Every winter, the darker nights play host to a series of events with a twist: starting just after dusk, you’ll need a headtorch to find your way around.
NGOC hosts three night events in Gloucestershire as part of the Western Night League, which also includes events held by our neighbouring clubs in Bristol, the Malverns, Wiltshire and Wales.
There’s a growing band of club members trying out orienteering in the dark, so don’t be afraid to give it a go!
Format
The format of the events is designed to be as friendly as possible to night-orienteering newcomers:
- These are one-hour score events: if you can’t find the control you’re looking for, you can skip it and move elsewhere.
- Also, 7 or 8 controls will form an easier loop of approximately Yellow standard.
What you’ll need
In addition to what you’d bring to a day event, you’ll need: a bright headtorch, a small but reliable backup headtorch, and a whistle.
Events
The season starts on 2 Nov, with an event at Worcestershire Beacon in the Malverns (organised by Harlequins). NGOC’s events will be:
- Minchinhampton Common, 16 Nov: this open common is a perfect place to try night orienteering for the first time.
- Woodchester Park, 14 Dec: our first ever night event in the beautiful woods of this steep-sided valley.
- Kidnalls, 25 Jan: after a multi-year gap, night orienteering returns to the Forest of Dean.
View the full schedule on the map below, or on the Western Night League site. There are sometimes last-minute additions of events from other clubs – keep an eye out!