Orienteering For All

Everybody loves surprises, and Reuben certainly got one when I picked him up after school on Tuesday. Rather than heading home for our usual evening routine, we got into the car and set off to try our hands at orienteering.

Earlier in the day I'd spotted a Facebook post from our local Rangers’ service promoting an 'orienteering for all' event not too far away. And being a lovely sunny evening I thought it would be rude not to go along and take part.

Neither of us had tried orienteering before, but Reuben loves maps (especially those marked with an x) and had recently asked about a red and white flag when we were out walking. It was easy to spot the registration point when we arrived, and after parking up we walked over to the giant flag by the visitors centre. A really helpful volunteer explained to Reuben what he needed to do, and kitted him out with a map and an electronic 'dibber'. As it was his first time they recommended the white course and pointed us in the direction of the start.

Reuben loved checking the map to find the location of the next checkpoint, almost as much as recording he'd been there by placing his 'dibber' into the reader and waiting for a beep. After 11 checkpoints and just over 18 minutes he made it to the finish line and excitedly watched as his times were downloaded and his name appeared on the results screen. In fact he was so excited that we decided to have another go, this time with the more difficult yellow course.

The second time around was certainly trickier, with the checkpoints no longer positioned on well defined paths. Despite this, Reuben still did well with the map reading, only losing his bearings and needing some help a couple of times. We made it to the finish in just under 29 minutes, and in need of a much deserved rest and some food.

Excited calls were made to grandparents after arriving home, making me think that this wasn't our last time. I can fully recommend looking up your local club and taking your Little Trekkers along. Some events even have courses with string to let very young children take part.