Park-O
Our Park-O events are an easy way for juniors and adults to try orienteering. Based in parks around Cambridge, Park-O takes place on a Saturday afternoon 1pm-3pm. We schedule our Park-Os in the gaps between our full scale Sunday orienteering events and we hope that once you have tried Park-O you will come along to all our events.
What happens at Park-O? Click here to find out...
Each course costs £3 for juniors/students and £5 for adults (21yrs+) or family groups. Entry for a second course on the same day is just £1 subject to map availability.
More about Park-O
It’s a lot of fun! Orienteering is enjoyed by people of all ages and abilities. You can stroll with a pushchair, jog with children or run. You decide, just enjoy the adventure!
Our Park-O orienteering courses vary between about 2 and 3km as the crow flies between each ‘control’ point that you’re looking for. It usually takes between 15 and 90 minutes, depending on which course you’re trying, whether you walk or run and how lost you get… If you enjoy it as much as we do and have time, you could try another straight away!
To ensure there is a map available for you (and make things easier for our hardworking registration team), you should pre-register your entry, but entry on the day is also available subject to the availability of spare maps. Starts are open from 1pm-3pm although courses close at 3.30pm so please book an early start slot if you want to try a longer course.
We have large banners at our registration point so you can’t miss us. We look forward to seeing you!
Want to bring a group?
Please let us know in advance if you’d like to bring a group (such as a school or guide/scout group) so that we can make sure we have enough maps for everyone on the day. Send a group entry form to: entries@waoc.org.uk
Already tried and loved a Park-O?
We’d love to see you again at another – they’re different every time! We also run other events which you might like to give a go.
For more details and just in case things change, please check this website or our Facebook page closer to the time.
Our Park-O series in 2019-20 was supported by Sport England & the National Lottery.
All competitors take part at their own risk.
Registration and start times
Park-O events are on a Saturday, and run between 1pm and 3pm. Unless otherwise specified for an event, the entry details and available courses are as shown below.
Entry Details
You may enter on the day; just turn up and come to the registration tent! However, if possible, please pre-enter at https://waoc.oentry.uk/ to ensure we have enough maps and to speed things up on the day. Pre-entry will close at the end of the day on the Thursday before the event, but the earlier you can enter the better.
| Children/Students | £3 |
| Adults (21ys+) | £5 |
| Family Groups | £5 |
| Second runs (when available) | £1 |
Course information
We typically offer the following courses at a Park-O event:
- Short ~ 2km Easy (Comparable to a "Yellow" course at a regular Orienteering event)
- Long ~ 3km Medium difficulty (Comparable to an "Orange" course at a regular O event)
- Odds/Evens score course - intended for more experienced orienteers: visit as many controls as you can within a fixed time limit of 30 minutes. You can get odds and then evens or evens then odds, but once you switch you cannot go back.
If you want to know more about how we grade courses as "Easy", "Medium" etc., look for the "Colour Coded Course Standards" section in our beginners' guide.