Scottish Night Championships: Muir of Dinnet

Event 1 of a 2 event weekend in Deeside

Sat 14th Feb 2026

Type of event: National Race, Major Race, Night
Type of terrain: Forest
Info updated: 15th Feb

Results

MAROC is pleased to host the Scottish Night Champonships at Muir of Dinnet on Royal Deeside to commemorate the 28th Anniversary of Maroc and Grampian's Deeside Night Cup Series.

In a double-header weekend Gramp OC will be holding a Regional Event on Deeside the following morning.

Entries now closed.

START TIMES

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Location

map

Nearest town: Ballater

Pre Event Info

Final details

The Muir of Dinnet is a complex area of natural pine forest that is ideally suited to night orienteering and was the venue for the British Night Championships in February 2019.

The Event Centre will be located in Ballater with a 15 minute bus transfer to the Start and Finish location.

We have Haydn's Wood Fired Pizza at the Victoria Hall selling some delicious pizza from 8 until 10pm.

Previous events on the area:

Eastern

Western

Directions / Parking

Under no circumstances will any competitor be able to park at the Burn O’Vat Visitor Centre or the surrounding roads. Anyone found doing this will be disqualified.

Parking for cars and minibuses will be available at the public car park, Church Square, Ballater and in the adjacent streets. Please be courteous and considerate to avoid any inconvenience to locals.

The 201 bus route travels along the A93 from Aberdeen to Braemar, passing through Ballater which stops close by the Event Centre.

Course Information

Course Distance Climb Classes Scale
C1 9.6km 270m MO 1:10,000
C2 6.6km 170m MV(40+) W20 WO 1:10,000
C3 5.0km 130m

M18 MSV(55+) WV(40+)

 1:7,500
C4 3.7km 75m

M16 MUV(65+) W18 WSV(55+)

 1:7,500
C5 2.7km 50m

MHV(75+) W16 WUV(65+) WHV(75+)

 1:7,500
C6 2.7km 60m Novice 1:7,500

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

Entries closed

Facilities

Toilets

There are toilets within the Victoria Hall and there is a small public toilet block at the Burn O’Vat.

The nearest public toilets are in Church Square, Ballater (8am – 6pm).

Contacts / Officials

Planners: Jon Musgrave and Jordan Matthews

Controller: Paul Duley

Organisers: Caz Dudley and Pat Graham

Computing/ Results: Keith Roberts

Info about the area

One of Maroc's best areas. Surrounding Loch Kinord, Muir of Dinnet features technical contours, rock detail, various slopes and runnability from very fast to tough going.

More details about Muir of Dinnet

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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