If you have a free Saturday, there are still three more chances to try the sport of orienteering with our local club Pendle Forest Orienteers.
Every spring, the club organises a series of events across our area which are ideal as a taster for the uninitiated, or suitable for the more accomplished practitioner.
Orienteering combines running with route planning and navigational skills, with competitors being given a map, and having to find a series of markers in the shortest possible time.
While that might sound daunting, coaches at these events are on hand to give advice, and a variety of courses are on offer which are colour-coded so that you can choose the appropriate degree of difficulty.
In the first fixture at Sunnyhurst Woods in Darwen, nestling under the West Pennine Moors, there were five primary school children tackling the most basic White' course, all aided by a parent.
Zara Preedy, a Year 2 Girl, was the fastest taking 15 minutes 35 seconds, two minutes ahead of Ashleigh Spencer.
advertisement
The team of Ellie and Rebecca Roberts was third, while Charlotte Jesson took fourth. The Yellow' course winner was a Year 5 entrant, Lucy Clay, ahead of Kate Atkinson and Christopher Wilson in joint second.
The Orange' class for the more accomplished was won by 10- year-old Jonathan Laney, who beat Clayton-le-Moors Harrier Sean Clare. Third placed Phil Ellis represents South East Lancashire Orienteers.
At each event there will be a different Technical' course, and at Darwen it was a 30-minute score event where you have to visit as many markers as possible in the time allowed.
Ben Smith was top dog ahead of Paul Thompson and Dan Riley, with Katy Thompson the winning woman in fourth.
Our area is something of a hotbed for the sport with Rawtenstall and Bacup Grammar School's Year 12 Boys being the current British Schools' Champions. The proceeds of the Darwen event will be used to help the North West Junior Squad compete in Norway.
It was organised by 14-year-old David Wallis as he works for his bronze badge in the Duke of Edinburgh Award Scheme.
l The remaining rounds of the PFO Spring Series are: Saturday May 3 at Hameldon Woods, Hapton. Organiser Ste Horrocks 01706 603970; Saturday May 10 Marl Pits, Rawtenstall, Judith Wood 01706 213409; Saturday May 17, Staghills Woods, Waterfoot Richard Catlow 01706 220765.
Registration for all the events is from 10am to 11.30 with starts from 10.30am to noon, and you don't need to be a PFO member to take part.
If you liked this article and would like to share it with others on the web who might be searching for good content we've made it easy for you to do it.
At the bottom of all articles, you'll see links to six sites. These sites - commonly called 'social bookmark' or 'social news' sites - have large communities of web users who share and rate interesting, useful and fun things on the web.
Clicking the links will automatically add the address of the story you are reading to one of these sites, letting you share it with others. Each site will ask you to register to share stories. Registration is free and once a member, you can store, recommend and search for stories that interest you.
Print
Email this
Comment
