5th and 6th September 2026
Congratulations to the Isle of Wight Orienteering Club who celebrated their 50th anniversary. To mark this occasion they set up an excellent weekend of orienteering in perfect weather. Six SARUM members took the opportunity to have a delightful weekend of orienteering on the Isle of Wight.
Day 1 was a sprint format on complex terrain. There were 2 courses and the times were added together for the individual’s overall result.
Day 2 was a middle distance format with control picking exercises amongst a maze of gorse bushes.
A marked thing about the weekend was the stunning views, both during the courses and on the walks from the car parks to the events. Walks to the start and from the finish involved steep hills but competitors were rewarded with coastal path walks and beautiful views.
Day 1 courses were steep in places, with some rough ground underfoot.
Day 2 was very runnable open moorland. The first 15 controls of the Green course were among the gorse bushes again and then the last 10 controls were a dash to the finish.
I found a new mistake to make. I picked up my map and spent an age trying to find the start and control number one on the map. After what seemed an age, I remembered that it was a 2 sided map and I was looking at Part 2. Nuff said.
Thanks to IOW Orienteers for a great weekend.
