DELTA PARK PERMANENT ORIENTEERING COURSES
Welcome to the Delta Park permanent Orienteering courses. Orienteering is an exciting, educational and rewarding form of recreation using your common sense to navigate yourself around the countryside.
Orienteering gives you a walk (or run) with a difference, a visit to a park with a challenge, and a marvellous way of enjoying the countryside. It can be an activity for one individual, groups such as Scouts, Guides, birthday parties, or the whole family, winter or summer. You can walk, taking small children, or run energetically. You can stop to picnic and admire the view and wildlife/birdlife.
We have provided two Orienteering courses, one a short course based on the standard 'Cross country' Orienteering principle, where the object is to visit a series of controls (checkpoints) in a specified order by the easiest and most efficient route of your choosing. The second course combines the principle of 'Score' Orienteering with a Natural History flavour whereby using a set of Natural History clues you obtain points for answering the question correctly when visiting the checkpoint, trying to attain the highest sum of points usually within a maximum period of time, say, 60 minutes. You can try both courses on one day or come back on another occasion to try a second course.
What does the orienteer need?
A little more information
These permanent Orienteering courses have been set up and maintained by members of the Kudus Orienteering Club together with assistance from the staff of Delta Environmental Centre. The map has been surveyed and drawn to a highly detailed and accurate level. The map has a key giving descriptions of the features, symbols and colours that are used to depict the terrain. The scale (ratio of map distance to actual distance on the ground) is also given. For the 'Cross country' course permanent control markers are set out in the park at the appropriate location - these markers are made of wood with a red and white band around the top on which is painted a code consisting of a letter and a number e.g. X3. Sample markers are to be found at the north-eastern corner of the car park and denote the start and finish.
What to do
The Orienteering pack includes overprinted maps for both courses together with the clue sheets for both courses. Decide which of the two courses you wish to complete and follow the instructions.
The controls are denoted on the map by the red circles. The start and finish point is denoted by a red triangle inside a red circle and is to be found in the North East corner of the visitors' car park.
Turn the map until features and objects to the left of the start/finish symbol are on your left, and similarly for the right. If you have a compass, line up the North on the map with the compass needle (red and always points North). It is easier to follow paths, streams and fences or walls to start with. Check the distance to the control bearing in mind that the map scale of 1:10000 means that 1cm on the map equals 100 metres on the ground. Move your thumb along the route on the map as you progress - recognising obvious features on your way. This helps you to know where you are and how close you are to the control. Keep your map set so that your route on the map always points directly away from your head towards your control. The control marker (or clue) will be found at the centre of each of the circles drawn on the map. When you reach the control check that it is the one you are seeking (see the specific instructions for each course below) and note the code or feature as required before setting out on the next route. Choose a route to the next control and proceed as before.
"Cross Country Course"
There are nine controls to be visited. At each checkpoint there is a wooden marker as described earlier. Attached to your map is a Description sheet which details the controls in sequence, and a description of the feature at which the control will be found. The LETTER is the first part of the code which is painted on the side of the marker. Write down both the letter and the number which are found on the marker, into the appropriate numbered square on the side of your map. You MUST visit the controls in the correct sequence. The course can be made competitive amongst groups by starting at intervals and taking elapsed times. The winner is the one who visits all the controls correctly in the shortest time.
"Natural History Course"
There are fifteen controls which can be visited in any sequence. At each checkpoint there will be a natural history feature which is the answer to the natural history question on the attached cluesheet. Write the answer in the space provided on the cluesheet. Each question is given a points score which is related to the difficulty in both locating the control and answering the question. You may visit all the checkpoints or if competing in a group allow a maximum time, say 60 minutes, for competitors to visit as many controls as possible (deducting penalties of 10 points for every minute over the maximum time allowed). The points are awarded for answering the question correctly at each control and the winner is the person(s) with the highest total number of points in the shortest time.
Answers
The answers will be found in the sealed envelopes in your Orienteering pack. We suggest you do not open it until you have completed your course(s).
GOOD LUCK AND GOOD ORIENTEERING!
For further information on orienteering contact:
* Kudus Orienteering Club Tel: (011) 680-8184
* Rand Orienteering Club Tel: (011) 614-6573
* RAC Orienteering Club Tel: (011) 706-2714
* Other areas in SA Tel: (011) 680-8184