Author: M O'Sullivan

📍 Castleward, Strangford 📅 Saturday 7 March ⏰ 11am–1pm starts 👉Enter here or via the QR Code: https://www.sientries.co.uk/event.php?elid=Y&event_id=17445 Full details here, including parking fees for members: https://lvo.org.uk/allfixtures/lvo-spring-cup-26/ Note: We have been very fortunate to agree a reduced National Trust entry fee for this event. This is available to LVO members and NIOA members at the reduced rate of £6.00 per adult person and £3.00 per under 18s. You will need to provide evidence of Club/British Orienteering Membership e.g. your membership card or renewal letter/email to avail of this discount. (The standard rate is £15 per adult and £7.50 per child). NT members will not be charged, Read More …

Congratulations to all our juniors who travelled to Dublin’s Phoenix Park today to compete in the annual Irish Juniors Time Trial. What a day it was, a true mud fest featuring tough climbs, slippery descents and a challenging 1.3km forest lap that tested everyone’s grit and determination. A special shoutout to Emily Kerr, who smashed the W14 course record previously held by Niamh Corbett since October 2009. An incredible achievement and a proud moment for the whole team. Amazing work by all — resilience, teamwork, and top-class performances all round! 👏

SIGN UP NOW for Relay Training at Lady Dixon Park on Saturday 14 March, from 10am–2pm. If you’ve got your eye on the relays at the Jan Kjellström International Festival of Orienteering (JK) and the Irish Orienteering Championships, this is the session you don’t want to miss. Philip Baxter is bringing the full relay experience to Lady Dixon Park — speed, chaos, pressure, and that all-important handover. 💥 The Plan 🔁 Long(ish) Mass Start SessionNothing like the sound of punching units beeping in unison during a stampede to the first control. Practice staying sharp when everyone’s around you. 🧩 Baffled LegsForking, pressure, decision-making. Can you stay Read More …

⏰Entries close Saturday 28/02 at 18:00 for the Castleblaney Leinster League / NI Colour Series event, courtesy of Fingal Orienteers. 📍 Location: Hope Castle, Castleblayney 🗓 Date: Sunday 1 March ⏰ Starts: 11:00am – 2:00pm 🔗 Full details and registration available here: https://www.orienteering.ie/fixtures/castleblaney-2/ Let’s show our appreciation the best way we know how — by turning up in BIG numbers and making it a fantastic day of racing! 💪🔥

Next year, Lagan Valley Orienteers hits a major milestone – the big 5-0! And if ever a club deserved to celebrate properly, it’s ours. Thanks to some impressive detective work by Harold White, we now have the documentary proof: the very first official organised meeting of LVO took place in Alan’s house on 17 February 1977, with Bill Simpson elected as secretary. From a living room meeting to five decades of forest adventures — not a bad trajectory! So, how do you mark half a century of maps, mud and mispunches? 🌲 O-Ringen, Anyone? One ambitious suggestion is a club trip Read More …

📍 Castleward, Strangford 📅 Saturday 7 March ⏰ 11am–1pm starts Will your course take you inside the unique 18th-century mansion, celebrated for its striking blend of architectural styles? Or perhaps you’ll punch a control in the beautiful sunken garden, restored from the 1864 painting by Mary Ward? Maybe your decisive route choice will sweep you through the historic farmyard, known worldwide as the backdrop for Winterfell in Game of Thrones? 👉Enter here or via the QR Code: https://www.sientries.co.uk/event.php?elid=Y&event_id=17445 Full details here: https://lvo.org.uk/allfixtures/lvo-spring-cup-26/ Don’t miss it — secure your entry now and be part of the Spring Cup!

Huge congratulations to all our amazing members at Lagan Valley Orienteers who picked up shields, cups, pens, cream eggs (the real prize 🥚😉) and plenty of applause at today’s NI Orienteering Association prize-giving! Awards were presented to the champions of the NI Long Distance Championship, NI Colour Series, NI Urban Series and NI Score Championships — a fantastic achievement across the board. We’re incredibly proud of every single one of you. Hard work, muddy shoes, smart navigation… and now some well-earned silverware! 🏆👏

Not sure how to spend your summer months? Worried you’ll be deprived of your orienteering fix? Fear not. Join the 18 LVO members already signed up for the OOCup 5-day orienteering festival in Co. Kerry, 26–30 July 2026 — as this iconic European event makes its Irish debut 🇮🇪 Normally held across mainland Europe, this renowned international festival is coming to Ireland for the very first time — bringing world-class competition to some of the finest terrain our island has to offer. Expect technical forests, intricate contour detail, fast open sections, and five days of proper championship-quality racing. This is genuinely a once-in-a-generation opportunity to compete Read More …

We’re kicking off the NI Colour Series in style — and we can’t wait to see you there! 📍 Location: Hope Castle, Castleblayney 🗓 Date: Sunday 1 March ⏰ Starts: 11:00am – 2:00pm 🔗 Full details: https://www.orienteering.ie/fixtures/castleblaney-2/ This one has had quite the journey! The original plan was to head to Glenariff, but storm damage made the forest unusable. We then looked forward to Cave Hill / Belfast Castle, however access and safety issues couldn’t be resolved in time. Huge thanks to Billy, Lyle and Wilbert for all their valiant efforts to make it happen. So we are incredibly grateful Read More …

What a brilliant moment at today’s AGM as we celebrated our Event Officials of the Year 2025 – voted for by you, our members! There’s nothing quite like making orienteers happy… and these legends made orienteers the happiest this year. Each winner receives £20 credit to their SI Entries account — so they can get out there and orienteer even more (on us ). Club/NIOA Event Officials of the Year IOC Relays, Magilligan Graeme Francis & Michael Burton – Planners Murray Cowan – Organiser Raymond Finlay – Controller Experienced WEE Officials of the Year Mount Stewart WEE Extra Dan Earnshaw Read More …