Glen O’Dee Local Event, Banchory

Rescheduled New Year Event

Sun 18th Jan 2026

Type of event: Local Race, Coaching, Social
Type of terrain: Woodland
Info updated: 08th Jan

Event rescheduled for the 18th January

Local Event with courses for all technical abilities; beginner to experienced. A chance to re-connect with club members after the festive break and to start your new year resolutions. Help available before the start for anyone new looking for advice.

Share on Facebook

Location

map

Nearest town: Banchory

Pre Event Info

This event has now been rescheduled to Sunday the 18th of January after being posponed due to bad weather.

The traditional event to start the year at Glen O Dee. The forest still has many wind-blown areas, which have been avoided as much as possible. The Bike Park to the west of the hospital is out of bounds. Also, the area now occupying new houses is out of bounds as shown on the map. The hospital grounds are permanently out of bounds.  Some light green areas have become forest fight now and these have been avoided as much as possible. The forest is now busier than ever, with many bikers, dog walkers and horse riders. Please be courteous.

Whilst no ticks have been observed during the planning process, it has been a very mild Autumn and Winter so far. Please wear full length clothing and check for ticks after your run.

Directions / Parking

Parking is alongside the Banchory Tennis Courts, entered by Burnett Park (please take care entering the park as the road is very uneven), following the one-way system around the cricket ground, clockwise.

What3words: ///ballparks.poses.extreme

Registration & Start Times

Registration will be in the Pavilion at the north end of the cricket ground.

There will be entry on the day only. Registration opens at 10.30am. Starts from 11am until 1pm.

Courses close at 2pm.

5-minute walk to the start following tapes. The walk back from the finish is taped approx. 400m to download. The route back follows a quiet minor road for a very short distance. Please ensure children are aware and take care here.

Please remember you must report to download at the pavilion, even if you retire.

Course Information

Course Distance Climb Description
White/ Yellow 1.6km 45m

Course follows paths, some decision making required and a short amount of taping to avoid fallen trees. TD1/2
Orange 3.0km 65m

Suitable for intermediate participants, including adults. TD3
SCORE 45 Minutes n/a

Controls covering almost all the map, a real challenge to cover all of them in the time available.

PENALTY - 10 points per part minute over time limit!

Experienced orienteers. TD 4/5 (majority of course)

The map scale is 1:10,000 for all courses. Loose control descriptions will be available for all courses. 

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 on day only. CASH PAYMENT ONLY. Senior £5, Junior/Student £3, Dibber Hire £1.

Facilities

We have the use of the Pavilion at Burnett Park for Registration, changing and toilet facilities. We also hope to be serving hot drinks/cakes here. Please bring cash.

No ‘O’ shoes or muddy shoes allowed in the pavilion.

Dogs allowed?

Dogs are welcome as long as they are kept under control and dog waste picked up.

Contacts / Officials

Organisers/Planners: Kate, Ali and Oliver Robertson

Info about the area

Woods to the north-west of Banchory

More details about Glen O’Dee

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.

Privacy

When entering our events your name may appear in the results section of this website or in newspaper reports.
Read our privacy policy to see how we look after your personal data.

Back to top