’s now handed over the files of office to Lesley Gomersall so thanks to Lesley too for taking over. Anyone else outContinue reading “New Membership Secretary”

Congratulations to those Gramps who travelled up to take part in the Scottish Night Champs held at Findhorn last weekend. Looks like an intriguing mix of urban/forest/dunes judging from RouteGadget so it’ll be interesting to hear what they thought of it. Did it encourage a few more folk to have a go than would doContinue reading “Scottish Night Champs 2020”

Just before Christmas SOA’s Finance Director, Ben Hartman, sent round an email asking any tax-paying members to complete a Gift Aid declaration. As the SOA is a registered charity, Gift Aid allows it to claim extra funds from HMRC on any donations made – including our membership fees – as long as we’ve completed aContinue reading “SOA Gift Aid declaration”

Sarah Dunn of Scottish Orienteering is championing this mobile based version of orienteering using your phone’s GPS capabilities to track and time yourself while running one of our MapRun courses. Upload to Strava too so you can challenge your Stravamates. Visit the MapRun page for more info, instructions and downloads for the MapRun app andContinue reading “MapRun”

Anne Pearson of Tay to thank for this Christmas Brain Teaser.There are 51 points available. 1 point for getting the IOF symbol correct, if there is a + sign you get an extra point for then converting O speak into a word/ phrase that makes sense in the letter. One point for each Christmas symbol.Continue reading “Christmas Brain Teaser”

Three events of very different natures, in or close to 3 of the typical Pueblos Blancos in Andalucia, go to make up the competition. Typical Spanish organisation which means very relaxed but it all comes together in the nick of time even if it means some nifty improvisation like using oranges straight off a treeContinue reading “Rachel ha ganado tercero W50 en El Trofeo de Las Pueblos Blancos”

Congratulations to Katrina McLeod on winning the W21 Scottish Score Champion crown at Faskally last weekend! 

Good morning, Grandtully! This was the peaceful, misty scene snapped by Pete as he was waking controls up at 7 on Saturday morning for Gramp’s big day. A few hours later there were heffalump tracks everywhere and folk milling about all over trying to keep track of subtle vegetation changes while helter-skeltering downhill, gravity assisted.Continue reading “Strathearn 2019 Scottish 6 Days”

I had hoped to bring you some updates from JK 2019 but still can’t figure out the results by class so that’s still pending. I did have a trawl through Steve Rush’s photos and found this photo of the lesser spotted Daly though. BOC 2019 in Yorkshire is still going strong with Relays today (6/5/19) andContinue reading “JK 2019 & BOC 2019”

Gramp has already had podium success at Day 1 of the JK 2019. Sam Griffin came 2nd in the M16 Sprint. His father also got a top ten placing in M50. Today is Middle Distance day, and we have three more Gramps competing, having kept their powder dry yesterday!😂 Good luck to Bob Daly, PaulContinue reading “JK 2019 Podium Success”

The idea is to build up a database to help estimate the risk of exposure of humans to ticks and tick bites in Scotland and many of you helped this citizen science project by Scotland’s Rural College last year by reporting the presence, or absence, of ticks after you’d been orienteering or doing other outdoorContinue reading “SRUC tick research project has recommenced for 2019”

Well done to assorted Gramps for braving a looooooooong walk in and out as well as the technicalities of Dinnet to contest the British Night Champs over the weekend.  Congratulations to the medal winners and commiserations to those who ran out of steam/brainpower especially after helping at the SOUL at Cove earlier in the day. W21L KatrinaContinue reading “British Night Champs 2019”

We can’t claim any champions this year but we can claim some near misses. Pete, Rachel, David and Katrina ran at the Night Champs held at the John Muir Country Park just outside Dunbar 2/2/19 – very flat and fast compared to most DNC fare but good fun and an amazingly clear and starry nightContinue reading “2019 Scottish Night and Sprint Champs”

The Minutes of the 2018 AGM have been circulated around the club members by email so for those that missed out or have lost that email, here’s a quick summary of issues discussed, prizes awarded and the 2018 Roll of Honour.

