Brodie Castle orienteering event hailed a success
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MORAVIAN Orienteers held their first event with a new map in the grounds of the National Trust for Scotland's Brodie Castle at the weekend.
Locally-based Scottish Junior International, Kathryn Barr (13), planned the courses and did an excellent job of giving junior and senior competitors a tour of the surroundings, whilst also setting a great orienteering challenge.
The National Trust were very hospitable hosts, offering under cover registration and bespoke castle tours. The grounds will be used as the event centre and campsite for next year’s Scottish 6 Day Orienteering Festival which is likely to attract 4000 visitors to the area between July 28 and August 3 with top class international competition for people of all ages and standards in areas between Lossiemouth and Nairn.
The junior course for the schools league was won by the fast improving Daniel Campbell of Bishopmill Primary School in 13 mins 46 secs, with Rob Bichan from Kinloss Primary and George Cannard from Burghead both posting times inside 15 mins for the 2 km ‘short’ course. Orienteering is a ‘time trial’ as a opposed to straight race, which made the result of the ‘long course’ all the more remarkable with Andrew Barr (who had no preview of his sister’s courses) beating George Paterson by an agonising 1 second over the 3.5 km course in 20:38. Daniel Campbell’s Dad Andrew, who has only just taken up the sport, finished an impressive 3rd in 22:46.
Turnout for the event was excellent with only 4 spare maps available from the 90 ordered. Local orienteer, Mike Rodgers, was missing having been stranded in the USA by Superstorm Sandy. Unsurprisingly, he managed to find an event to attend at Patuxent River, where he was also able to catch up with several recent departees from Kinloss who are now working for the RAF there.
The next event is at Quarrelwood, Elgin on Sunday, November 25 , with a junior competition against other clubs in NE Scotland from Inverness, Aberdeenshire and upper Speyside.
Entrants should use the online pre-entry system at www.moravianorienteering.org .
