Category: News

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! 💪🔥

Apologies for the delay, but I have now been able to add some course lengths and climbs to the details of the Spring Cup. If you did not know, Castle Ward is at the top of a big hill that goes down towards Strangford Lough- but it is worth it for the views. 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 Read More …

With the colour event season about to get under way you should, by now, have decided which colour you’re going to target, whether for Colour Series points or for Standards achievement. To help with the latter the Colour Standards table has been reset for 2026. The 2024 results have been removed (they are now outside the 12-month window in which your best 3 results contribute), the “current standard” column is based on that window, the “2026 standard” column will start to fill as results come in and early 2025 results drop out (it replaces the 2025 standard which is now Read More …

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 …