Four GRAMPs made the trip down south to Roxburgh Reiver’s event at Elibank in the Borders (to get in a bit of Score practice priot to the post-AGM event next weekend?) and did very well! Congratulations to Pete Lawrence and Neil McLean who are this year’s champions for M55 and M75 respectively. Bob Daly cameContinue reading “Scottish Score Champs 2018”

According to Space Weather News for Sept. 6, 2018 JUPITER HAS AN EXTRA MAGNETIC POLE: NASA’s Juno spacecraft has discovered something extraordinary about Jupiter. There is an extra magnetic pole near the giant planet’s equator, dubbed “The Great Blue Spot” by researchers who identified it. Jupiter’s unexpected magnetic morphology is a sign that strange thingsContinue reading “So how do they orienteer?”

We have 3 Gramps running at WMOC 2018 over in Denmark – Oonagh Grassie W60, Rob Hickling M60 and Peter Bellarby M80. Following the opening ceremony complete with flags, steel band and Indoor Sprint event amongst other things, they got down to business on Saturday with Sprint Qualifiers followed by Sprint Finals today. Tomorrow seesContinue reading “World Masters Orienteering Championships 6th – 13th July 2018”

Congratulations to all those who high-tailed it to Harris for the last ever Lowe Alpine Mountain Marathon (LAMM) this past weekend. Special mention to Sam and Jack Gomersall – FIRST – on the C course. Whoopee! Well done! Great photos on the LAMM site (and links to full results). Other Gramps and associates spotted inContinue reading “Gramps at LAMM 2018”

We have more champions in our midst – and some double champions too! Building on last weekend’s successes Ros Evans, Oonagh Grassie and Kevin Reynard all won this weekend and some excellent personal results all round so congrats to all and as with the BOC I’ve listed all results as a measure of how weContinue reading “Scottish Championships 2018”

Well done to everyone who came, ran, won or just had fun and helped out over the weekend. Photo links for many of us caught in action (or mid-lick of an icecream) can be found on the SOA website post dedicated to BOC 2018. It was a mighty big ask of Gramp to be lead clubContinue reading “British Orienteering Championships 18th/19th May 2018”

In a bid to move away from the red and the castle, which some folk have said they don’t like that much, we’ve been mulling over alternative themes still connected to the Aberdeen coat of arms or other symbols and can now proudly unveil the new club running tights: made from ultra industrial rip-stop lycraContinue reading “New club kit running tights”

Quick summary of you for those of you who didn’t go to the AGM – and it’s very quick as it was a long time ago and I can’t remember much now. Sorry – should have posted much sooner. Busy year: Forest Sprints, Summer Series, Level C events, Urban etc. Scottish 6 Days – anotherContinue reading “2017 AGM roundup and Roll of Honour”

Sprint is one of the many different flavours of orienteering that seems to be getting more and more popular. It can be done in forest* or urban settings but in either case involves very short courses with lots of controls and twists and turns to keep your brain, lungs and legs at max capacity forContinue reading “Scottish Sprint Championships 2018”

Thanks to Tim Griffin, Oonagh Grassie and Anne Hickling for flying the Gramp flag at this year’s CSC qualifier at Beecraigs 11/3/18. Between them they scored 280 points – just enough to keep us off the bottom of the table for the small clubs’ CompassSport Trophy. I know there were several others who entered, orContinue reading “CompassSport Cup Qualifier 2018”

Some of you will be aware of ongoing discussions/plans for the dualling of the A96 from Aberdeen to Elgin and that some of the alternative routes under consideration would encroach upon Bennachie and its surroundings. From a purely selfish orienteering point of view, or from a wider ranging appreciation of the other benefits that BennachieContinue reading “Bennachie under threat?”

Here’s the map from EUOC’s Big Weekend Indoor O laid on by Prof Graeme Ackland of INT in “his” offices (JCMB Building in Uni Kings Campus). Indoor O map – EUOC Big Weekend 2018 The staircases are all given letters so you can spot where they come out on successive floors, green lines across corridorsContinue reading “And now for something completely different…”

British Orienteering has announced the GBR Senior Squad for 2018, and there are a good number of Scottish and Scotland-based athletes included in the squad not least ex-Gramp Sasha Chepelin. Congratulations! (And next year I promise to try and keep better tabs on his international apearances and results as this year it was all alContinue reading “Sasha’s in the GBR Senior Squad for 2018”

A good day for Gramp today. Congratulations to these guys who swept ~20% of the podium places between them: Champions M21 Jack Gomersall M40 Pete Lawrence M55 Sam Gomersall M60 Bob Daly W50 Carolyn McLeod Plenty of 2nd places too – W60 Oonagh Grassie, M60 Rob Hickling, M14 Sam Griffin, M35 David Esson (robbed byContinue reading “Scottish Score Championships 2017”