“Orienteering is an exciting outdoor adventure sport which involves walking or running whilst navigating around a course using a detailed map and sometimes a compass”.
British Orienteering Federation
Events
Isle of Man Orienteering Klubb
‘Family friendly competitive fun, your choice to walk or run’
We host 3 main events each year: two fun competitions on Easter Monday and Boxing Day, and the 7 Kingdoms IoM Orienteering Championship in September. The Championship has at least 3 course levels: Novice, Intermediate and Senior.
View Policies for Health & Safety, Safeguarding, Equality.
Maps
Download a map for FREE for one of the many permanent Orienteering courses in plantations and countryside, urban parks and school playgrounds. It’s a great sport for runners, joggers and walkers who want to improve their navigation skills or for anyone who loves the outdoors.
Brief History
William Higgins, a teacher at Cronk Y Berry primary, has been driving grassroots Orienteering for a number of years, setting up fun courses in school grounds. In 2012 Worldwide Orienteering Promotion sponsored the creation of two modern orienteering maps (Archallagan and Nobles Park) with the help of Sandor Talas, an avid orienteer with decades of international orienteering experience (including organising MTB Orienteering World Championships) who moved to the island in that year. Using the new maps, William established permanent courses in Nobles Park and in Archallagan Plantation (backed by DEFA), later followed by Peel Hill, the town itself, and Knockaloe Beg farm. All with high grade maps and control points.
The Isle of Man Orienteering Klubb (IoMOK) was formed in March 2017 to develop the sport of Orienteering on the Isle of Man. A series of ‘come and try’ events over the summer culminated in a highly successful inaugural Championship event in September, sponsored by Mylchreests Group. The sport continues to grow with new areas mapped every year.
Accessible Activity
In competitive Orienteering events, the aim is to navigate in sequence between a set of control points and decide the best route to complete the course in the quickest time. The September Championship runs on this format. It does not matter how young, old or fit you are, as you can run, walk or jog the course and progress at your own pace. ‘Free order’ events allow participants to find control points in any order. The Boxing day and Easter Monday fun events run in this format.
British Orienteering
Several members of the Isle of Man Orienteering Klubb are members of The British Orienteering Federation (BOF) the sport’s governing body. Given the accessible nature of the sport, and its popularity worldwide, many competitors are prepared to travel to attend BOF events.
Learning
Developing literacy through orienteering is becoming increasingly used by educational institutions who view the outdoors as an effective learning tool. Each IoMOK event has a simple format, different location and theme to keep it fresh. The most popular is Boxing Day with a mass start at 10:30am. How many controls can you find in an hour! Mince Pies and hot drinks are encouraged.