See & Do
Orienteering
Brush up on your navigation skills and discover the excitement of orienteering, an outdoor sport that will exercise both mind and body!
Orienteering is an ideal way to explore the great outdoors and get in touch with nature, and we have 13 permanent courses around Ireland to keep you challenged.
This fun activity combines running and walking with navigation. Select a route and use a map to guide you to dedicated control points, making your way through different terrains along the way. The winner is the person who completes the course in the fastest time – so get your competitive hat on.
There are permanent orienteering courses to suit all levels from short beginner loops, to longer more difficult ones. We also provide an ‘orienteering for schools’ resource to encourage students to learn more about nature and to introduce orienteering to a new and younger audience. But here’s a secret – it’s great fun for grown-up kids too !
We now have added four new “Wheel-O” wheelchair orienteering courses for adventure seekers with limited mobility. They follow a waymarked trail and identify their location at control points en route. So get your internal sat nav on!
Portumna Orienteering Course Download Maps Portumna Orienteering Course Download Wheel O Map Pack Portumna Orienteering Course Download Secondary School Pack Portumna Orienteering Course Download Primary School Pack Portumna Orienteering Course Download Answer Sheet Portumna Orienteering Course Download Wheel O Answer Sheet
Birr Outdoor Education and Training Centre
Birr, Co. Offaly
+353 (0) 57 912 0029 www.birroec.ieOrienteering is becoming a very popular sport in Ireland. It encourages independent and logical thinking. Participants work in a pair or groups, where they learn to work as a team and develop their listening skills. Orienteering is quite competitive which enables groups to shine, thereby boosting their self-confidence.
The activity starts with the instructor showing everybody how to read the map and the ground rules of the orienteering course are explained. They are then sent out in search for the Controls.
At Birr OETC, we have orienteering site in Portumna Forest. The courses range from novice level to experienced level. We also have an onsite Pciture orienteering course for the younger adventurer. The winners are the team that complete the course in the fastest time and have marked their control card with the most controls.
