World Cup results

Congratulations to Heather Muir for being selected to represent Australia in the Orienteering World Cup being held in Sweden this weekend. She finished 103rd in the Senior sprints on 30 May and 19th in the mixed sprint Relay on 31 May. Well done Heather - we’re all very proud of you!!

Southern Country Park

On Saturday 30 May we held a "Come and Try It" session in Southern Country Park, Bishops Stortford to introduce the sport to the local community. Twenty people took part, aged between 10 and 73, from a wide range of backgrounds including some runners from Bishops Stortford Running Club. There were four courses to cater for all levels of experience and ability, and it was great to see many participants complete one course and then move on to the next level. Indeed we had some who went from Easy to Medium to Hard: quite an achievement given the very warm weather!

Everyone seemed to enjoy their first taste of orienteering and hopefully we will see some of these new faces again at forthcoming CHIG events.

A big thank you to Tony Maycraft for planning the courses and to all those who helped on the day.

If you missed our event don’t worry - you can still orienteer round Southern Country Park any time you like by using the newly-renovated Permanent Course. You can either print off a map, or download the MapRun app to your phone and it will beep whenever you reach one of the posts. It’s all free - just click here for further information.

Canterbury tales

Well done to Harold Wyber for winning the Mens Open course at the Canterbury City Race Weekend. Harold was first in Saturday’s City race, and second in Sunday’s two Sprints.

There was a good club turnout at the event, with Donatas Tumaitis, Iain Ambler, Jacob Stevens, Thomas Elgood, Joe Toller and Ray Weekes all enjoying the Canterbury sunshine.

The results are available here.

GLOSS Series 2026

GLOSS is a series of races run by the clubs in and around London. There are two courses: the GLOSS course which is about 3½ to 4½ km (with optional extension to around 6 km) and is of moderate navigational difficulty and a ‘Yellow’ course which is about 2km with easier navigation.

There are five races this year, starting with Epsom Downs on 28 June and finishing at Beckenham Place Park on 25 July.

The series includes an inter-club competition for the prestigious London Bus trophy. Each club’s best four events will count towards their series score. The best six handicapped times count towards each club’s event score.

Full details can be found here.

Top of the league

Congratulations to Donatas Tumaitis for topping the 2025-26 Kent Orienteering League on the Blue Course. The League covered ten events, starting with Capstone Country Park on 18 October and ending with Shooter Hill on 16 May. Overall League positions were based on each competitor’s best five scores, and Donatas finished first on Blue with the maximum possible score of 500 points. The Blue course was very closely contested this year, with Donatas’ nearest rival finishing on 499.8 points!

This is the second year in a row that Donatas has claimed the Blue title - what a fantastic achievement!

Full details of the League are avalaible here.

Registration now open

Registration for our 16 June Wanstead Flats event in this year’s London Park Series is now open.

Wanstead Flats is the southernmost portion of Epping Forest. It offers an ideal mix of open grassland for high-speed running combined with a complex path network, patches of woodland, thickets and ponds for technical depth. 

The area has been recently resurveyed, and both long and short courses will use an A3 map at 1:5000.

The event centre is the Holly Tree pub.

Register now by clicking here

Night vision

Congratulations to Campbell Walsh for winning the “long” 2025/26 Night Series organised by SLOW. More than 150 orienteers took part in the series (five long course events between last November and this March) and Campbell finished top of the league with 299 points (out of a maximum of 300) - a fantastic achievement!!

Three other CHIG members took part: Tom Elgood who finished 43rd, Adam Dent 55th and Iain Ambler 115th.

The full results can be found here

Campbell (4th from the left) with his trophy

Come and Try It!

Want a new outdoor challenge? Then try Orienteering - a sport that challenges the mind and the body.

We are holding a free taster event at Southern Country Park, Bishops Stortford on Saturday 30 May. You can arrive at any time between 10:00am and 11:00am, and the event finishes at midday.

The event is suitable for all ages and abilities, and you can take part on your own, with friends or as a family.

We will provide everything you need - courses, maps, guidance and encouragement. Just bring some good outdoor shoes and a sense of adventure!

We will be based in front of the car park in Thorley Lane East, Bishops Stortford, CM23 4BH (what3words: piper.scar.direct). Parking is very limited so please come by bus, by bike or on foot where possible.

If you are driving then please car-share and park in either Moor Hall Lane or Milliners Way, marked in red on map below. From here you can reach the event by walking from the junction of these two roads (what3words: rope.boots.spike) through the Park following the red and white tapes. This will take you approximately 10 minutes.

Any questions? Send us an email

Can’t make it? You can enjoy our permanent course in Southern Country Park whenever suits you - click here for details

Safety! Orienteering is an adventure sport and you take part at your own risk

London Park Race 2026

CHIG is proud to be part of the 2026 London Park Race programme - details here.

There are 10 events taking place on Tueday evenings between 19 May and 21 July, all based near a railway or tube station - making them very accessible.

