Regional Event: Birsemore
Incorporating a Jon Duncan Junior Deeside Trophy (JD2) race
Sun 02nd Nov 2025
Type of event: Regional Race, JD2C
Type of terrain: Forest
Info updated: 15th Oct
A Regional Event for all abilities with a full suite of Colour-coded courses for all abilities from White to Brown. This is a British Orienteering Ranking Event.
Location
Nearest town: Aboyne
- Grid Ref: NO528984
- Postcode: AB34 5EL
- Lat/Lon: 57.07395,-2.78054
- Google Map
- Streetmap (OS)
- Bing Map (OS)
- OpenStreetMap
Pre Event Info
Entry online via Fabian4 here. Online entries will close at 23:59 on Monday 27th October. There will be limited entry on the day, so please register in advance to guarantee a map.
A Regional Event for all abilities with a full suite of colour-coded courses for all abilities from White to Brown.
This is a British Orienteering Ranking Event.
Grid reference - NO528984. What3words - estimates.ships.goggle
COVID19: People suffering from Covid or isolating must not attend events or activities to protect others.
Directions / Parking
Parking will be on the street in Aboyne near 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. Please park considerably, especially avoiding residents' driveways.
As there is a longer than normal distance from registration to the start, those with young children and those older competitors may wish to consider parking close to The Boat Inn near the bridge over the River Dee. Please note that the bridge remains closed to vehicles, so only pedestrians and bikes can cross the bridge from the village over into the forest of Birsemore.
Registration & Start Times
Registration: 10:30 – 12:30
Starts: 11:00 – 13:00
Courses close: 15:00 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. If you have pre-entered, you do not need to go to registration, unless you need to collect either a hired SI or a White or Yellow map.
There will be no allocated start times. 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 route to the start from Registration is along a pavement, across Aboyne bridge, across the B976, which will be manned, then into the forest along a path, then a very minor road potentially with vehicles from local residents.
Younger juniors should be accompanied to the Start and back from the Finish.
The distance from Registration to the Start is 1.6km – if you drive and park near The Boat Inn/Aboyne Bridge, this will shorten this distance by c.650m. The distance from the Finish back to Download is 1.9km.
The terrain is classic Deeside Forest with lots of lovely, runnable sections but with some steep boulder strewn northerly slopes. Courses have been planned to avoid the worst of any windblow.
There are lots of MTB tracks, which the Planner has endeavoured to map now. The best routes between controls on TD5 courses are unlikely to use these tracks but should you find yourself on a MTB track is should now be mapped. Please be aware that other users, primarily mountain bikers, also use the forest.
A regional event with Brown, Blue, Green, Short Green, Light Green, Orange, Yellow and White courses.
| Colour | Length (km) | Climb (m) |
|---|---|---|
| White | 1.4 | 40 |
| Yellow | 1.9 | 65 |
| Orange | 2.1 | 75 |
| Light Green | 2.7 | 80 |
| Short Green | 2.1 | 80 |
| Green | 3.3 | 185 |
| Blue | 5.4 | 235 |
| Brown | 7.1 | 320 |
The map scale is 1:10,000 for all courses. Loose control descriptions will be available for all courses at the Start (or Registration for White and Yellow).
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.
Please wear full length clothing and check for ticks after your run.
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 Fabian4 here.
Online entries close on at 23:59 on Monday 27th October. There will be limited entry on the day, so please register in advance to guarantee a map.
Entry fees: Seniors £10, Juniors/Students £5 (seniors on the White, Yellow or Orange courses will be charged the junior fee)
SI dibbers can be hired for £1, but with £30 charge if lost.
Facilities
There are toilets in hall at Registration. Please remove dirty footwear prior to entering the hall and no dobs inside, even if clean.
There are a number of cafes in the village, most of which serve lunch too: Corner House, Spider on a Bicycle and The Black Faced Sheep. There is also The Boat Inn.
Dogs allowed?
Dogs are welcome as long as they are kept under control and dog poo picked up.
Contacts / Officials
Planner: Dan Gooch
Organiser: Andrew McMurtrie
Controller: David Esson
Info about the area
Birsemore was used for Day 3 of the Scottish 6 Days event in 2017. The terrain is classic Deeside Forest with lots of lovely, runnable sections but with some steep boulder strewn northerly slopes.
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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