To celebrate the new improved permanent orienteering courses being installed in Aden Country Park, Grampian Orienteers and Aberdeenshire Council are holding a special free to enter orienteering event on Saturday 16th November, from 10am to 2pm, with the last starting time of 1pm.
Orienteering is a great way to get outdoors and enjoy the scenery at the same time as finding your way with a map and being active. Anyone can take part, whether you’re a family exploring the park or a runner racing against the clock. The challenge is to discover a series of checkpoints. In Aden the checkpoints are located on wooden posts with orienteering orange and white signs which contain a control code number and letter code.
You don’t need any special clothes or equipment to try orienteering, however we recommend that you dress for the outdoors, especially if rain is expected, and wear comfortable shoes that you don’t mind getting a little muddy.
There are two permanent orienteering courses in Aden, a short course which is approximately 1.8km in length, and a long course which is approximately 2.9km in length. You can also create your own courses, by visiting the controls in a different order, or only visiting a selection of the controls.
Everybody is welcome to join us at the Aden Orienteering Event, no matter what your level of experience or fitness is, so come along and give orienteering a go.
In terms of safety, a risk assessment has been carried out, but participants take part at their own risk and are responsible for their own safety during the event. We’ll be sharing the park with others so be courteous to other users and watch out for bikes, dogs, or horse riders.
Don’t worry if you can’t make the event, you can still enjoy the Aden orienteering courses at any time by simply picking up an orienteering leaflet from either the Visitor Information Centre, the Aden Craft & Gift Shop, or the Aberdeenshire Farming Museum. Alternatively, the orienteering leaflet can also be downloaded from the Orienteering Courses section of the Aden Country Park website.
The Aden permanent orienteering courses have been developed through a collaboration between Aberdeenshire Council and Grampian Orienteers. Grampian Orienteers is a club based in and around Aberdeen, who organise a variety of orienteering events throughout the year. Advice and help for those new to the sport is always available. If you’d like to join in, or have any questions, please visit the Grampian Orienteers website at www.grampoc.com
