Hopetoun HouseSun 16 Nov

Hopetoun House from the west
Credit: Crawford Lindsay

British Schools Orienteering Championships

Last updated: Tue 25 November, 2025

National event

Explanation of event types

Local events are usually low key and in the 'localised' area, ideal for newcomers to try the sport and Training events are non competitive and used for training and coaching, aimed at members of the club, but they can attract people from neighbouring clubs, and are often ideal for newcomers to try the sport. Regional events attract participants from around the local Region, National events are high quality competitions that will attract people from far away, Major events are Major Events such as a British Championships. Virtual events are where there are no physical controls being used. Your presence at a control is registered using an App on your mobile phone, normally the free MapRun App.

Results

The results are available here

Routegadget is available here

Officials' Reports

Controller's Report - Terry O'Brien BEM (STAG)

It was a pleasure to be able to play a very small part in this project and I thank Janet for asking me to be involved back in late 2023.

The ESOC Core team - Janet, Jayne, Emma A., Martin and Margaret - worked well in tandem with the Estate and with the help of friends from within ESOC, ELO, FVO, INT and TAY delivered an impressive event.

Thanks also to Emma P. and Derek, the Hopetoun House Rangers for their support.

Martin deserves your thanks as the BSOC is a real challenge to plan. 4 White, 4 Yellow, 4 Orange, 4 Light Green and 2 Green courses were required all within a very safe but limited area and his efficiency made my role straightforward.

Based on previous events/results at Hopetoun House, we agreed to increase the length of the courses for the older competitors but this still proved a little short.

Since its inception back in 1987 @ Sutton Park, the BSOC has been held 4 times in Scotland - 1989 Glasgow, 1996 Pitlochry, 2011 Linlithgow and now 2025 Edinburgh and I have been fortunate to have an involvement in all these projects.

When STAG hosted the BSOC in 1989 900+ travelled to Glasgow and some 36 years on, just over 300 competed at Hopetoun House. On Sunday one of ESOC's helpers asked me 'Where are all the Mini-buses? I just smiled; we live in changing times.

Like so many others I still believe in the benefits and rewards which accrue from having Orienteering within a Schools' curriculum and just like I have found with STAG, the merit of offering an experience which adds to the common good of society should never be underestimated despite the chances of further engagement in mainstream Orienteering being unlikely.

I do hope that your students have taken away pleasant memories from their visit and your journeys home were safe and uneventful.

In summary, a grand day out at a superb location, delivering the sport we all love never fails to give me immense pleasure

(A retired PE Teacher since 2019).

Planner's Report - Martin Caldwell (ESOC)

It was a privilege to plan the British Schools Championship courses and a challenge to create 18 interesting, varied and demanding routes within a limited space. I spent many hours looking around the place to establish suitable locations, but I cannot imagine a nicer place to do so.

The cooperation of the Hopetoun House Rangers and all the estate team was invaluable. Jayne's core team and a host of volunteers kept everything running smoothly and I thank Terry O'Brien for his insight as controller, which made a great difference.

When competition day arrived, it was amazing to see the tremendous enthusiasm and determination of all the runners in this beautiful setting. They should all be very proud to have completed their tricky courses.

Organisers Report - Emma Anderson (ESOC)

Sunday morning dawned cold and bright and Hopetoun House looked splendid in the early light as I drove up towards it. Some ESOC members were already at work setting out controls, setting up the starts and taping out of bounds. The team from BSOA arrived to set up download and more volunteers from ESOC arrived to tape the finish, set up the maze and collect money for parking. The ranger Emma P provided insight and helpers to park all the cars, campervans, minibuses and coaches alongside ESOC. Mike from the Estate was out in the Deer Park and was soon joined by several volunteers to keep an eye on the fallow deer.

Soon, the competitors started to arrive and a few club tents appeared on the lawns. The controls were out and the start team was ready ahead of time. The sun shone as the first runners milled around raring to go. And soon the orienteers started to appear at the finish funnel. Lots of smiling faces as they sprinted for the last control to gain some valuable seconds. Some had chosen to warm up on the maze run by Louise from SOA, while some used it as a cool down, but still racing against their school mates. Others joined in the huge football match between competitors - anyone for 30-a-side?! Picnics were eaten, schools cheered in their compatriots and finally all the competitors were back.

And what a success the day proved to be. Several ESOC members were on the podium either individually or as part of their school team and the overall competitions were won by George Heriot's Junior School (primary), Tynewater Primary (middle school), Breadalbane Academy (small secondary) and Dunblane High School (large secondary). Scottish schools had topped all the podiums! Next year's competition will be held in Heaton Park in Manchester.

Huge thanks go to all the many ESOC volunteers who made the day the success it was. Several very experienced volunteers made the start and finish a smooth operation. We had numerous comments on the day about the quality of the location, courses and operations and have since received emails too. A specific mention to Jayne for all her pre-event coordination as well as being the first on site and last to leave and Margaret for all her work in getting the 2 starts planned and organised. Martin had the unenviable task of providing 18 courses within a relatively small area, but did a great job.

Thanks also go to Terry (STAG) for Controlling; Fia, Finn & Carl (TAY) for help with starts, bagpiping and prizegiving; Lucy (INT) for prizegiving; Andrea (ELO) for manning map reclaim; Rona & Jonathon (FVO) for help with starts and prizegiving and Emma P & her team from Hopetoun for helping with many different aspects both prior to the event and on the day itself.

Overview

All pre-event and entry information (entries open now) is on the BSOA website here and there is a news item with details of who (schools or individuals) can enter on the SOA website here

Lost Property: One navy blue "Carnegie" hoodie, size M. Contact : email hidden; JavaScript is required

Pre-event Information

Location Info

Near: South Queensferry
Lat,Lng: 55.9954,-3.4519
OS Grid Ref: NT095790
Postcode: EH52 6QH
What3Words: ///fiery.invents.withdraw

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Nearest A&E Hospital

Please refer to the Important Event Information panel

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Miscellaneous

Coming for the weekend? There is an FVO Local event at the nearby Beecraigs Country Park (open to all) on Saturday 15th. Event webpage here