Orienteering

Welcome To Fota Scout Centre Orienteering Courses

Fota Scout Centre has developed with the aid of Bishopstown Orienteering Club three fixed courses for Beaver, Cub and Scout age rage programme sections. The controls for these courses are identified by the following fixed markers around the Centre and woods.

We hope you find the courses challenging and exciting and hope that it may give the youth members a further interest in the outdoors.

It goes without saying that the beavers will need to be supervised at all times during the courses.

Please respect the out of bounds areas as you progress through the woodland and the fields.

Downloadable maps for each programme section along with the blank course sheets can be found at the bottom of this page. These are also available at the Centre along with the course control answers for the leaders to mark the participants answer sheets.

DEVELOPING A SYSTEMATIC APPROACH TO NAVIGATION:

The following six questions provide a systematic approach to navigation and the orienteer should ask their-selves these questions and answer them before moving towards their destination.

First, fold the map to a working size.

Q1. Is my map oriented? Check and adjust as necessary (your thumb should be able to reach the centre of the map from all four sides of the map).

Q2. Where am I on the map? Place your thumb on the map at the point where you are standing.

Q3. Where is my destination? Select an attack point.

Q4. How will I get there? Identify a route to your destination, which you can follow confidently and safely, using handrails wherever possible. Thumb your way round the course by placing your thumb at your present or last known position on the map and read the map in front of your thumb.

Q5. What will I see along the way? Identify major check-off features.

Q6. What will I see if I go too far? Identify a catching feature beyond the destination.