Thanks to CNOC who said yes! to this. This was their wonderful contribution we all got to enjoy. I hope everyone who tried it had a great time. I was up there a few weeks ago with some club members training them for the IOC. It even snowed if you can believe it.

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This kind of training absolutely works as a starter training structure for your clubs! Let's keep doing it. And promoting it when it's open for use. 

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I think the model for the control sites i used is a good one - bamboo cane, painted red at the top, with white lucotape and a code written on it in black marker. It is hard to spot it in the nature if you aren't actively searching for it. But as an orienteer running a self training it does work very well. The deer won't eat it either.

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We need to increase our frequency of orienteering training/races if we want better orienteering results. To some people (juniors most often) that kind of thing matters. But without regular club training they will never improve with the meagre once-a-week approach. No kid studies maths once a week for their leaving cert exams.

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I suggest all clubs consider taking up this model of training. All the work is done in one go and it can sit out in the nature for a long time. You only really start to learn an area by the third time you pass through it i believe so i think you can squeeze several good trainings out of a good area and then switch to running compass drills thereafter. And i know it's certainly not as social in doing this alone as say a club training would be but i would ideally like to see this self training model used as a supplement to club trainings. We are a volunteer sport and we are at the mercy of whoever would take it upon themselves to organise orienteering trainings. Start with this i say. And then step 2 would be to put on a club training or two sometimes.

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I hope after the summer to have another self training in Leinster as i've had another club say yes to doing this. So watch this space.