About Us
We organise a regular programme of local orienteering events, regular junior coaching sessions, weekly club training for members and also club socials. In addition, we organise larger orienteering events at regional and national level, some of which are further afield in Scotland. Why not come and join us?
Although based in Edinburgh, with most members living in the Lothians, we have members from other parts of Scotland, elsewhere in the UK and overseas. The club currently has over 200 members participating and succeeding at all levels of the sport, from local to international events. All athletic abilities are represented, ranging from those who simply enjoy a stroll in the woods with the fun of finding controls on the way, to those who regularly win leagues and trophies and represent Scotland at international events.
ESOC was formed in July 1965, and it was one of the first open orienteering clubs in Scotland. The club is affiliated to the Scottish Orienteering Association (SOA) and has club membership of British Orienteering, the UK’s national governing body of orienteering.
ESOC has achieved both Bronze and Silver awards in the SOA Club accredition scheme introduced in September 2018.
For junior members, there is a junior newsletter, and regular junior coaching sessions, focussing on fun as well as coaching activities. ESOKids have been very successful, with members being chosen for the Scottish Junior Orienteering Squad and representing Scotland at regional and national competitions, and also the GB squad at international competitions.
The club organises a variety of orienteering events throughout the year. Typically these include small local events, as well as larger events in a variety of formats including Sprint events, Relay events, Score events, and Urban events, as well as Forest events. Every 2 years, ESOC is involved in the very successful Scottish 6 Days Orienteering event; the latest one was Lochaber 2021.
ESOC also has some Mountain Bike Orienteering enthusiasts, and we now have a number of MTBO maps and have organised some recent MTBO events.
A pool of experienced members is able to organise, plan and control events, as well as mapping orienteering areas and training newcomers. The club is always looking to expand its skill set, and actively encourages all members to get involved. We encourage and support members who need formal training courses to improve their skills.
ESOC organises various coaching activities, and weekly training activities at venues around the city, for both seniors and juniors - for more details, see the Coaching & Training item on this website.
Social events usually consist of a lighthearted orienteering-related activity which may be followed by refreshments and a chat. Special events are organised from time to time, such as the 'Hair of the Dog' event at New Year, and the Pentland Skyline Run on a midsummer evening. See the Social news category for more information about socials.
Being a member of an orienteering club is not essential to take part in orienteering, but it does bring many local benefits. There are also benefits to being a member of the wider Scottish Orienteering Association and British Orienteering. Membership gives contact with others (who share their enthusiasm for the sport, their experience, support and guidance) as well as the social dimension. All members receive the ESOC newsletter 'Capital-O', the junior newsletter 'The O-Zone', and other regular communications with information on future events, as well as news and views from far and wide.
For further information about how to join our club, or about orienteering in the Edinburgh area, please send an enquiry to ESOC through the contacts page or see the Membership page on this website.