Important Information

Organising clubs

Moravian Orienteers (MOR), Inverness Orienteering Club (INVOC), St. Andrew’s Orienteering Club (Glasgow) (STAG) & Loch Eck Orienteers (ECKO)

Organisers

Rob Parkinson (MOR) & Elizabeth Furness (MOR)

Planners

Peter McLuckie (MOR) & Finlay McLuckie (MOR)

Controllers

David Esson (GRAMP)

Directions

The same parking area and race arena will be used on Day 1 and Day 2.
If travelling from Ballater follow the A93 west for 10 miles (16 km) to Inver. Turn right onto a minor road which is narrow with restricted passing places. After 1.4 km follow an unclassified (private) track for a further 0.8 km to the parking area which is adjacent to the arena. Proceed slowly over the bridge immediately before the parking field.
If travelling from Braemar follow the A93 east for 7 miles (11 km) to Inver. Turn left onto a minor road and follow the directions outlined above.

Competitors will not be allowed to arrive after 12:30 or leave before 13:00.

Parking

GR: NO 213 938
W3W: shipwreck.guides.vibrate
Post Code: AB35 5TQ
Please note there is no overnight parking at the Parking field

Arena

Adjacent to parking.

Starts

Routes to all starts leave the arena together for 550m where the routes fork. The White and Green starts are a further 300m (30m climb) and the Red and Blue starts a further 600m (30m climb).

Maps

Previous maps by Deeside Orienteering and Leisure Maps (DOLM) based on LiDAR supplied by the Scottish Orienteering Association and photogrammetric plot by Stirling Surveys. Revised for Royal Deeside 2025 by DOLM 2024/25. © MAROC.
View old map on Routegadget

Terrain

Open hillside, birch woodland and some patches of natural pine forest. Rock and contour detail. Much of Glen Feardar East is good runnable terrain, with some bracken in places. However, there are rocky sections where more care is needed. It is a hilly area and so please expect courses to be physically challenging.

Finishes

The Finish is adjacent to the arena.

String and off-string courses

The String course area is located 100m from the arena and is accessed adjacent to the route between Parking and the spectator area.

The String course area has some short grass and extends to a rough grass hillside with many low rock features and occasional bushes.
Sheep have been in the field recently, participants should wash their hands after doing the string course.

Safety

There is one uncrossable fence on the west side of the area. Use the compulsory crossing points. The fence running close to the White and Green start is crossable with care but a crossing has been marked which you may wish to use to help make the crossing easier.
The Glen Feardar burn is crossable with care and there is only one bridge which is mapped. There are steep sided banks, particularly near the northern end of the area so please choose crossing points carefully if you need to avoid a scramble at the other side. Most courses cross the burn at least on one occasion and so wet feet should be expected.

Junior courses

Courses 22 (M10B, W10B) and 23 (M10A, W10A, M12B, W12B) follow runnable tracks and clearly marked fences. There are two taped routes on these courses to help guide competitors on trickier sections. Courses 22 and 23 are both planned with a crossing at the mapped bridge over the Feardar Burn. Competitors should not cross the burn at any other point on the course. These courses do have to cross a very small burn about half way round but it shouldn’t mean wet feet. Watch out for smiley and sad faces on the way!

BOF Registration No.: 84581

Special Information

Courses 1E, 2E, 2 and 3 have a map-flip.
Dogs are only allowed in the parking field and must be on a short lead. They may not be taken on the walks to the start.
Club tents may be left in the arena overnight at owners risk but no overnight camping is permitted.