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.
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.
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 hillside. Amazing views in the daytime, and a great experience at night! There is a visitor centre at Cornalees Bridge with toilets 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.
Near: Erskine, scotland, GoogleMap, Multimap, OS Grid ref. NS 473705
Fairy Knowe and Doon Hill
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 and now completely remapped by Marcus Pinker in 2012.
The mapped area comprises a mixture of mature deciduous and plantation forest. The eastern third is mainly ancient oak wood, mostly very runnable aside from some patches of bracken (unmapped) which are now dying back and shouldn’t affect running speeds significantly. The remainder of the area is mature working coniferous plantation. Some of this has been severely affected by last winter’s gales and subsequent forestry operations to extract fallen timber. As a result, parts of the map contain many unmapped vehicle tracks, though these are obviously new and shouldn’t confuse experienced orienteers. In addition, some mapped tracks have been badly churned up by machinery and may be hard going in wet conditions.
Despite this, the area is packed with interesting detail, is mostly runnable, and should offer a great orienteering challenge. It is also quite hilly, which is reflected by the climb on most courses.
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.
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.
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 have been working with the Whitelee rangers to produce a series of permanent courses, which will launch shortly in 2013. 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 with hot showers for those that want them.