Aboyne Urban SOUL2
A Scottish Orienteering Urban League race
Sat 02nd May 2026
Type of event: Regional Race, Urban
Type of terrain: Urban
Info updated: 26th Mar
This event is the second of seven Scottish Orienteering Urban League (SOUL) events throughout Scotland in 2026 focussing on urban racing in Scottish cities and towns.
It will be held on Saturday 2nd May 2026 in conjunction with the GRAMP Scottish Orienteering League event at Glen Dye on Sunday 3rd May.
Location
Nearest town: Aboyne
- Grid Ref: NO528984
- Postcode: AB34 5EL
- Lat/Lon: 57.073975,-2.780370
- Google Map
- Streetmap (OS)
- Bing Map (OS)
- OpenStreetMap
Pre Event Info
Entry online via SI entries. Online entries will close at 23.59 on Sunday 26th April. There will be limited entry on the day, so please register in advance to guarantee a map.
Grid reference – NO528984 what3words:///clocking.barn.tinted
Make sure to also sign up for SOL2, hosted by GRAMP on Sunday.
Directions / Parking
Parking will be on the village green.
Registration & Start Times
Registration: 12.30-2.30pm
Starts: 1300-15.00pm
Courses close: 1700pm prompt
Registration will be in the Hall on the Green (the Auld Kirk on Google maps) on Charleston Road on the SE side of the main green in the village of Aboyne. If you have pre-entered, you do not need to go to registration unless you need to collect either a hired SI dibber, or for juniors collecting their maps on the TD2 courses. Parents, guardians or carers will have the opportunity to look at a map for the junior courses to determine if they wish to accompany/shadow their child around the course.
There are toilets in the Hall (also some in Aboyne village too). Please remove dirty footwear and orienteering shoes prior to entering the hall.
Start times (tbc). Punching start and finish. Everyone must report to the Finish and proceed to Download at the Hall on the Green in the village, whether they finish their courses or not. Otherwise, you may trigger a search party and /or call to the emergency services.
Course Information
The distance to the Start is approx. 250m and involves several road crossings, including the A93. The Finish is adjacent to the Hall. Parents or guardians/carers who have children under the age of 16 years must accompany their child to the start.
The terrain is around 80% on tarmac and 20% forestry track for most courses, except the junior ones. These will take place predominantly on forestry tracks due to safety considerations.
Please be aware of other users: pedestrians, vehicles, dogs and bikes
Courses must be entered by category/class (not colour) as follows: SOA SOUL Rules and Guidelines
| Course | Min-Max Length(km) | Technical Difficulty | Men Classes | Women Classes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 6 - 10 | 3 |
Open Men (M18-35) |
|
| 2 | 5 - 8 | 3 |
Veteran Men (M40+) |
Open Women (W18-35) |
| 3 | 4 - 6.5 | 3 |
Super Veteran Men (M55+) |
Veteran Women (W40+) |
| 4 | 3 - 5 | 3 |
Ultra Veteran Men (M65+) |
Super Veteran Women (W55+) |
| 5 | 2.5 - 4 | 3 |
Hyper Veteran Men (75+) |
Ultra Veteran Women (W65+)
Hyper Veteran Women (75+) |
| 6 | 3 - 5 | 3 |
Junior Men (M16-) |
Junior Women (W16-) |
| 7 | 2 - 3.5 | 2 |
Young Junior Men (M12-) |
Young Junior Women (W12-) |
The map scale is 1:4000 for all courses. Loose control descriptions will be available for all courses at the Start.
Sportident (SI) electronic timing will be used, with SI Air enabled. If you have your own SI dibber, please bring it. Otherwise, SI dibbers can be hired for £1, but with £30 charge if lost.
Explanation of colour courses
- White are very easy with all controls on paths. They are mainly used by 6-10 year olds and family groups.
- Yellow use simple linear features like paths, walls and streams. They are mainly used by under 12’s and family groups.
- Orange progress to basic use of the compass and route choice. They are ideal for novice adults or experienced youngsters.
- Light Green are ideal for improvers as the navigational difficulty begins to increase and uses simple contours and point features.
- Green are used mostly by experienced under 18’s and adults wanting a short but challenging course with a very hard navigational difficulty.
- Blue are a longer, more physically demanding course in comparison to the green. The distances are more varied between controls and the course attracts experienced orienteers.
- Brown & Black are very physically demanding and have a very hard navigational difficulty. They are for experienced orienteers only.
- Score means visiting as many controls as possible in any order in a specific time, like 45mins.
Entry Details
Entry online via SI entries here. Online entries will close at 23.59 on Sunday 26th April. There will be limited entry on the day, so please register in advance to guarantee a map.
Senior Entry fees: £11 BOF member, £12 SOA Member, £13 Non Member
Juniors or Students: £6
Dibber hire £1 (£30 charge if lost)
Dogs allowed?
Dogs are welcome but must be kept on a lead and under control. Dog poo must be picked up.
Contacts / Officials
Planner: Sean O’Sullivan (MAROC)
Organiser: Joy and Ewan Cameron (MAROC)
Controller: Tim Griffin (GRAMP)
Info about the area
Sprint orienteering map from Aboyne 1:4000
Safety and Risk
A comprehensive risk assessment will have been carried out by the organiser, but participants take part at their own risk and are responsible for their own safety during the event.
This includes dressing appropriately for the weather conditions, and carrying a whistle.
Participants in orienteering should be aware of the risk of tick bites - more information here.
SPORTident timing will be used
Please note that a lost hire SI-Card will be charged for at a rate of £30, unless the Club Commitee agrees that there are special circumstances.
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