Orienteering

Margam Park is a great place to learn the skills of map reading. In the park there is a series of 7 orienteering courses.  They vary in complexity from fairly easy to advanced.

Why not start with the first and work your way through them?

Additional information is provided in an Orienteering pack available directly from the Park.

Other forms of Orienteering for competition and training

The seven courses available in the Park’s Orienteering Pack are of the form known as ‘cross-country’. The courses are progressive, from ‘fairly easy’ for novices, to ‘difficult’ designed for people with experience. They can provide the basis for competitions, or they can be enjoyed purely as a personal challenge to find the controls efficiently without worrying about the time element. Stop to enjoy the views whenever you wish - but don’t forget where you are on the map!

The following forms of orienteering are suitable for groups looking for competition and training in Margam Park. You will need to download copies of the ‘All Controls’ orienteering map and the control descriptions that accompany this section.

 The start and finish of any one activity should be in the same place, but you can select the location anywhere on the map to vary the controls that can be visited. The organiser must make sure the selected start/finish is marked on each map in use. Bear in mind that the higher the number allocated to the controls on the map, the harder it is to find.

 #  AC = ‘All controls’ map available for self-selection of controls to be visited, or for use with suggested courses. Some areas offer separate maps for each course.

TD = Technical difficulty, ie 1 = easy (for young novices); 

2 = fairly easy (for novices in general);

3 = moderate (for inexperienced adults and those progressing from TD2; 

4 =  fairly difficult (a good grounding at TD3 is necessary); 

5 = difficult (broad experience necessary)

 Acknowledgements:  This orienteering facility was established in association with Swansea Bay Orienteering Club which provided the map, surveyed and drawn by Simon Beck. The courses were planned by Peter Seward who also compiled the notes on orienteering techniques and further orienteering opportunities.