Each event is an orienteering race - instead of running along a pre-marked route, you navigate from control to control. Competitors start at one-minute intervals and the quickest person back, having visited all the controls in the correct order, wins.
At each control-point, which is marked by a distinctive flag, you "punch" the SI-card you will have been given, into the electronic timer. This proves you've been there and also means you get a printout of your split times at the end.

CHIG’s event is at Wanstead Flats on 16 June.

London calling…

There are just three weeks left to submit your entry for a great weekend of urban orienteering hosted by CHIG and DFOK.

On Saturday 28 March it’s the streets of Beckton, with Start Times between 12:00 and 14:00.

On Sunday 29 March it’s the streets of Canning Town, with Start Times between 10:30 and 14:30.

Registration closes at 16:59 on 27 March - so click here now to secure your place!

British Championships

Well done to all the CHIG members who took part in this year’s British Orienteering Championhips 28 February - 1 March, held in Wales.

Day 1 was the Long Championships at Carreg Goch, which rises to 558m and, according to the flyer, 'this extensive area is wild and remote and showcases the best that the Bannau Brycheiniog terrain offers. It will be a real adventure, especially if we get a misty day'. Turns out there wasn’t much mist but there was plenty of sun, wind, sleet and hail! To get some idea of the conditions take a look at these official photos​.

Altogether 6 club members travelled to the Welsh hills to compete with the nation's best orienteers:

• Harold Wyber finished 34th on M21E

• Donatas Tumaitis 13th on M40L

• Jacob Stevens 31st on M50L

• Iain Ambler 33rd on M50L

• Heather Muir 15th on W21E

• Joanna Qiu 11th on Orange.

Day 2 was the Relay Championships at Margam Country Park and CHIG entered two teams:

• CHIGwell fast: Donatas Tumaitis, Jacob Stevens and Harold Wyber

• Epping awesome: Iain Ambler, Chris Barling and Jeff Pakes (from Quantocks Orienteering).

CHIGwell fast finished 21st in the Mens’ Premier race, and Epping awesome finished 7th in the Adhoc-S race.

CompassSport Trophy qualifier 2026

Congratulations and thank you to all 22 club members who made the journey to Brandon Country Park on Sunday - our biggest team in the CompassSport Trophy qualifying heats for many years. We didn’t qualify for the final but 6th place was very commendable and there were some outstanding individual performances including:

• 1st place for Heather Muir on Women’s Blue

• 2nd for Philippa Allen on Women’s Green

• 3rd for Donatas Tumaitis on Men’s Short Brown

• 3rd for Olly Toller on Men’s Orange.

The full set of results can be found here.

Introduction to Orienteering course

CHIG are hosting a 6-week basic instruction course for adults in NE London from 18th April through to 23rd May 2026, taught by a British Orienteering qualified coach. No prior experience necessary. Each session lasts 90 minutes.

You’ll learn:
How to read an orienteering map and visualise the terrain ahead of you
How to use the compass to take you where you need to go and judge distances 
Tactics for getting where you need to go quickly and accurately
How to get round your first orienteering course
How an orienteering event works and what it takes to race

The programme:
The weekly sessions are held in local parks and forests, progressively building up your technical skills and culminating in a closed competitive course.

Sessions are on a Saturday morning 11am-12:30pm.

18th April – Fairlop Waters Country Park: Introduction to Orienteering and Basic Map Skills
25th April – Fairlop Waters Country Park: Compass Skills and Map Orientation
2nd May – Hainault Forest: Navigational Techniques
9th May – Hainault Forest: Route Planning and Decision Making
16th May – Epping Forest: Advanced Map Interpretation skills
23rd May – Epping Forest: Orienteering Competition

Cost:

£60 for all six sessions.  

Registration:

Click here to register. Places are limited, and allocated on a first-come-first-served basis.

Southern Country Park

We are delighted to announce that the Permanent Orienteering Course in Southern Country Park, Bishops Stortford has now been fully renovated and is open for everyone to use.

The 23 hectare Park holds the Green Flag award and has a wide variety of wildlife habitats and features such as woodland, grazing areas, chalk banks, streams and pond. Discover these areas for yourself by using the special map to find and follow the orienteering posts spread across the park.

You can walk, jog or run round - whatever suits you, at a time of your own choosing. There are three trails to choose from, suitable for all ages, fitness levels and experience. You can go in a group, in pairs or on your own. If you haven’t tried orienteering before then watch this short introductory video to get started.

You can either use the paper map available here, or the MapRun app on your smartphone. The app displays the virtual map, beeps when you reach each orienteering post (known as a control), and records how long you took to complete the course. Consult this handy guide to setting up the virtual map on your smartphone.

The paper map and the app are both free - the only other things you need are a pair of good outdoor shoes and a sense of adventure! What are you waiting for?

A big thank you to both East Herts District Council for their support, and The Friends of Southern Country Park for all their hard work fixing the missing, rotten and loose Control Posts and plaques, and clearing the undergrowth (keep up to date with all their renovation and conservation work via their Facebook page).

