Permanent Orienteering Courses

POC control

POC control
Photo credit: British Orienteering

Last updated: Wed 12 May 2021

If you’d like to try orienteering while socially distancing, then a permanent course might be just right for you. It enables you to follow a map and find the controls in your own time.

For those new to orienteering there is a new Orienteering Foundation video Permanent Orienteering Courses – Discover an Outdoor Adventure to give you an idea of what to expect.

Guildford Orienteers with support from Surrey Wildlife Trust maintains a permanent orienteering course at Newlands Corner off the A25, near Guildford Surrey GU4 8SE. It was last updated in April 2018. Start and finish are at the far end of the car park.

Surrey Wildlife Trust / Streetmap location map(Grid Reference on OS Map 186 is TQ043493). Parking is free at Newlands Corner.

Map packs are available for a small fee from the visitor centre / by post from GO via email, or you can download and print a detailed map with instructions FREE from the British Orienteering website. This gives you the location of 16 Orienteering Controls which you can find on wooden posts – some are easier to locate than others!

The easiest challenge is to follow Controls 1 – 9 in order (about 2km) – this is Yellow standard and shouldn’t take too long! If you’d prefer something higher tech then you can follow this course using the popular MapRunF app – this uses GPS to tell you when you are near to the control and gives an automatic result.

Neighbouring clubs also manage Permanent Courses:

In North-West Surrey and East Hampshire by Southern Navigators:

To the East of Guildford by Mole Valley Orienteering Club – currently 11 courses.

Or search for: any course in the country on the British Orienteering website.