Northern Ireland Outdoors Forum - Hiking, camping and more
Outdoor Activities => Northern Ireland Hiking, Walking, Running, Orienteering and Geocaching => Topic started by: wrh51 on September 25, 2012
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NIOC2012 - First weekend in October
This year's Northern Ireland Championships returns to Binevenagh on a new extended map which will reveal a whole new side of this special Orienteering area.
The area was first used for the Irish Orienteering Championships in 1990 - in this event the courses started on an area of complex high farmland and then moved under or over the spectacular 300 foot Binevenagh cliff face on fast open land before descending into the unusual complex contoured forested area. Unfortunately shortly after the event we lost access to this farmland and courses ever since have been constrained to a relatively small area below the cliff and in the forest which has suffered from felling over this period.
Now in 2012 we are delighted to again have access to the high farmland and a whole new area of maturing mixed woodland beyond this. This area while not as complex as the main Binevenagh forest has an interesting network of old boundaries, gullies and boulders with relatively low visibility requiring careful compass and pacing. There is also a new hillside which most courses will visit. Finally the old forest has matured and new white areas will give new challenges even to regular competitors here
Saturday will also feature the Irish TrailO Champs on the summit of Binevenagh and there will be a training night event at Downhill Forest in the evening. On Sunday there will be a Sprint race at the Ulster of Ulster in Coleraine.
For more information check out the NIOC website