Welcome to the INVOC website.

Recent website updates:

15th Jan: Ness Castle and Cuillaird Wood Results and event report (below on homepage)

14th Jan:  NNC5 Cuillaird Wood Final details,

14th Jan: Culloden Woods preliminary details

Our next event(s): 

Sunday Feb 2nd: Culloden Woods, Local Event

Welcome to Culloden Woods for a friendly local event.  We offer you a pleasant day orienteering near Inverness with a range of courses to suit all ages and abilities, including beginners.  Many thanks to the Scottish School of Forestry and Forestry and Land Scotland for use of the areas.

Preliminary Details

Online entry

Training and Coaching:

Technique training:  Dates for the New Year to be announced. However, if you can practice in the NIght Cup events really good training for Direction and distance estimation.

iROMP:  Controls are now out in Achnasoul near Marybank.  Maps have been distributed to the training groups.  If you haven't received one and want a map for own training please email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..    

Running training: The park run is a regular for many INVOCs including our best runners. For those using Strava as a training log join the INVOC Strava club. This week's Strava training league table is here.  

Our next Team INVOC races:

Sun March 15th 2020.  Compass Sport Cup, Perthshire.  More details in the New Year.

The next few 'local' events 

See the Events page for all forthcoming INVOC fixtures and links to other clubs' and national fixture lists.   

For 2020 Scottish Orienteering League fixtures: SOL1 Feb 15th Darnaway, others to follow.  2020 Scottish Championships: to follow

Weds Jan 15th - Cuillaird and Ness Castle Woods NNC Event

[posted 16th Jan 2019]

Thanks to the event team of James Laird (organiser/planner), Alison Matheson (Assistant Organiser), Ian Shread (SI), Jon Shepherd (safety sign off).  Thanks to the additional helpers on the day Jon Shepherd, Marsela McLeod and Finlay Raynor.  Many thanks to Makar Ltd for parking and letting us use one of their portacabins.

Ness Castle and Cuillaird Wood Results

Organiser/planner comments

Some wild weather preceded the 5th Northern Night Cup event, but this had in the main dissipated by the time of the event leaving only the debris of storms in its wake - primarily a very high watertable.  The wood was very wet, muddy and the water features were a lot bigger than they usually are!  Still 38 brave souls  took on the courses.  Comments received were polarised between it was great, to that was a lot rougher than I enjoy. 

There was some uncertainty about what parts of the area we would get access to due to the impending construction of Phase 3 of Ness Castle housing scheme, so I planned a compact set of courses with the majority within Cuillaird Wood (which unfortunately is the roughest bit).  Having said that I felt that given the extensive path network and close proximity of the controls to the path network that if people wished they could spend 80% of the course in Cuillaird Wood on the path network. With hindsight I should have checked the height of some of the control kites a bit more carefully on placing them - particularly those on indistinct features in deep heather. Control 165 on the marsh edge/vegetation change probably the most.  On placing that control I was distracted by the large body of water that had formed enroute to everyone's first control.  I was wondering if it's presence would mean cancellation of the event or a major hand drawing re-working of courses.  As it was I was able to mark a route through/around the new water feature!  Having changed into dry leggings, socks and put wellies on after the control hanging, I then went and tripped up in this new water feature, whilst marking the route round it, filling both wellies completely and spending the rest of the evening with swamp feet!!! The extra time involved in doing this extra weather related on the day checking and the additional tasks it entailed meant starts were delayed 10 minutes or so.  Thanks everyone for your patience.

Undoubtedly the weather and the water combined with the usual night orienteering made it very challenging conditions for everyone. Big kudos to all those who showed up on the day and gave the courses a good bash.

James Laird

Weds Dec 18th - Nairn East Beach NNC event

[posted 23rd Dec 2019]

Thanks to Team Keith for hosting the event and Joan Noble on SI, and Alec in particular who is struggling to move.  We do at last know why the Keiths are so successful at running as their ankles are mid-thigh for most of us (that ankle deep stream crossing.....)

Nairn East Beach results

Organisers/Planners comments

Thanks to everyone who made it along to Nairn East Beach last night, we hope you enjoyed the event despite some "challenging" conditions - there was far more frozen terrain than we had been expecting, and well done on persevering and also showing a sense of humour at the river crossing - perhaps a flash tidal rush had deepened the channel recently, or maybe as Alison believes my ankles are unusually located!

If anyone entered but didn't take part and wants their map, please let us know and we will provide.

Huge thank yous to Gilly, Megan, Joan,  Iain, Steve, Wullie, Alison and all others who helped make the event work.

Best wishes for the festive season

Alec Keith

Club League 2019

[posted Nov 29th]

The INVOC club league has come to an end for 2019.  Congratulations to all who participated and who got their 5 counting events.  The last event was at Carse last weekend and some good performances led to changes at the top.  Ken Naismith is our new Senior Mens Club Champion, whilst Jacquie Laird is the Senior Women's Champion.  Angus Laird and Rachael Scott pick up the honours for the boys and girls leagues. 

Full results on the club league page. 

Many thanks to Wullie Nicolson for doing the leagues once again.  Prizes to be awarded at our AGM at our Littlemill event on March 1st.

Carse of Ardesier - 24th November 2019

[posted 29th Nov]

Finally a mild November day arrived, which was good for our Carse of Ardesier event. Though the overnight deluge had dampened things in the forest. 120 people came to enjoy the orienteering and the Simpson/Sime cake sale! Well done to everyone. Thanks go to the hardworking event team of Rhona Fraser (organiser), James Laird (planner), Ronan Blackwood (SI) and Ade Chapman (MOR) (controller), and to all the helpers on the day. Great hardstanding parking, to which we want to thank the CWC Group and Alex Stewart.

Results available here