Auchengillan International Outdoor Centre is owned and operated by the Greater Glasgow Scout Council who also hold the copyright. The map has a complicated mixture of open grassland, patches of fast forest, buildings and fenced enclosures. There is also a surprising amount of contour, rock and marsh detail. The area is ideal for short training courses and sprint races. It even has indoor toilets.
Mapped in 2016 by GB elite orienteer Graham Gristwood. With thanks to project funders West Dunbartonshire Council, West Dunbartonshire Leisure and Loch Lomond & the Trossachs National Park.
The map extends from the shores of Loch Lomond to the top of Conic Hill. Most of the area is open with reasonabley fast running but the unwary will be caught out by the wealth of rock and contour detail and the absence of line features on the higher slopes. The lower slopes have a mixture of open natural woodland and plantation. The views from the higher slopes are magnificant. There is a carpark with a visitor centre and toilets on the edge of the map in Balmaha.
Classic Scottish West Coast Area. An area consisting mainly of natural woodland with some open moorland and a little cropped grazing. There is a wealth of contour detail on all scales and a fair scattering of rock detail. There are few line features making this a true test of orienteering ability in magnificent surroundings.
Remapped in early 2014 with a hugely improved basemap the area now has the map it deserves. Lots of interesting detail and ideal for sprint and middle distance races.
Rising to 298m above Greenock this is a classic large area of open moorland. There is a lot of contour and rock detail with extra interest added by various bits of industrial archeology. During the Industrial Revolution the area was used to supply water to Greenock leaving a number of reservoirs both large and small, and an 8km aqueduct, the Greenock Cut, running round the foot of the hillside. Amazing views of the Clyde coast on a clear day! The Greenock Cut visitor centre has toilets, educational displays and a small cafe.
Erskine is a superbly intricate urban area. Mapped to ISSOM standard by Patrick and used for British Squad World Championships Selection races in 2010 and Nopesport Urban League Races in 2011.
This area to the South of Aberfoyle has pretty much everything. Lots of good contour and rock detail, with the occasional marsh thrown in. The vegetation is a mix of deciduous woodland and mature plantation. An area new to all but the more senior orienteers, map originally drawn by Donald Petrie in the 1980s, completely remapped by Marcus Pinker in 2012 and updated and extended to the north-west by Jon Musgrave in 2016.
The original mapped area comprises a mixture of mature deciduous and plantation forest, with the recently revised and extended map including an extensive new area of oak woodland and some technical plantation forest. The eastern third is mainly ancient oak wood, mostly very runnable aside from some patches of bracken which will be dying back and shouldn’t affect running speeds significantly. Some of the mature working coniferous plantation has been affected by previous gales and subsequent forestry operations to extract fallen timber. The area is packed with interesting detail and should offer a great orienteering challenge.
Round the end of the Gare Loch this military training area is largely open moorland with lost of contour and rock detail. The tops of the hill are gently undulating with steep drops down to the sea on either side. Heather can make the going tough in places. Permission MUST be obtained before going near this area, some bits are guarded by people with live weapons.
Covering the area of Glasgow between Charing Cross and Maryhill, this urban map currently includes the east side of Kelvingrove Park as well as residential streets of varying complexity. The map is a work in progress, and is being extended to include Hillhead and the Glasgow University campus. Used for the Glasgow City Race in 2007 and club training events.
This largely urban map was produced by local residents Donald and Andy. It is an interestingly complicated mixture of urban, open and forested terrain and the rapid changes of terrain mean you really have to keep your wits about you. The map had its first use at the AGM and street race in 2009.
A wonderfully mixed area of housing estate, parkland, semi-wild open, and dense woodland. An excellent area for training and shorter races - you’ll have to keep your wits about you to run well here. Based around the Linwood Sports Hub, sponsored by Linwood Community Sports Hub, a Sportscotland/Renfrewshire Council initiative.
Mains Estate has a wide variety of terrain from complex urban areas to runnable woodlands. It provides both intricate navigation and challenging route choices.
An interestingly varied sprint area including parkland, complicated housing estates, woodland, bridges and underpasses, railways and supermarkets. A great test of varying pace and skills.
Mapped by Dave Robertson.
An urban map of the Mosshead suburb of Glasgow produced by local resident Dave. The mapped area is mainly residential with some parkland and woodland. Good for route choice and fast running with enough pockets of detail to keep you thinking.
A favourite CLYDE area. A huge mixture of terrain. At the South end we have the urban environment of Milngavie town centre where the railway station and supermarket are on the map. The North has rough moorland and mixed plantation forest and the middle section has areas of managed country park, woodland and moorland. There are even 2 ruined castles and some WWII archeology around. There is a good network of paths through this varied terrain and areas of intricate details in contours, rock and vegetation. The visitor centre has toilets with piped music, two different cafes, a garden centre and shop.
Mapped in late 2015 by GB elite orienteer Graham Gristwood, and first used for the Paisley city race in April 2016. Many thanks to Renfrewshire Council and the SportsScotland Community Sports Hub initiative for funding.
A large urban park in the South side of Glasgow. The Auldhouse Burn runs through the centre of the map in a significant gorge with interesting rock and contour features along its length. The parkland to the East of the gorge is well manicured and very fast running with enough detail to confuse the unwary. To the West of the gorge the park is less manicured but still fast and pleasant running. A good area of training events and sprint races.
Rising to 365m above the Clyde Estuary The Slacks is an area of open hillside overlooking the Erskine Bridge. It offers mainly fast running, though with small sections of deeper heather, and contains interesting contour and rock detail. Its distance from any car parking options make it unsuitable for holding events on, but it is a useful small training area. The map is being extended to the south and west. Like many open moors it is best appreciated at night.
A new orienteering map of Whitelee windfarm, commissioned by East Renfrewshire Council, who hold the copyright. Clydeside Orienteers worked with the Whitelee rangers to produce a series of permanent courses (beginners, intermediate, advanced and 10k challenge). Maps are available at the visitor centre. Open moorland, wind turbines, detailed contour features and amazing views.
Open moorland beside Muirshiel Country Park. Nice contour features and a lot of surprising rock on the top of Craig Minnan. The Country Park visitor centre has toilets.