INVERNESS SCHOOLS ORIENTEERING LEAGUE

Dates for the 2025 Schools Orienteering league below.

The Inverness Schools Orienteering League (ISOL) is organised by Inverness Orienteering Club with support from Active Schools. The league gives school pupils the opportunity to participate in local, fun and friendly competitions. The competitions are suitable for all levels, with pupils new to the sport able to learn map-reading skills at school before the events.

The league will run from April to May 2025 at the following locations:

-       Wednesday, 30^th April  Craigmonie Woods, Drumnadrochit (NGR NH 503294)

-       Wednesday, 14^th May    Craig Phadrig Woods, Inverness (NGR NH643456)

-       Wednesday, 28^st May   Ord Hill, Inverness (NGR NH656487)

Courses

Orienteering courses are colour coded by their difficulty. All events will have the following courses on offer:

1. White = Easy and short - all on paths, suitable for beginners, approx. 1-1.5km long
2. Yellow = A little more complex, all on path - uses simple linear features (paths, walls, streams, etc.), 1.5-2.5km long
3. Orange = Not all on paths, longer. Using a compass and making route choice, 2.5-3.5km long.
4. Light Green = Navigation skills needed; longer again. Crossing terrain using contours and 'point' features.
5. Green= technically difficult, crossing complex terrain, using a compass

Entry

Before each event we will email out detailed event info & entry form.

School groups must pre-enter the events by emailing This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.. The cost per pupil per event is £3 payable to INVOC by transfer or cheque. Each event must be entered individually. 

Results

Individual results are posted on the INVOC website for each event and there is a league table for participating schools across the series of three events. Prizes will be awarded at the end of the league series to the top 3 individuals in each of the following categories P4/5, P6/7, S1/2, S3/4 and S4/6 and to the top teams for large primary school (school roll >50), small primary school (school roll<50) and secondary school.

Best 4 runners will count towards the team scores for small schools (<50)

best 7 runners for large schools (>50). Best 5 runners for secondary schools.

The winner on each colour course will score 100 points. The second placed runner will score 99, third 98 and so on down to a minimum of 10. Runners who miss punch will score 10 for participating.

Competitors may run as a pair, but all competitors will be issued with a dibber and a map and must download their individual dibber in order to get a score for the event.

It is permitted to accompany (shadow) competitors if needed but in the spirit of the competition the supervising adult is expected to walk the course.

Transport

Please arrange your own transport to the events. Events will start at approximately 3:45pm.

Schools getting involved

All school groups must complete EVOLVE forms for these off-site excursions and submit them for approval to Outdoor Education in addition to their school EVC. Please remember that Orienteering is classified as an adventurous activity for the purposes of EVOLVE and must be risk assessed accordingly. To help you with registering with EVOLVE, the grid reference for the likely entry point for each event is included in the list of events above. 

All the events are planned and risk assessed by experienced INVOC members in accordance with British Orienteering Federation guidelines but school leaders will have do their own group risk assessment with any medical and behavioural needs unique to their group and ensure that they have sufficient staff/adult support to manage the group on the day.

Be aware that April/May is an extremely busy time for EVOLVE submissions, please ensure that they are submitted by the school in plenty of time (ideally before end of March)

We are really looking forward to welcoming your schools and pupils to our events. If you have any queries please do not hesitate to get in touch.

Kind regards,

Inverness Orienteering Club

(Above info in downloadable form)

Tick awareness poster

2024 results

School league

Pupil league

Handicap league

The INVOC Schools Orienteering League is sponsored by Innes and Mackay Solicitors and RJ McLEOD.  We are grateful for their support.

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Photo credit: Johannes Felter 

 INVOC Schools O League in the news

In the papers

2018 Fortrose Academy winners of INVOC SChools League and Scottish Schools Best High School 

  - read the newspaper report here

2018 BSGI winner of INVOC Schools League and Scottish Schools Best Primary School 

 - read the newspaper report here

On TV:  

A wee video from YouTube from the BBC Alba News of Inverness Gaelic School enjoying the final event of the 2016 series at Carse of Ardesier - enjoy the pictures if you can't understand all the commentary....

Credit: BBC Alba

 Previous winners