Sarum’s contribution to the 2024 SW Orienteering League was held on Bulford Ridges. For a change there was no rain, just a still, overcast and pretty cold day. For a relatively small and linear area Bulford Ridges includes some complexities that than catch people out, especially in and around the old slit trenches. Oh, and…

This two-day event, formerly known as the Caddihoe Chase, is an annual competition that SWOA clubs take in turn to organise. This year it was in the hands of Devon OC who opted to site the event on Braunton Burrows, a complex set of sand dunes not far from Barnstaple. Braunton Burrows is a bit…

A small contingent from Sarum joined an international field for a multiday festival of orienteering based in the Bannau Brycheiniog (Brecon Beacons National Park).  With the Event Centre sited in Aberhonddu (Brecon) a mix of four long distance and two middle distance races with the best four results counting towards the competition. There was a…

As we were unable to hold our event at Farleigh School on the preferred date there was a late change of venue to The Moot at Downton. It is some time since we used the Moot which, although small in area, lacks nothing in complexity giving Planner Liz Yeadon plenty of scope to fit in…

How Sarum Orienteering Club emerged from nothing. Our hard working Secretary Hugh was recently contacted by someone asking how old Sarum is as a club and whether we were close to celebrating our 50th year. Rather impressively, Hugh managed to find an article I had written in SCAN, our club magazine back in 2014, I…

Back together again To misquote Samual Pepys, it’s good to see how dinner and feasting reunite everybody. It is nearly two years since the Club held its last Dinner and Trophy Presentation so it was good to get together again at the historic White Hart in Salisbury and have the opportunity to catch up with…

Report by Ian Peirce and Peter Hambleton Easter brings us around to Chocolate eggs and, for orienteers, our biggest annual event, the JK. This year the 4 days of competition were held in the Midlands. The opening day’s sprint took runners around the campus of Loughborough University. The individual middle and long distance cross country…

Compass Sport Trophy, Bere Wood. The Compass Sport Trophy is a nationwide competition for small orienteering clubs. In the past Sarum has done well, winning the trophy or gaining a podium place, but perhaps less so in recent years. Last weekend regional qualifying rounds for the 2024 competition were held with five clubs from Wiltshire,…

Hawse End, Derwentwater Peirces procure podium places Based on a report by Ian Peirce Sarum’s sole representatives at this event were Ian and Freda Peirce who travelled all the way up to The Lakes to find their way at night time around the woods of Hawse End on the western side of Derwentwater. The weather…

Report from Ian Peirce This year’s Southern Championship races were held at Redlands and Bury Hill, near Dorking, an area that turned out to be an excellent venue for mountain goats. Much of the woods were free of undergrowth and Tom Edelsten planned some excellent courses with plenty of navigational challenges. There were some proper…