Orienteering courses

Overview

The idea is simple. The map shows the start, the controls to find, joined up in order, and the finish. Each control is a fixed post or marker, with a code to write down, a pin punch that stamps a pattern on your control card or, at some sites, a QR code to scan with an app. At the finish, you check your answers against the key. Courses are often colour-coded: green for first-timers, then blue, red and finally black for experienced orienteers.

In France, the French orienteering federation (FFCO) calls these sites permanent orienteering courses. It distinguishes leisure areas, open to the general public and schools, from sports areas reserved for club members' training and camps. The sites are mapped to the sport's specifications. Local councils, tourist offices and clubs keep them running, and the FFCO's map library lists them.

An orienteering map is read by its colours: brown for landforms and contour lines, blue for water, black for rocks, paths and buildings, yellow for open ground, white for forest that is easy to run through and green for vegetation that slows you down. For a gentler outing in the woods, see fitness trails and trailheads too.

Where to find orienteering courses

12 orienteering courses listed in 12 towns.

By country

• Orienteering courses in France 8
• Orienteering courses in Switzerland 2
• Orienteering courses in Luxembourg 1
• Orienteering courses in Belgium 1

Best-equipped towns

• Annecy 1
• Geneva 1
• Lausanne 1
• Grenoble 1
• Luxembourg City 1
• Paris 1
• Lyon 1
• Rennes 1
• Nantes 1
• Strasbourg 1
• Brussels 1
• Dijon 1

Who it's for

Rules of the game

There is no referee on a permanent course: you check your own run against the key. The basic rules are those of orienteering.

• Start from the point shown on the map and find the controls in numerical order.
• At each control, write down the code or punch once, in the box with that control's number.
• A control only counts if the code or punch matches the key.
• Do not cross out-of-bounds or dangerous areas marked on the map, or private property.
• Do not move, dismantle or damage any control: others will come after you.
• Choose a course that suits your level: green to start, then blue, red and black.
• Respect the opening hours of the park or site.

Safety and gear

• Tell someone which course you are doing and when you expect to be back, and keep a charged phone with you.
• Set yourself a cut-off time: if you pass it, head for the nearest path and make your way back to the start.
• If you are lost, head for a feature that is easy to recognise on the map, such as a path, a road or the edge of the woods, and start again from there.
• Young children go with an adult or in pairs, never alone in the woods.
• Wear shoes that support your ankles and clothes that cover your legs against brambles.
• After an outing in the woods, check your skin for ticks.
• In an accident, call 112 and describe where you are using the number of the nearest control.

Regulations

European standards are voluntary, but they are the reference when an accident happens. The rules posted on site always come first.

Etiquette

• Leave every control exactly as you found it, for those who come next.
• Do not give away where controls are to other teams, unless they ask.
• Keep quiet as you cross the undergrowth: forest wildlife needs peace.
• Do not trample young plantations, and go around closed areas.
• Take your rubbish and your map home, unless there is a box to return it.
• Greet the walkers and foresters you meet, and let them pass on narrow paths.

Glossary

Control

A point to find. On a permanent course it is a fixed post or marker.

Kite

In races, the white-and-orange fabric marker that shows the control. Permanent courses often use a post instead.

Control description

A precise description of where a control is, for example “foot of the boulder, north side”, written in words or in international symbols.

Control card

The card on which you write the code or punch the box for each control you find.

Pin punch

A punch fixed at the control that stamps a pattern unique to that control onto your card.

Contour line

A brown line joining points at the same height. The closer the lines, the steeper the slope.

Handrail

A linear feature that is easy to follow, such as a path, fence or stream, leading you towards the control.

Bearing

The direction to follow, taken with a compass, when no feature leads you to the control.

What to bring

• Printed map and a plastic sleeve
• Compass
• Pencil to write down codes
• Trail or walking shoes
• Watch to keep track of time

FAQ