Permanent Orienteering Courses

What is a Permanent Orienteering Course?

A Permanent Orienteering Course (POC) consists of a map of an area with a series of 'controls' marked on it. These correspond to control markers on the ground such as posts or orange and white labels.

The aim is to navigate around the course, practising map reading and exploring the area at your own pace whether that be walking as a family, jogging with your pet dog, or livening up some run training.
Permanent courses are usually set up in areas which are easily accessible to the public, and where there is somewhere such as an information kiosk where you can obtain a copy of the map. (There may be a small charge for the map to cover costs of printing and to contribute to maintaining the course). We are trying to make all maps available on-line too.

The control markers carry a number which matches the control code on the map (so you know you have found the right site). They usually also carry a letter code. The letter code is not shown on the course map, and can be written down as proof that you found the right location.

Local Permanent Orienteering Courses

All the WAOC permanent orienteering courses and their current status can be found on the MapRun.uk website and viewed below: