Top 10 Areas for Orienteering

[Sunlit Forres]

Sport & Recreation Alliance have published the UK's top 10 areas for orienteering (as advised by British Orienteering). Darnaway is no 1. It's going to sound good when all these enquiries start flooding in to the club and we tell folk it's banned til August 2015!
http://www.sportandrecreation.org.uk/blog/top-10/30-08-2012/top-10-orienteering-trails#
Personally I can't see what's wrong with Culbin (although that's banned too). The mini poll that's just started on Moravian's web site seems to suggest that locals prefer it to Darnaway! http://www.moravianorienteering.org/content/thanks-useful-inputs-saturday-league-timings-now-fun-poll-whats-your-favourite-moravian-area

[mikey]

Newborough should be in there to represent Wales.

[Gross]

Wonder which of the highly experienced orienteers on the BOF Staff made up that list ?

[Sunlit Forres]

Just noticed that item was from 2012 (I came across it via Twitter - thanks Walton Chasers for reTweeting). On a positive note, a much more recent blog on the same site puts orienteering among the top 10 sports that parents and kids can do together - it links to the above piece. Nice to see BOF getting stuff up there even though it might not be perfect. http://www.sportandrecreation.org.uk/blog/top-10/27-01-2014/top-10-sport-and-recreation-activities-parents-and-kids-do-together#orienteering

[denbydale]

Battersea Park & Buxton in Top 10 areas? The compiler of the list should get out more!

[Freefall]

It might help if the photo on the article was actually orienteering and not a signpost. Maybe some action shot from Darnaway - oh, wait a minute, will have to wait till August 2015.

[aiming off]

If I were in Cornwall OC I'd be a tad miffed.

[Gross]

Doesn't mention that Daranaway / Cawdor are some of the worst places for ticks in the UK. Beware in 2015

[Freefall]

Come on Gross - we are meant to be talking these places up not down (and in all my visits to Darnaway over the past two years I haven't attracted a tick)

[Gross]

Maybe they've left

[Big Jon]

Maybe maps such as Culbin aren't in because they don't fulfil BOF mapping standards (1:15,000 and 5m contours)...?

[ryeland of doom]

It is one of those joke lists like you get in the Guardian Travel section. You know 10 best hill walks /beaches etc where they are rather slanted to where the readership live.

A true list would be rather slanted to a certain geographical area where the glaciers dumped their spaggetti contours and the brambles don't grow.

Today is the 40th anniversary of my first event - hoped to celebrate with a run, maybe 41st. The venue, Great Breech Wood will not make a top 10 unless it is top ten bramble infested hellholes.

[Gross]

My first was Scottish Score at Carron Valley. Think there was more rain & mud than in Somerset just now.... Carron Valley won't make any 'top 10' lists

[greywolf]

Maybe maps such as Culbin aren't in because they don't fulfil BOF mapping standards (1:15,000 and 5m contours)...?

The non-standard map hasn't prevented them slapping a completely gratuitous embargo on Culbin: losing access to areas that are going to be used for big competitions is one thing, losing them for no good reason at all is just bollocks

[Freefall]

Greywolf I agree but it was the British Squad that raised concerns about use of the area for other events and worrying that it might affect their eligibility to compete next year. There a few compromises, nothing to keep everyone happy but that's the way it goes.
I also seem to recall it was your idea to use Darnaway in the first place hence upsetting the Moray 2013 coordinator and others. Good area though.