Friends of Southern Country Park taking a well-earned refreshment break

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If you’d like to try another of our Permanent Orienteering courses why not visit the Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park. We have a course in the North and another in the South, each with four trails to choose from - click here for details. For more details of all our courses click here.

Mitre photos

Here are some more pictures of Sunday’s Mitre event in Epping Forest, from our photographer. If you are unhappy with your picture appearing here, let us know and it will be removed.

New Year, New Sport

If you’re looking for a resolution that gets you outdoors, boosts your fitness, sharpens your mind, and adds a spark of adventure to your weekends, then try orienteering.

It’s simple to start, fun to learn, and endlessly rewarding. Whether you prefer a gentle walk with a map, or a steady jog or a fast run through the woods, there’s a level for everyone - whatever your age or fitness. No experience needed — just a sense of adventure.

Why not make 2026 the year you try a new sport, meet great people, and discover places you never knew existed right on your doorstep?

Start today by trying one of our exciting courses in Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park, and join us on Sunday for our flagship event in Epping Forest.

CHIG Dinner

Our annual dinner was held at the Miller & Carter in Epping Forest on Friday 5 December. We had quizzes to entertain us between the courses, and after the meal the Club Captain Harold Wyber presented trophies to this year’s successful members.

In the Club Championships, the winners were:

Open Women - Heather Muir

Open Men - Harold Wyber

Veteran Women - Philippa Allen

Veteran Men - Iain Ambler

Ultra Veteran Women - Sally Pribull

Ultra Veteran Men - Tony Maycraft

Novice - Chris Barling.

Dave Norman was awarded the Maycraft Trophy for his contribution to the Club - revamping the club website and promoting the Club via Social Media.

A big thank you to Sally and Tim Pribul for organising a very enjoyable evening.

Here is one of the quizes for you to try at home. Answers on a post-card to the quizmaster.

Start 2026 by orienteering in Epping Forest

Orienteering is an exciting and challenging sport, and can be a next step for active people and runners looking for that bit more adventure. We have an event on 4th January 2026 in Epping Forest - a fantastic area for the sport, and close to home. Entry to the event is only £7 per person on beginner courses.

** The following offer has now closed **

As a special offer, for any newcomer who enters the event using the attached flyer, we are offering a year’s free membership of our club & British Orienteering, worth up to £30, which includes access to club training, discounted entry to events, coaching and advice from experienced orienteers, social events, access to British Orienteering resources.

To enter the event and access the free membership offer, use the QR code on the attached flyer or simply click here.

Registration now open

Registration for our “Michael Brandon” Mitre event in Epping Forest on January 4th is now open!

We have courses available for all abilities - from novice, through park runner to experienced orienteer.

Enjoy the natural beauty of this ancient forest as you put your navigation skills to the test. The terrain is a mixture of runnable and denser woodland, interesting contours and prominent streams.

Take advantage of our “early bird” saving and click here to Register now

Letter from America

Tom Elgood’s report on his orienteering in Silicon Valley, Sunday 14th September

On a recent family visit to the USA the dates aligned and I was pleased to discover a local orienteering fixture in the area famously known as Silicon Valley close to the South of San Francisco. A great opportunity to visit this iconic tech neighbourhood and enjoy some orienteering in a different country, something I have enjoyed doing in the past in Europe but previously I had never attended an event in the USA.  

I signed up to enter as did my older brother Mark who also has good experience of the sport and the event details stated to gather and assemble at Huddart County Park.

The park is named in honour of James Huddart who was a wealthy San Francisco lumberman and long-time resident of Woodside. Before his death in 1935, he deeded 900 acres of his property to the County of San Francisco with the provision that it would be accepted and developed into a public park.

The park was beautiful with an abundance of meadows, hiking and riding trails, 'Huddart Park makes a great place to have a picnic or explore a redwood forest'.

The event was quite similar in set up to events back home, I guess there’s an established procedure the world over for all orienteering. It was well attended and facilities were superb with all of the park facilities available, shelters, picnic tables and an abundance of information on hand. 

Both my brother and I entered the Green course (4km on a 1:5000 map) which used a good section of the park with notable features including contour features, winding roadways, a ravine and numerous changes in vegetation. 

We were warned to ‘cover up’ with full length trousers and shirts although this did not really catch on with the local orienteers. The reason for this requirement was the potential for exposure to poison oak!

I guess the competitor numbers were in the low hundreds and we saw a wide range of abilities with scout groups (who seemed to be going around together whilst singing scouting songs!), school groups and athletics clubs made for a wide range of ages and all were welcomed. 

The course was definitely tricky but great fun and it was very special to be orienteering in the California sunshine surrounded by this great landscape. At the end of the races there was a stash of welcome refreshments.. waters, snack bars, nuts and protein!

We each finished our courses separately and then we had some time to chat to a few of the officials then it was off to catch a flight from the nearby San Jose Airport.