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Event Summary

Welcome to the final event (#6) in this year's Northern Orienteering Urban League, kindly sponsored by YourOMaps.  This time we will be at Burghead.  The area is ideal for urban orienteering, offering a traditional grid structure of roads, some modern housing and a good path network.  The area was last used for an orienteering event in 2024.  The routegadget is linked here: 2024-09-22 Burghead SOUL Event.

Two courses (long and short) have been planned which encounter estate roads that could be busy with other road users.  All competitors must check for traffic and other road users before crossing them.  Juniors under the age of 16 on the day of the event must be accompanied (rather than merely shadowed) by a responsible adult.  That adult will be responsible for their junior's safety.

This year's Series has six events, organised by BASOC, INVOC and MOR.  The event dates and locations are as follows:

  • Wednesday 17 June 2026 - Lochardil - INVOC.
  • Wednesday 24 June 2026 - Aviemore - BASOC. 
  • Wednesday 1 July 2026 - Fochabers - MOR.
  • Wednesday 5 August 2026 - Newtonmore - BASOC. 
  • Wednesday 26 August 2026 - UHI Raigmore - INVOC.
  • Wednesday 2 September 2026 - Burghead - MOR.

As this is the last event, prize giving will follow as soon as the race finishes and the results compiled.  Prizes will be awarded to 1st, 2nd and 3rd placed men and women on each course. 

Series Coordinators: Andrew Campbell (MOR) (fixtures@mor.scot) and Colin Salisbury (INVOC) (colinsalisbury65@icloud.com).

Urban
Local
SI AIR
1745-1845 hours
1800-1900 hours
2000 hours
88586
On Leads
Online
SiEntries

Directions and Parking

From Forres: Turn off the A96 onto the B9011 to Kinloss, then the B9089 to Burghead.  Turn left after the Roseisle distillery onto the B9089 and then left onto the B9013 into Burghead.

From Elgin: Turn off the A96 onto the B9013 to Burghead.  At College of Roseisle continue straight on and into Burghead. 

Car Parking.   There is plenty of on-street parking in the vicinity of the Assembly area plus two small car parks: one adjacent to the entrance to the Caravan Park and one down towards the Harbour.  Please be mindful of local residents and take care not to obstruct driveways or other private access.

Assembly.   What3Words:///dunk.filed.thank.  Located at Assembly: Pick up hired SI cards, First Aid and Prize Giving.

Toilets:  Public toilets are at Burghead Harbour.

Start and Finish

Start:  The start will be a short walk from Assembly.  The route will be taped.

Finish:  The finish will close to Assembly.

At Assembly

Courses

Two courses will be on offer:

  • Long: 4.4km, 95m climb (optimum route).
  • Short: 2.7km, 50m climb (optimum route).

Competitors aged 16 and over can run any of the two courses on their own.  Juniors under the age of 16 on the day of the event must be accompanied (rather than merely shadowed) by a responsible adult.  That adult will be responsible for their junior's safety.  

Participants must report to download by 2000 hours, even if you retire.

Terrain

Burghead is a coastal town with a harbourside area, a lattice network of roads in the western old town and a new housing estate in the east with roads and alleyways.  The town also has a caravan park in the south.  All areas may be used for the urban event.  

Planner's Notes

To add some more interesting route choices to the courses and keep you on your toes, artificial barriers have been used, shown as a red line on the map. Most of these will not be manned so it is your responsibility to make sure you aren't passing through these barriers to keep it fair!  Some of these barriers may be diagonally across crossroads, an example is shown below with arrows showing where you are allowed to run.

Burghead Artificial Barrier

Burghead also has plenty of cliffs and walls, especially in the northern part of the area, with some being mapped as crossable and some uncrossable, to give some route choice.  However, be sure to not cross any uncrossable cliffs or walls, as they can be pretty high. 

Also on the northwestern side, there was some construction work ongoing in mid August, which will not be mapped and may well not be there by the time the event comes, but just to warn you not to trespass where there is tape, etc, if it is still there.

1:4000m, with 2.5m contours.

Entry Details

Entries:

  • Online entries, via SI Entries, will close at 2359 hours on Sunday 30 August 2026. 
  • Entries can also be edited/changed/cancelled until this closure again subject to map availability.
  • There will be limited entry on the day, subject to an extra £1 and map availability.  

Entry Fees:

  • Senior Non-Member - £8.00.
  • Senior SOA Member - £7.00.
  • Senior BOF Member - £6.00.
  • Junior/Student Non-Member - £4.
  • Junior/Student Member - £3.

Dibber Hire available - £1 (non-SI Air).

SiEntries

Final Details

Safety Information

  • Competitors take part at their own risk and are responsible for their own safety.
  • Juniors aged under 16 on the day of the event must be accompanied (rather than merely shadowed) by a responsible adult.
  • Participants are advised to be mindful of other competitors and users in narrow passageways (particularly entering them via a blind corner).
  • Participants are advised of potential trip hazards, including tree roots, stony and broken ground, litter, kerbs and steps.

Event Officials

Elizabeth Furness
Finlay McLuckie
ejf@briach.net
Peter McLuckie

Ticks and Covid

Ticks

Risk Awareness:   Please be aware that ticks are common across many of the areas we run in and can carry infections such as Lyme Disease and Tick-Borne Encephalitis.  Ticks are active in the UK primarily from March to October, but year-round vigilance is recommended.

Prevention Strategies:   

  • Wearing full leg and abdomen cover in the forest.  
  • Applying insect repellent to exposed skin and clothing.
  • Checking yourself for ticks after your run.  Common areas for ticks include behind the knees, underarms, hairline, and any pressure points.
  • Considering vaccination against TBE, if visiting high-risk areas in Europe or Asia.

Tick Removal and Symptoms:   Consider using a tick removal tool to ensure the tick is removed quickly and completely.   If a tick has attached, it should be removed as soon as possible.

Health Action:  If symptoms develop, such as a rash or flu-like symptoms, individuals should seek medical advice promptly and mention the tick bite, as not all doctors may be familiar with the conditions.

Key Resources:

 

COVID-19 Guidance (Updated March 2025)

If you have symptoms of COVID or have tested positive to COVID, then do not attend the event or activity to help avoid spreading infection.