Venue Belfast Castle
Date Sat, 7th Mar 26
Starts 12:00 to 15:30
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Event Description
| Date | Saturday 7 March 2026 | ||||||||||||
| Venue | Cavehill / Belfast Castle | ||||||||||||
| Event Format | Northern Ireland Colour Series 1 | ||||||||||||
| Online Entry | . |
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| SI Entries |   |
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| Online Entry closes | Midnight, Monday 2 March 2026 | ||||||||||||
| Registration, Start and Finish | TBC | ||||||||||||
| Price |
Sociable group / family fee where all are going round a course together – entry fee is per required number of maps – one entry = one map. There is no fee to hire an SI card if required, but lost cards are charged at £30. *Orienteering club members only. Avail of our reduced event rates by joining our club today: https://www.britishorienteering.org.uk/join_online **A family charge is for two seniors and one junior. Additional juniors go free. Please note: Participants who are not members of British Orienteering or of another orienteering federation are not covered by British Orienteering’s public liability insurance. You are welcome to enter this event, but please understand that you are taking part at your own risk. For example, if you were to accidentally injure a member of the public or damage property during the event, you would not be covered. Members of Orienteering Ireland are covered by British Orienteering insurance. |
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| Terrain Summary | The park is situated on the lower slopes of the Cavehill. It incorporates mixed parkland around Belfast Castle at the lower end, with wood land and open hillside above. The slopes can be very steep particularly higher up, and can be very slippy particularly after heavy rain. Please take care especially on steep descents.
There is a good path network traversing the slopes. Off the paths there is a mixture of open woodland and some dense undergrowth with old windblown. There will be plenty of other users around, including mountain bikers. We will advertise that there are ‘runners’ around, but please be careful, especially on the inclines and smaller paths. |
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| Previous Maps/Routegadget | This area was last used for a LVO Score Championships in February 2023. Routegadget map and courses can be found here: https://www.lvo.routegadget.co.uk/rg2/#415 | ||||||||||||
| Course Notes | ⚪ White – km + m climb – navigate along paths with few route choice decisions. Aimed at primary school aged newcomers. 🟡 Yellow – km + m climb – along paths with more route choice decisions. Appropriate for newcomers and younger juniors with some experience. 🟠 Orange – km + m climb – skills needed to navigate away from paths and more route choice decisions, some compass skills are expected. Aimed at novice adults and improving juniors. 🟢 Light Green – km + m climb – this course requires confident map reading and compass skills. 🟢 Short Green – km + m climb – this course is set at the highest technical difficulty but shorter to attract those who may struggle with a longer physical course. 🟢 Green – km + m climb – technically and reasonably physically demanding course. 🔵 Blue – km + m climb – technically and physically demanding course. 🟤 Brown – km + m climb – technical and very physically demanding course. |
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| First Aid and Safety | There will be a first aid and a qualified first aider available at registration. Registration is also a safe place for lost children to wait.
Please do not come to the event if you are unwell. Please bring and carry any medication you might need, especially inhalers and EpiPen’s. If you come across an injured or ill person, please stop, help and get further help. There will likely be qualified first aiders on the course who can stop to provide support. All participants must return to download, whether they complete the course or not. This is to account for all competitors, ensuring everyone’s safe return. Courses will close and controls collected in at 3pm sharp. If you are still out on the course at this time return to finish and download immediately. |
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| Kit requirements | Full body cover is mandatory.
A whistle (emergency alert is 6 loud blasts per minute) is mandatory. A waterproof jacket may also be mandatory if the organisers decide the weather requires one, so bring one along just in case. |
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| Parking | Enter the park from the Antrim Road, there is a narrow entrance signposted for ‘Cavehill Country Park and Adventure Playground’. Look out for the orienteering flag. | ||||||||||||
| Toilets | Toilets are located in the castle. |
Location
Belfast Castle
Antrim Road
Belfast
BT15 5GR
Volunteers
To volunteer at this event please email volunteer@lvo.org.uk. You can find information on each role here as well as the current list of volunteers.